Blue Spring - Volusia County
“Blue” is the most common name given to springs in Florida, due to their naturally clear blue water. Blue Spring in Volusia County (also known as Volusia Blue) is the largest of the state’s springs named “blue”.
Volusia Blue Spring is a 1st magnitude spring with a single vent, about 30 feet deep, in a nearly circular pool. The spring pool is flanked by dramatically steep banks on three sides, with an overlook constructed near the vent. The spring run to the St. Johns River is bordered by thick native forest of cabbage palms and oaks. Both the spring pool and spring run bottoms are mostly limestone and sand, with limited vegetation along the shoreline.
West Indian Manatees congregate along the shoreline of Volusia Blue Spring run. Kimberly Eisley/FDEP
In 1776, the explorer John Bartram described the water in the spring run as “smelled like bilge water, tasting sweetish and loathsome, warm and very clear…the springhead is about 30 yards broad, and boils up from the bottom like a pot . .” Other early visitors also described the water as being sulfurous. Scientists now understand that this spring, along with other springs on the St. Johns River, are fed by relic seawater in the groundwater of this region. The resulting water discharging from the spring vent is a combination of relatively young fresh water and older salt water.
Zoom+ A diver explores the mouth of the cave at Volusia Blue Spring. Ray Eccleston/FDEP park photo contest
An underwater cave system has been mapped at Volusia Blue Spring, but it is exceedingly difficult for cave divers to enter the cave through the spring due to the strong outward flow of groundwater.
Volusia Blue Spring is a primary warm water refuge for manatees in the St. Johns River. The manatees congregate in great numbers in the spring and spring run during the winter months when the spring water is considerably warmer than the water of the St. Johns River. During these times, the spring and run is closed to swimming and boating. The boardwalk that parallels the spring run provides one of the best views in the state of manatees in their natural habitat.
The manatees congregate in great numbers in the spring and spring run during the winter months when the spring water is considerably warmer than the water of the St. Johns River.
The approximately 100-square mile springshed that provides the groundwater for Volusia Blue Spring has seen substantial changes in land use in the last 50 years, from predominantly rural and agricultural to one with increasing high intensity development. Concurrently, the spring has experienced an overall decrease in spring flow, increase in nitrate concentrations, less water clarity, and degraded aquatic habitat.
Zoom+ Minimizing the water and fertilizer requirements of large residential lawns is the first line of defense in the protecting Florida's groundwater. © Russell Sparkman
Given the importance of this site for both human and non-human visitors, specifically the manatee, efforts are underway to protect and restore both the quality and quantity of water that discharges from the spring. The St. Johns River Water Management District has adopted a Minimum Flow and Level (MFL) for Volusia Blue Spring that is designed to protect and preserve the amount of water needed for manatees to congregate there during cold spells. Because the MFL limits the amount of groundwater that can be used in the springshed, residents and businesses alike are looking at alternative sources of water and at water conservation. In addition, local governments and other stakeholders in the spring basin are coming together in a working group setting to identify solutions and actions to reduce the amount of nitrate loading to the groundwater that flows to Volusia Blue Spring.
The Blue Spring Working Group met quarterly through 2011 to learn why Volusia Blue Spring is valued and valuable, to better understand the biology, ecology, hydrology, and geology of the spring, and how a variety of stakeholders can work together to protect and restore Volusia Blue Spring.
Springshed Recharge Area*
This map shows the 104 square mile springshed or spring recharge area where rainfall enters the ground and flows through the aquifer to Blue Spring. Pollutants from fertilizers and pesticides, faulty septic systems and stormwater runoff in the springshed can harm the quality of water in the aquifer, the source of our drinking water and water flowing from Blue Spring.
Groundwater flows are dynamic, and the area covered by the springshed should not be interpreted as absolute or static, as the springshed may fluctuate due to groundwater withdrawals, drought, heavy precipitation or other factors. For more information about the springshed data, download the document below.
 |
 | Images of Volusia Blue SpringThe waters of Volusia Blue Spring emerges from a single vent in the limestone and flow to the St Johns River. |
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Ground Water and Springs Protection
Rick Hicks, PG, PG Administrator
Phone: (850) 245-5229
Email
Contact for: General springs information
Middle St. Johns Watershed Restoration Program
Samantha Fillmore, Basin Coordinator
Phone: (850) 245-8418
Email
Contact for: Information on basin management action plan (BMAP)
Local Government and Water Resource Agencies
- St Johns River Water Management District
- Volusia County
- Volusia County Spring-to-Spring Trail
- Florida Springs Initiative
- DEP LIFE Program
- Florida Department of Agriculture, Office of Water Policy
- Florida Geological Survey
- US Geological Survey
- Florida's water: ours to protect
Citizen Stakeholder and Watershed Organizations
Parks and Conservation Areas
Find Related Info
Manatees, Volusia Blue Spring
