Descending Into Florida’s Underwater Caves
The freshwater springs in the Florida town have been a nature attraction since ancient
times, long before the theme parks that stand today were built. It has been proven that
the American Indians have used these springs long before the Spanish arrived. In the
indigenous worldview, these springs had many meanings and with the arrival of the
Spaniards, due to their great clarity and way of sprouting, healing powers were
attributed to them as sources of eternal youth. It is believed that these springs are among
the clearest, cleanest and with the greatest variety of both flora and fauna in the entire
world.
From 1900 White Sulfur Springs was one of the springs on the banks of the Suwannee
River that became very popular because the presence of sulfur was attributed a healing
power. These great natural attractions were used by people to create boats with glass
floors, which helped to see the great underwater landscape found in these springs that
were also used for filming movies. Kissengen Spring is one of the first springs to have
suffered from population growth, climate change, over-pumping of the aquifer, and
pollution from agriculture and sewage. It has been proven that many of the springs in
Florida have significantly reduced their cause and in many cases have dried up
completely.
Another major problem that has contributed to spring damage is contamination from
septic tanks, sewage, agricultural fertilizers, and confined animal feeding operations that
have flooded springs with excess nutrients. This excess of nutrients has led to an
excessive growth of thick green algae, which have managed to seal the sandy soil
through which the water should filter.
In recent years, the Save Crystal River organization and the Sea & Shoreline restoration
company have used their funds, along with the state and federal funds, to eradicate this
huge problem that is affecting all of Florida. It should be noted that many of these
sources are very important for the proper functioning of the population of Florida.
Thanks to the efforts of all these people, it was possible to eradicate more than a quarter
of a billion pounds of algae and mud, on the contrary, it has been possible to plant more
than 350,000 eel plants, which collaborate with the correct functioning of the springs
and the spread of its fauna.
The propagation and planting of eels was found to have managed to clean the ponds and
that their current increases notably, this is a very positive point for the fauna of the
sector such as the manatees, which are encouraged by this plant and manage to create a
symbiosis to that everything works correctly. Another important point they made was
the drainage of the salt water that is contaminating these springs.