For the Love Of Nature, Art and Bad Humor
A Comic Gallery of Creative Expression in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Florida's Springs
A Love Story About Nature's Original Waterpark
Before the mouse showed up with its churros,
singing robots, and $19 water, tourists came to Central Florida
to see some real magic: the springs!
That crystal-clear spring water has always drawn people,
even before travel blogs told them to.
Central Florida is home to the highest concentration of freshwater springs on the entire planet. That’s right, we’ve got more magical water holes than anywhere else, hundreds of them! Without a single animatronic pirate in sight. And the only turkey legs you’ll find are those still attached to wild turkeys.
These springs and their surrounding basins provide essential
habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species.
People love them too. Long before sunscreen-clad tourists showed up with pool noodles and waterproof phone cases, Indigenous peoples cherished these waters for their beauty, freshwater, and ecological richness. Today, locals and visitors from around the globe flock to Florida’s springs to enjoy nature’s original waterpark.
Because they are cool. Literally. 72 degrees all year round.
They remain major attractions, despite the competition from
fake castles and roller coasters. These stunning natural wonders are not only vital to Florida’s environment but also to its economy, conservation efforts, and cultural heritage.
It's remarkable springs exist at all.
Millions of years ago much of Florida lay beneath the ocean.
Over time layers of limestone accumulated under the sea,
eventually shaping much of the state's distinctive terrain.
As sea levels rose and fell parts of this porous limestone dissolved, creating a fascinating geological landscape called karst. It's made of sinkholes, caves, and an underground drainage system known as The
Floridan Aquifer, Florida’s most crucial source of fresh water.
But that fresh water isn't a spring yet...
When it rains the water seeps through the limestone
and replenishes the Floridan Aquifer, gradually raising its water level.
Scientists call this recharge.
As more water fills the aquifer the pressure builds from
both the weight of the water and the surrounding bedrock.
Eventually that pressure pushes the water through natural
openings in the limestone. Voila! A spring.
The Florida Springs Institute's interactive map is a great way
to explore the state's springs. There's over 1,000 of them!
Not all springs are alike. The big ones gush with incredible force
while others gently trickle. Springs are ranked in magnitude,
a system that measures how much water flows from them daily. There are eight categories in total, with first-magnitude springs being the largest and most powerful.
When it comes to measuring a spring's magnitude, size matters.
But everyone knows that the real measure of a spring’s power is not in gallons but by...bathtub.
(One average bathtub = 50 gallons)
1st Magnitude
Over 1.3 million bathtubs a day
(65 million gallons)
900 tubs a minute
2nd Magnitude
Between 130,000 and 1.3 million bathtubs a day
(6.5 - 65 million gallons)
90–900 tubs a minute
3rd Magnitude
Between 13,000 and 130,000 bathtubs a day
(0.65 - 6.5 million gallons)
9–90 tubs a minute
4th–8th Magnitude
Under 13,000 bathtubs a day
(0.65 gallons)
9 tubs a minute or fewer
Bathtub math brings all-new meaning
to being considered tubby.
Out of Florida’s roughly 1,000 springs, 30 have achieved
celebrity status as Outstanding Florida Springs.
They’re the sparkling VIPs that get extra protection under the
Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act of 2016.
To safeguard them, the state develops Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), fancy-sounding game plans for establishing spring protection zones and generally keeping pollution out. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), along with water management districts, local governments, and other partners, work together to set timelines, goals, and actions that help keep these springs healthy and camera-ready for generations to come.
Florida's springs were once considered among the most pristine in the world.
But despite being protected like Grandma’s secret cookie recipe, the springs are in trouble.
A pristine picture until you look closer.
There are 3 big problems:
Problem # 1
Water Flow Levels
Springs and rivers may seem all carefree and go-with-the-flow,
but even they have standards. Like, for real. They have measurable flow rates, usually calculated as the volume of water moving
per foot per second. Like a speedometer, but for nature.
