Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
Close-up of Snail Springs Boil A
Snail Springs Boil A
Snail Springs
Location
Snail Springs is located in the Seminole State Forest about 3 miles northeast of Mount Plymouth and 3.2 miles southeast of the town of Seminole Springs. From the intersection State Road (SR) 46 and County Road (CR) 46A, turn north onto CR 46A and drive 1.7 miles. If driving from the north, turn south onto CR 46A from SR 44 and drive 3.9 miles. Park, then cross the fence onto Seminole State Forest property. Walk about 600 feet toward the northeast, to the springhead pool with several sand boils. Access and fee information can be obtained at the Seminole State Forest south entrance.
Latitude 28°49’25.84” N, Longitude 81°29’11.32” W
NE¼ SE¼ NW¼ sec. 22, T 19 S, R 28 E
Description
Snail Springs is a fifth-magnitude spring that is composed of a series of sand boils labeled A, B, C, and D. The springhead at Boil A is a small pool with several sand boils. B boils up in a relatively large pool about 150 feet down the run, C is another 120 feet away, and D is about another 150 feet past C. Boil D has 16-inch clay pipe on the side of the pool near two palm trees. Boil D runs about 150 feet to the main spring run. Oak, pine, palm, and banana trees are common in the area around the springs and run.
Snail Springs run
Discharge
Discharge from Snail Springs, measured in 2005 and 2008 by the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), had a mean discharge was 0.26 cubic feet per second (see the table below).
Water quality
Snail Springs was sampled twice by Lake County in 2004 and by SJRWMD in 2005. Summary statistics of the water quality data for selected variables are shown in the table below.
Summary statistics of water quality and discharge at Snail Springs
| Snail Springs | Min | Mean | Median | Max | Count | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge, cfs | 0.09 | 0.26 | 0.26 | 0.42 | 2 | 2005–2008 |
| Alkalinity, total, mg/L as CaCO3 | 105.0 | 108.9 | 110.0 | 110.7 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Calcium, total, mg/L as Ca | 43.6 | 49.0 | 49.6 | 53.2 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Chloride, total, mg/L as Cl | 6.6 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.32 | 0.40 | 2 | 2004 |
| Magnesium, total, mg/L as Mg | 12.6 | 13.5 | 13.7 | 14.2 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Nitrate + nitrite, total, mg/L as N | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 3 | 2004–2005 |
| pH, field | 7.40 | 7.67 | 7.66 | 7.97 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Potassium, total, mg/L as K | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Sodium, total, mg/L as Na | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 3 | 2004–2005 |
| Specific conductance, field, µmhos/cm at 25°C | 354 | 362 | 362 | 371 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Sulfate, total, mg/L as SO4 | 59.5 | 62.6 | 62.2 | 66.2 | 3 | 2004–2005 |
| Total dissolved solids, mg/L | 199 | 215 | 213 | 233 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Water temperature, °C | 23.2 | 23.6 | 23.5 | 24.2 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
mg/L = milligrams per liter
cfs = cubic feet per second
Age of discharge water
The age of water discharging from Snail Springs was determined by measuring the concentration of tritium, carbon-14, and carbon-13 in the spring discharge, which was measured in March 2005. Snail Springs had a tritium concentration of 0.82 tritium units and a carbon-14 concentration of 30 percent modern carbon and a delta carbon-13 value of –8.68 parts per thousand. The tritium concentration suggests that the water is between 40 and 70 years old. The carbon-14 concentration of 30% modern carbon can result from the reaction of rainfall with calcite, dolomite, and soil organic matter.
