Springs in Florida have changed for the worse, but we can still save them

In the 1970s I started documenting the underwater world of Florida’s springs. As a biologist/diver I was moved and intrigued by the beauty and size of so many springs rising from the earth.

I became fascinated by their remarkable clarity and the abundant diversity of life so clearly visible in their transparent headsprings, rivers and runs.

I thought the world should know these places better. So for years that followed I camped by springs for months at a time, entering their waters day and night in all seasons of the year.

In 1993, Pineapple Press in Sarasota took the resulting collection of images and published “The Springs of Florida.” But the book now in many cases is no longer an accurate look at Florida’s springs. If there is another edition I’ll have to change it because many springs have changed — a lot. Some are in trouble.

We have not been good stewards of our natural resources. We know we are pouring excess nitrates into their aquifer source through over-development, poor septic systems and over-fertilization of our fields and lawns.

We know we are pumping too much water from our aquifer, decreasing spring flow and health. The quality of spring water is declining as is the diversity of wildlife in them.

Why should we care about springs? Because simply they are canaries in our coal mine. If not for the sake of preserving freshwater environments unique on our Earth, then we should care for them because for many of us they are the same water we drink. Some spring waters that once gave us the purest water on Earth now carry nitrates approaching levels unsafe for human consumption. Springs are changing. And I can show you.

Look at one of the pictures from my book of Crystal River’s headspring, taken in 1978. The water was crystal clear, hundreds of mangrove snappers hung on the limestone ledges of its headspring pool, others hid in the deep recesses of its cavern. It was a visible fusion of freshwater springs and the sea, a wondrous place.

I was there a few years ago, and those vistas were gone. The water was cloudy and green. An invasive algae called Lyngbya, fueled by excess nitrates, suffocated the spring and river and replaced the native eel grass with black mats of algae. In recent years local businesses and residents of Crystal River realized the health of their economy and their community depended on the health of their springs. They began extensive restoration projects to remove the algae and replant the river with native eel grass. Aided by countywide fertilizer application restrictions, it’s working.

I was there again recently. The headspring is changing again. The water is clearing, surrounding eel grass beds are extensive and growing. The fish are returning. It’s far from the wondrous world you see in the photo, but neither is it the dying spring of 2015.

Positive change is possible, and we need it in our springs heartland. But we as Florida residents too often have the sky-is-falling care fatigue. It’s understandable. We are told almost every day sea levels are rising, manatees are starving, the springs are in trouble. There is seemingly little we can do.

But there is something we can do, we must do. We know the problems. We know the solutions. We can learn from the successes of science-based restoration efforts like Wakulla and Crystal River and apply them elsewhere.

We can join and support organizations like the Florida Springs Institute and the Springs Eternal Project that support research and public awareness. And we can put people into political office who have the will to do the hard work that addresses the larger issues of our aquifer. Let those who decide the fate of your water know you’re concerned. And vote.

We have a long way to go to be better stewards. But from what I’ve seen lately, I have hope we can begin to return springs to their rightful and vibrant place in our world. “The Invading Sea” is the opinion arm of the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a collaborative of news organizations across the state focusing on the threats posed by the warming climate.