Each spring or river has a specific flow rate considered the
minimum to maintain the ecological health of the river, known as Minimum Flows and Levels, or MFLs. These benchmarks help ensure that water bodies remain healthy and sustainable.
It's basically the river system's 'do not dip below this line' rule.
The bare-minimum combo of flow rate, depth, and duration needed to keep wetlands and aquatic ecosystems thriving. Algae, plants, invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals all count on stable MFLs.
Regulatory agencies are tasked with monitoring these flows
and ensuring groundwater pumping and other disruptions
don’t push levels below the safe MFLs.
It helps keep rivers from turning into sad puddles with
fish side-eyeing us in judgment.
In 2016 a law was enacted requiring Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection to protect springs by preventing groundwater withdrawals that could cause harm.
However, the current regulations are falling short.
Despite the river’s legal protections, significant damage is
already occurring. Habitat loss is happening across the state,
and the health of the springs continues to decline.
Florida's population is growing faster than a rumor at a family barbecue. New neighborhoods are popping up like mushrooms after a summer rain, except these come with sprinklers and a surge in permits for more groundwater withdrawals.
In central Florida, pumping from the Floridan Aquifer is
nearing the amount that the aquifer can sustainably handle.
Still, permits have been issued for pumping 40% more than the aquifer can support. Overuse has caused water levels in some lakes, springs, and wetlands to drop to historic lows.
Fish, manatees, shrimp, and countless plant species rely on a consistent flow of water for their food sources and habitat.
The whole entire wetland ecosystem does. But despite this, we keep handing out new groundwater permits like free samples at Costco.
The permits are being used to support new agriculture, landscape irrigation, commercial operations, industrial use, and massive neighborhoods named after the very nature they’re replacing.
Fresh water is always in demand, but we're draining more than the aquifer can handle. New permits are in addition to the existing ones for golf courses, businesses, neighborhoods, malls, lawns, livestock, crops, and theme parks. We also drink this stuff, cook with it, bathe with it, and make ice for our hurricane coolers and cocktails. Soon we won't have any ice left for our hurricane cocktails.
On top of the pumping, new development also brings excess nutrients, pesticides, and other pollutants that seep through the ground and into the aquifer. As the water supply shrinks, those pollutants become more concentrated.
Paved surfaces like houses, driveways, roads, and shopping centers make it harder for rain to soak back into the ground, cutting off the aquifer’s natural recharge, worsening the cycle that harms the springs, the wildlife that depend on them, and ultimately, us.
Recovery plans are in the works to restore healthy Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs), but under state law, that process can take
up to 20 years! Meanwhile, groundwater pumping continues. The concern is that if action isn’t taken sooner, the damage could become irreversible, leaving little or nothing left to recover in two decades. Leaving us drained, emotionally and hydrologically.
In the not so distant future:
Problem #2
Excess Nutrients
Like many waterways around the world, the Springs are
overloaded with nutrients, primarily nitrogen (in the form
of nitrates) and phosphorus. While both occur naturally,
excessive amounts can cause serious problems.
Nutrient pollution comes from fertilizers, leaky sewage
pipes and septic systems, livestock waste, pesticides,
stormwater, and urban runoff.
The result is a rampant growth of slimy, gross,
algae-party-crashers with zero chill or cares.
They block sunlight from reaching native submerged plants,
leave fish looking for oxygen like it's on backorder, and disrupt
key habitats and functions of the aquatic ecosystem.
Despite existing regulations and restoration efforts, nitrate levels
remain higher than the target goal, often exceeding the state's threshold (Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for nitrogen) for healthy springs by multiple times.
Thankfully, as the water flows downstream, aquatic plants
and natural processes absorb some of that excess.
Rivers can be self-healing superheroes!
But with numbers that high, even superheroes can get overwhelmed. When paired with water levels dropping like your phone signal in the woods, the concentration of these pollutants only intensifies,
making an urgent issue even more critical.
Problem # 3
Loss of Habitat & Invasive Species
As urban development expands around the state,
wildlife is left with fewer natural spaces to inhabit. Their once-spacious natural habitats are now chopped up by neighborhoods, roads, strip malls, and Walmarts.
