Groundwater in Florida

Ground water is water that pools underground after it rains and can be harnessed in wells, springs or aquifers and used to fill several needs. There are pools of high quality ground water under much of Florida that is used by nearly 90% of the population for drinking water. As well as feeding into many of the springs and surface lakes and rivers. 

"Groundwater is found in one of two soil layers; The one nearest the surface is the 'zone of aeration', where gaps between soil are filled with both air and water. Below this layer is the 'zone of saturation', where the gaps are filled with water. The water table is the boundary between these two layers. As the amount of groundwater water increases or decreases, the water table rises or falls accordingly. When the entire area below the ground is saturated, flooding occurs because all subsequent precipitation is forced to remain on the surface" (http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/hyd/grnd.rxml).
 

Florida has several programs to monitor the ground water that work mostly within the state, such as the University of Florida (Watershed Restoration) and with the EPA. The Ground Water Management Program and the Watershed Restoration Program focus on "evaluating and addressing ground water resources that adversely affect surface water quality...Much of this work focuses on springs (www.dep.state.fl.us/water/groundwater/index.htm)." 

Silver Glen Springs tucked away on Lake George near the St. Johns River and in Ocala National Forest.

 
As well as "focusing on ecological and water quality restoration of the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee...[and] the Indian River Lagoon and St. Johns River Basin"(srwqis.tamu.edu/florida/program-information/florida-target-themes/watershed-restoration/).

"The CERP (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program) was authorized by Congress in 2000 as a plan to 'restore, preserve, and protect the South Florida ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region, including water supply and flood protection' (www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/cerp.htm). This diagram illustrates CERPs goal of their restoration efforts.




Sources: 
http://www.geogrify.net/GEO1/Lectures/WaterResources/1302.jpg
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/hyd/grnd.rxml
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/groundwater/index.htm
http://srwqis.tamu.edu/florida/program-information/florida-target-themes/watershed-restoration/
http://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/cerp.htm
http://www.allabouthappylife.com/florida/springs/silver_glen_springs/silver_glen_springs_dsc00607.jpg

Coquina

Coquina, pronounced co-kee-na, is a type of sedimentary rock found in Florida. Although it's not limited to being found only in Florida, there is a lot of it around because "The end of the Pleistocene Era (1.8 million years ago-approx 11,550 years ago) corresponds with the retreat of the last continental glacier. Florida itself, and its landmass, was rising from the sea, and Coquina rock began forming along a long portion of Florida's East Coast" (www.coquinarock.com/geology.php).

It is formed from "incompletely consolidated sedimentary rock...formed of billions of small clam-like seashell, called Coquina, or cockleshell. Overall composition of most Coquina rock is a mixture of these and other shells"
(www.coquinarock.com/geology.php).

 According to www.coquinarock.com, it is geologically known as Donak Variabilis.

According to www.coquinarock.com/geology.php, Since "Coquina rock, as it exists today, was formed along the East Coast of Florida, formations can be found near the coast, from Palm Beach, Florida, then Northward to South of Jacksonville, Florida. Coquina rock can be found as far as 20 miles inland, and most deposits follow the Eastern Coast, and along the now I-95 corridor." 

Spanish colonists were the first to come to the US, landing in Saint Augustine, the oldest city/settlement in the country. The Spanish used coquina to build their fort, the "Castillo de San Marcos". Since they were the first to find and utilize coquina, it should come as no surprise that "coquina" is a spanish word that means “cockle shell” or “tiny shell”. 

As if the Spanish had any other options, coquina was the only stone accessible on Florida's coast, but what they feared would be a disadvantage, turned out to be an enormous benefit. Due to it's conglomerate mixture and "light and porous nature" it's millions of "microscopic air pockets" makes it compressible; "cannon balls fired at the walls of the Castillo burrowed their way into the rock and stuck there, much like a bb would if fired into Styrofoam. So the thick coquina walls absorbed or deflected projectiles rather than yielding to them, providing a surprisingly long-lived fortress" (www.nps.gov).



I've been to the castillo, these are some of the pictures I took...

Sources:
http://www.coquinarock.com/geology.php
http://www.nps.gov/casa/historyculture/construction.htm

Pictures:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/rocks/anastasia.jpg
http://skywalker.cochise.edu/wellerr/rocks/sdrx/6limestone-coquina152a.jpg
http://geology.com/cities-map/florida.shtml
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Washington_Oaks_Gardens_coquina01.jpg/250px-Washington_Oaks_Gardens_coquina01.jpg
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/4c/ce/4cce9e2e1e3e1bd459506669a3b8cb44.jpg

Reason for blog...

Macayla Isler

Blog #1

I'm a Colorado native and while I love my home state, Florida has become like a second home for me since we started traveling there about 5 years ago. My parents property sits on a canal that goes out to Lake George, the second largest lake in Florida. 

It's surrounded by Lake George State Forest which is completely protected, so the land will never be developed; it's like a private, nature lover's oasis. It also connects to the St. Johns River, and before you even come to the river, there is a natural clear water spring.

 

 This map shows the lake, and the St. Johns River flowing from the south and through Lake George. The river will eventually take you to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean after that.

These are pictures of the surrounding forest from the lake that I took when I was there over Christmas break. 

 We didn't see any a few weeks ago, but in the summer we often see Bald Eagles nesting in these huge trees outside our front door.

These are pictures of the canal itself. You can see that the water is brackish and unclear which makes for a surprisingly exciting time fishing since you never know what you'll catch; anything from catfish and bass to this sting ray my dad caught once!    

 This is a juvenile alligator that was in the canal during one of our trips that couldn't be removed because it wasn't BIG enough yet...

 These grasshoppers are everywhere! And just to prove how big they are, I had to take a picture with something for scale. But I couldn't find anything and was afraid he was going to move, so I took this awkward picture of my hand and a freakishly huge insect. You're welcome.

 I love the Spanish moss, and the trees that line the edge of the lake. It really makes you feel like you're in a desolate, wild, (kinda creepy) swamp.

 There are so many more awesome (Physical Geography-related) things to talk about regarding Florida, but I chose to do my blog on Florida because of Lake George.