Florida’s rainy season may be back above ground, but one of North Central Florida’s springs has already reached a troubling milestone below the surface.
In Alachua County, WCJB reported that Poe Springs has stopped flowing, a sign that frequent summer rain is still not enough to overcome a severe drought and the longer-term strain on the aquifer that local communities depend on.
Here’s what to know
Hydrologists are continuing to track drought conditions across North Central Florida while urging residents to conserve water as the aquifer recovers, per the station. Officials say the region’s level 4 of 4 drought has improved somewhat, but river levels remain low and weak spring flow has led to some closures.
“A bad drought is like turning down the hose,” Bill Hawthorne, an aquatic ecologist with the Florida Springs Institute, told WCJB. “Now with little rain, and groundwater pumping, Poe Springs has stopped flowing.”…