What’s left are scattered pockets of wilderness, like nature’s
version of studio apartments, but miles apart from each other.
This isolation can lead to genetic problems from inbreeding,
or in some cases, no breeding at all.
As if the Springs didn’t have enough problems, now it’s being
invaded too. A whole new cast of invasive plant and
animal invaders has moved in, loving the subtropical climate and
acting like they own the place. Native species, already stressed from shrinking habitats, pollution, and low water levels, are now
getting pushed around by these aggressive newcomers.
On the plant front, it’s like a botanical version of Hoarders.
Wild taro, water hyacinth, hydrilla, primrose willow, torpedo grass, elephant grass, and paragrass are crowding the waterways, guzzling nutrients and turning the river into an all-you-can-grow buffet.
But nobody eats the new plants on the block. They are the Real Invasive Plants of Volusia County -throwing shade, stealing nutrients, and stirring up drama.
Water hyacinth. It’s pretty!..Bad. It has the highest growth rate of any known plant. It spreads across the water like a leafy blanket, blocking sunlight from submersed native plants below. It sucks up oxygen, drops piles of rotting mush to the bottom, becomes a 5-star hotel for mosquitoes, and kicks biodiversity to the curb. And that’s just one of many problem plants.
Meanwhile, in the fish world, it’s no better. Blue tilapia, brown hoplo, sailfin catfish, walking catfish, and chanchitas are swimming in like they’re the new landlords, leaving native fish struggling to keep up.
It’s the Aquatic Hunger Games and the locals are losing.
Sailfin catfish. (Plecos) are easy to spot. They’re everywhere!
Originally from the Amazon, they’ve made themselves at home in Florida’s freshwater and they're trouble. These fish burrow into shorelines to lay thousands of eggs, which can cause erosion. In the winter, they latch onto manatees resting
in the springs to suck on the algae growing on their skin. While it doesn’t hurt
the manatees, it can cause stress as they try to shake them off, burning energy when they're supposed to be conserving. On top of that, they outcompete native
fish for resources, throwing off the whole food chain. They suck. Literally.
And that’s just one of many problem fish.
Yeah. The spring problems are BIG.
But so is the
HOPE!
There are 3 big solutions:
Solution # 1
Reduce Water Use
It might be a hot minute before the state gets its act together. Bureaucracy moves slower than a gator on a chilly morning.
But Floridians are a resourceful, salty bunch of veterans who
host parties during hurricanes. State recovery plans might help eventually, but the real power is in every Floridian’s backyard.
Water is in demand for golf courses, crops, businesses, theme parks, and all kinds of stuff. But a whopping 50% of all water from Florida's public water supply is used for keeping lawns wet and green enough to blind passing airplanes. Fifty percent! A huge stress on the Floridan Aquifer. If we all dialed down the sprinklers, swapped some turf for native plants, or just let our grass embrace its crunchy brown truth now and then, we could save the aquifer ourselves.
Like the true heroes we are.
Solution #2
Go Native
It needs to be said; turf lawns suck…up a ridiculous amount of water. Seriously, they’re thirsty, needy divas. It takes A TON of water to keep that grass looking green year-round, especially in Florida, where the dry season lasts longer than most celebrity marriages.
For about 8 months of the year, Floridians are out there
watering, fertilizing, babying their lawns like they’re trying to
raise a particularly entitled and ungrateful child.
And what do the lawns give back? Nothing.
Except for maybe some outdated suburban, cultural pride in
having large, open grassy areas that symbolize wealth status and
the pride of homeownership. Which is so 16th century.
Sod gives almost nothing back to the environment.
Few eat it. It doesn’t host butterflies. Not even the birds and the bees.
It doesn’t provide shade or shelter or even good vibes!
It’s a huge drain on our water supply, wallets, and biodiversity.
Florida native plants are the real MVPs, evolved over millennia to handle this swampy, storm-prone, sun-scorched state like champs.
