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Wekiva River
The Wekiva River system includes many unique attributes within the Middle St. Johns River Basin. The flow of the Wekiva River originates from a combination of spring flows and from surface drainage from the region. The Wekiva River system includes the main stem of the Wekiva River, three main tributaries (Rock Springs Run, Blackwater Creek and the Little Wekiva River), and 30 contributing groundwater springs.
The Wekiva River begins in Wekiwa Springs State Park, and shortly downstream connects with the mouth of Rock Springs Run. Further downstream, two other major tributaries, the Little Wekiva River and Black Water Creek, flow into the Wekiva River prior to its connection to the St. Johns River. Rock Springs Run and Black Water Creek flow predominantly through state-owned land and remain relatively undisturbed, whereas the Little Wekiva River is located primarily within urbanized central Florida. The Wekiva River, found in Orange, Seminole and Lake counties, continues for about 14 miles and downstream (just north) of Lake Monroe it enters the St. Johns River.
Urban areas and natural lands surround the Wekiva River.
The Wekiva River and its floodplain connect to form a major wildlife corridor that supports Florida black bear movement to and from the Ocala National Forest. The waterway is protected by significant public ownership of the land along the Wekiva River.
Challenges
The southern-most tributary to the Wekiva River is the Little Wekiva River, which is the only main tributary that is influenced by the highly developed Orlando area. Much of the region was developed prior to stormwater management requirements, and as a consequence, the Little Wekiva River is plagued by a series of water quality problems, such as storm water rushing from paved surfaces and depositing fertilizers and sediments that pollute the river and erode its side banks. The buildup of sediments on the river’s bed contributes to flooding, deteriorating water quality.
The Wekiva River is located within an area of Karst (limestone) geology, where the surface water and groundwater are closely connected. Spring flow from springs in the basin is supplied mostly by the Floridan aquifer, and encompasses approximately 60 percent or more of the total flow within the Wekiva River. Because of this, the water quality and flow in the Wekiva River are far-reaching issues that expand beyond the surface water drainage basin, or watershed, to also include the larger groundwater basin, or springshed. Attributes such as the beauty and ecologic value provided by this spring system are numerous, as are the challenges in management and improvement of these complex systems. The key concern in the Wekiva River, as with many spring systems in Florida, is the high nutrient levels, particularly nitrate, that can result in excessive algal growth within the spring runs.
Finding solutions
Sunlight breaks through tree cover along the shore of the Wekiva River.
The St. Johns River Water Management District has been working for more than a decade to address issues that plague the Wekiva and its tributaries, and work continues today. Efforts that began as erosion control in the Little Wekiva River will progress toward efforts to address water quality issues that exist in the river, as well as in the groundwater that supplies water to the springs.
The District has accomplished much work in the basin, including:
- Development of pollutant load reduction goals (PRLGs), a report and expanded document with appendices, to document the impairments within the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run, and to determine the amount of pollutants that need to be removed from the sources of the river in order to restore the waterway.
- Adoption by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection of total maximum daily loads. The District will continue to monitor and perform diagnostic evaluations, and to partner with other entities to accomplish what is needed for the Wekiva River.
- Meets regularly with the Wekiva River Ecosystem Management Working Group, of which the District is a member, and receives input from the Friends of the Wekiva River.
A tricolored heron tiptoes through a marsh.
Other accomplishments in the area include:
- Designation as an Outstanding Florida Water, an Aquatic Preserve, and a National Wild and Scenic River.
- Designation through the Florida Legislature (in 1988) of the Wekiva River Protection Act, which established the Wekiva River Protection Area and the river’s surrounding counties were required to amend their comprehensive plans and land development rules to deter wetlands losses and protect wildlife and its habitats.
- Established special rules (through the District) for development in the basin that require additional stormwater treatment and established protection zones along the waterways to preserve wetlands, uplands and water quality, and reduce erosion and groundwater drawdown.
- Legislated the Wekiva Parkway and Protection Act in 2004 to establish the Wekiva Study Area and provide guiding principles for the development of the Wekiva Parkway, thus completing the Orlando Beltway, while also ensuring greater protection of the surface and groundwater resources of the Wekiva River system. The legislation states “…the Wekiva River System and its associated springshed areas are of irreplaceable value to the quality of life and well-being of the people of the state of Florida…”
Contact information
For more information about the Wekiva River, contact Mary Brabham, basin program manager, at (407) 659-4829 or mbrabham@sjrwmd.com.
Updated on 5-14-2010
