Dr. Robert Knight, founder of Howard T. Odom Florida Springs Institute and OSFR member, has published a new book on Florida’s springs, just out and available at this link.
DR. Knight is one of the most active and passionate defenders of our rivers and springs, and has devoted his career to studying the wetlands, ground and surface waters of North Florida. He is well known and much in demand as author and speaker on these topics.
Old Timers who swam in Ichetucknee Springs in the 1920s called it ”the Boil”. They remember that the spring flowed at a much higher rate than today. Many of the Old Timers remember that you could see the boil was at least 3 inches higher than the water surface. The boil was so strong you could not swim across it. According to several Old Timers you could hear the water boiling out of the spring before you could see it. One said that you could hear it about 300 feet away. No one hears the Ichetucknee Head Spring boil today. While the spring still flows it has lost at least one quarter of its historic flow. It is silent now as are so many springs in Florida.
Silenced Springs is a timely assessment of the current plight of Florida’s over 1,000 artesian springs, including their former glory, how they came to be impaired, and the hopeful path to their eventual restoration and protection. Dr. Knight is Florida’s premier springs scientist and weaves his personal experiences with technical data that document how Florida’s springs and aquifer are being depleted and polluted due to a combination of blind ignorance and willful greed. Many of the actors in this unfolding tragedy are identified and informed of their responsibility to save and restore these “bowls of liquid light.” Silenced Springs is a wake-up call to the millions of ordinary people who enjoy the refreshing, clear water of healthy springs. All of us who love the springs must rally together if Florida’s water future is to be secured and the ultimate demise of our springs is to be avoided.