They thrive through dry spells, downpours, bad soil, and even the occasional Category 5 weather tantrum. No special watering schedule. No chemical cocktails. Just pure, local resilience.
And they are BEAUTIFUL.
Plus, fun fact: Florida means full of flowers.
So let’s get back to that. There's a whole world of
native ground covers, tropical stunners, and blooming beauties
out there that don’t guzzle water or leech your bank account.
Not in manicured grass that does nothing,
but in vibrant, buzzing, eco-friendly yards
that actually support life.
Let’s make turf lawns the new mullets:
outdated, high-maintenance, and best left in the past.
Solution #3
Get Involved
There are plenty of reasons to protect our springs beyond
their status as glittery backdrops for Instagram reels,
they’re economic powerhouses, too. These natural wonders
support jobs tied to Florida’s natural resources and generate
millions of dollars each year in sales and personal income.
But more importantly, by protecting the springs, we are protecting ourselves. Floridians are in this together.
Here's a list of things YOU can do:
-
Sign up for local environmental group newsletters
-
Support local environmental groups by volunteering, donating, and following their lead.
-
Attend meetings (local boards, commissioner, neighborhood, etc)
-
Start or maintain a native garden
-
Conserve water use
-
Don't use fertilizers and pesticides, or at least cut back.
-
If you're on septic, keep up with its maintenance and consider switching to sewer if possible.
-
Convince neighbors and HOAs that sod lawns are as unnecessary as multiple decorative pillows are on a bed.
-
Protest the changing of conservation land to commercial land use.
-
Promote development and urban planning that’s smart, sustainable, and Florida-friendly.
-
Convince your family, friends and neighbors to do all the above too
Summary:
This is a true love story.
Florida's Springs are remarkable, wild, beautiful,
and well-loved.
But as in any relationship, just saying I love you isn’t enough.
It’s about how you show it.
Florida’s springs aren’t just pretty tourist spots.
They are givers of life for plants, animals, and people.
Yet despite their many protections, they’re in trouble.
Too much pollution is going in, too much water is being pumped out, and what’s left behind is a sad, lifeless, slimy, green mess.
Official efforts are out there, trying to improve the springs’ health, from tightening pumping limits to cutting nutrient pollution.
But lobbying by powerful interests and other political pressures
have stalled most progress. Laws can help, but only up to a point.
The real power lies with us.
The Floridan Aquifer supplies drinking water to 90% of the people living in central Florida, the very same source that feeds the springs.
Spring water
is our water.
That alone should motivate everyone to care.
Even those who don’t particularly love the springs, hugging
cypress trees, or canoeing with prehistoric reptiles.
Tragedies have happened before. Springs that used to be beautiful tourist destinations are now dried up, or just sad, green mud pits supporting little life. The remaining springs are indeed loved.
But perhaps to death.
Every year, more visitors trample native plants, leave trash,
and erode fragile banks. And even if you clean up after yourself
and claim to love the springs, love alone won’t save them.
What matters are the choices we make every day.
At home, at work, everywhere.
This isn’t just a Florida story. It’s a global one. Pollution and overuse can drain any water source, anywhere. We can't assume bureaucracy, activists, and tree-huggers alone are going to save the day. It's not enough. We need cultural shifts in how we treat our environment because every action or inaction makes a difference.
Stop using so much water.
Reduce the excess fertilizer.
Go native (a real grassroots effort).
Get involved.
We have the power. We have the love.
We just need to show it.
References:
https://www.cfpublic.org/2025-01-17/development-is-taking-a-toll-on-floridas-precious-springs
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/wekiwa-springs-state-park
https://www.wekivawildandscenicriversystem.com/
https://www.friendsofwekiva.org/
https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/habitat/invasive-plants/weed-alerts/water-hyacinth/
https://floridadep.gov/springs
Jay Exum and Mike Cliburn for their expert fact-checking!
This comic was a final project for the
Florida Master Naturalist Program - Freshwater Systems.
