Below the state of Florida and extending into the states of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina lies an aquifer holding an estimated 100 trillion gallons of water. Flowing out of this aquifer are over 1,000 artesian springs. Of these springs, more than 32 of them are considered first magnitude, meaning at least 65 million gallons of fresh water flow out of them every day. Some individual springs produce more than 500 million gallons per day. The water that flows out of these springs has undergone extensive filtration through underground layers of sand, porous limestone, and dolomite. Once the water reaches the surface it can be as clear and blue as nature permits. 

Birds, fish, reptiles, and mammals are attracted to their consistent year round 72ºF 22ºC temperature, high oxygen levels, and clean, nutrient filled water. The ecosystems these springs support are diverse, beckoning common and endangered animals alike to seek refuge from more exposed and less consistent surrounds. 

There’s a powerful sense of wonder when visiting nearly any one of these natural artesian springs. Fresh, clear water bubbling up from the ground in large pooling quantities with flowing river runs is not a common sight. It’s easy to understand why these special pockets in the earth were mythologized by earlier peoples. Springs were, and still are by some, considered sacred with cleansing or healing properties.  Others believed them to be portals to other planes of existence, their blue caves entry ways to the underworld. Others still believed springs were inhabited by gods and demigods. Indeed, when all else is quiet, it’s not difficult to imagine coming across a Naiad bathing in the clear water. 

I can still feel that sense of wonder in these pools and their runs. The bizarre presence of clear blue water boiling up from a rocky cave in the midst of a forest is somehow both strange and inviting. Swimming in these springs is a powerful experience and carries with it something primal, as though a need deep in our DNA is relieved by soaking in such pools. Springs like these are remarkable, life-giving features in our planet, and are worlds unto themselves.