Gretchen Funderburk: lives in Valdosta, Georgia. I am originally from Brunswick, Georgia. My major is math with a computer science minor. My topic is the Suwannee River Basin.The Suwannee River stretches for 266 winding miles through southern Georgia and Florida. Legend says that in the 1780's, the Suwannee River was a gold site and the inlets and bays were full of pirates. There are many different stories of how this river got its name. One of them says the river got its name from the Seminole Indians who had a chieftainess named Su-wan-nee (which means "winding river"). Another source says that early Indian inhabitants called it Ouasaca Esqui, meaning "river of reeds", before the name was later changed to the present name. This southern river has even inspired a song written by Stephen Foster. The Suwannee receives its water from numerous springs and other rivers. It flows from its source in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico. The river reaches the Gulf of Mexico at the Suwannee Sound. There Hog Island divides the Suwannee into two distributaries. It is reported to be the only major waterway in the southeastern Unites States that is still unspoiled. There has not been major developments and settlements along the banks of the river because of frequent flooding. Along these banks live a variety of plant-life and animal-life. Plant-life includes cypresses, oaks, gardenias, and orchids. Such rare and endangered species are the bald eagle, the alligator, the panther, and the manatee. The river runs through 12 counties in Georgia and Florida. In Florida it runs through Dixie, Lafayette, Madison, Levy, Gilchrist, Suwannee, Hamilton, and Columbia. It runs through Clinch, Echols, Ware, and Charlton counties. There are two state parks along the river. They are Manatee Springs and Suwannee River State Park at Ellaville. There is also a county park at Hart Springs in Gilchrist. These are not the only recreational developments along the river. White Springs is a famous resort town in Hamilton County on the banks of the Suwannee River. Suprisingly, the government of the United States only owns about 28 miles of the river. The remainder is owned by the state of Florida, Florida counties, companies, corporations, and individuals. The river basin drains about 9280 square miles.
The Suwannee River basin has excellent groundwater quality.
However, the river is extremely vulnerable to contamination from
surface sources. Then in 1993, a program called the Middle Suwannee
River Area project was initiated to help protect the groundwater
supply from pollution and contamination. These problems were
first noticed in the late 1980's. Soon after this discovery,
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection performed groundwater
tests and studies on the Suwannee River. These studies revealed
that nitrate levels in wells and springs along the Suwannee had
significantly increased. Levels of nitrate in the wells were
measured at 43 ppm. This measurement is four times the state
standard. Furthermore, in the springs, nitrate levels had risen
from non-detectable in the 1950's to 5 ppm. The water in the
springs give a somewhat accurate indication of the quality of
the groundwater in the river. Normally, the Suwannee River has
a high content of phosphorus because of the geologic formations
along the river. Therefore, the elevation in nitrate in the Suwannee
could eventually cause the growth of algae. This growth would
obviously reduce and limit the light penetration to the sea grass
beds, which is the basis of the food chain. In a long-term retrospective,
the increase in nitrate will unfortunately threaten the entire
ecosystem of the Suwannee River and Estuary. To control this
problem, the Middle Suwannee Area Project is providing assistance
to install waste management systems for animals. This will make
sure that the nutrients are utilized. Eventually, this will lead
to the protection of the entire estuarine ecosystem. Although
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is responsible
for groundwater quality, it is not the only agency supporting
this project. The Cooperative Service of the University of Florida
is also getting involved in this project. They are trying to
develop additional and alternative ways to solve the animal waste
disposal problem. But the total responsibility of the Suwannee
River in Florida lies with the Suwannee River Water Management
District. They are also responsible for the overall ecosystem.
They, along with the state of Georgia, are sponsoring a Cooperative
River Basin Study which is desperately searching for solutions
to help the ecosystem. The approximate budget of the Middle Suwannee
River Area Project was proposed at $.75 million in 1994. If this
project is unsuccessful in solving the groundwater contamination
problem, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will
be ready to enforce much stricter discharge regulations.
Another recent issue concerning the Suwannee River is water piping.
The strain of Florida's water supply and resources is increasing
because of urban, agricultural, and industry developments. Many
large Florida cities are finding that there is a water shortage.
The cities get their fresh water from wellfields, which pump
the water from the aquifers. But the water is being pumped out
so fast that the aquifers cannot replenish themselves. This is
a major problem in the Tampa area. The Southwest Florida Water
Management District controls the water in west central Florida.
They think that one way to solve the water shortage problem in
Tampa is to pipe fresh water from the Suwannee River to Tampa.
Obviously, this plan has caused much political and economic controversy
because of the environmental harm that the transfer of water will
eventually cause. Desalination is also another option to help
Tampa restore its water supply. But supervisors state that the
process is expensive. They say that desalination is ten times
more expensive than fresh water pumping. But an easier, cheaper,
and long-term way to preserve the fresh water supply in all areas
is conservation and water reuse. The Suwannee River is a natural and beautiful place where many individuals can go for the enjoyment of relaxation or a variety of recreation. Some visit the river for fishing, swimming, canoeing, boating, or camping. If everybody would do their part and help conserve the water supply and keep it clean, these current issues of contamination and shortage would not be problems. Through everybody's cooperation, the Suwannee River and its basin can remain a natural and untouched environment.
http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?Do…eywords=suwannee%20river#first_ hit http://h2o.usgs.gov/nwc/NWC/sw/man/S02320500.html http://h2o.usgs.gov?nwc/NWC/sw/man/S02317500.html http://www.moonmag.com/water5.html http://wwwrgaatl.er.usgs.gov/public/srnrl_projects/suwannee.html
Kaucher, Dorothy. The Suwannee. Kirstein & Sons.
Orlando, Florida, 1972.
|