Silver Springs and Upper Silver River BMAP Story Map
Background
Silver Springs and Upper Silver Springs BMAP StoryMap
The Silver Springs Group constitutes one of the largest freshwater springs in the world and is a major discharge point for water from the upper Floridan aquifer (UFA). The Silver Springs and Upper Silver River BMAP area comprises 632,466 acres and includes Silver Springs (also referred to as Mammoth or Main Spring), Silver Springs Group, and the Upper Silver River along with the groundwater contributing area for the springshed. The waterbodies delineated as Silver Springs and Silver Springs Group are collectively referred to as Silver Springs and together include at least 30 named springs that are the main source of water to the Upper Silver River, which flows into the Ocklawaha River. The Silver Springs and Upper Silver River BMAP area is located mostly in central Marion County, with portions extending into Alachua, Putnam, Sumter, and Lake Counties.
DEP adopted a nutrient TMDL of 0.35 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of nitrate for Silver Springs. The BMAP was adopted to implement the total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the protection and restoration of Silver Springs and Upper Silver River.
The BMAP addresses nutrient impairment in Silver Springs, Silver Springs Group, and Upper Silver River, which were verified as impaired under the Florida Watershed Restoration Act (FWRA) (Chapter 403.067, Florida Statutes [F.S.]) and the Impaired Surface Waters Rule (IWR) (Rule 62-303, Florida Administrative Code [F.A.C.]). This BMAP provides for phased implementation under Subparagraph 403.067(7)(a)1, F.S., and this adaptive management process will continue until the TMDL is met.
The BMAP documents the management actions that have been or will be undertaken by local, regional, state, or private entities to reduce the amount of nitrogen released into the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA), which is the source of flow in Silver Springs and primary source for Silver River. Reducing the amounts of nitrogen entering the UFA will help achieve the water quality standards and designated uses established by DEP. Silver Springs and Silver River are designated as Class III, suitable for recreational use and for the propagation and maintenance of a healthy, well-balanced population of fish and wildlife. They are also designated as Outstanding Florida Waters (OFWs).
Subsection 403.067, F.S., requires agricultural nonpoint sources in a BMAP area either to implement the applicable Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)-adopted Best Management Practices (BMPs), which provides a presumption of compliance with water quality standards, or conduct water quality monitoring prescribed by DEP or St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) that demonstrates compliance with water quality standards.
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Nitrogen Sources
Spring systems are impaired due to elevated nitrogen concentrations. Many sources contribute nitrogen in each springshed. The Nitrogen Source Inventory Loading Tool (NSILT) is currently being updated for the BMAP updates.
- Atmospheric Deposition
- Urban Turfgrass Fertilizers
- Sports Turfgrass Fertilizers
- Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems (OSTDS)/ Septic Systems
- Wastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTF)
- Livestock Waste
- Farm Fertilizers
Water Quality
Monitoring
Monitoring is required by all BMAPs. The purpose of the monitoring network is to support the evaluation of progress made toward achieving the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) target nitrate concentration for the impaired springs.
BMAP implementation involves an iterative process, therefore, the monitoring efforts are related to primary and secondary objectives. The primary objectives focus on achieving water quality targets, while the secondary objectives focus on water quality parameters that can be used to provide information for future refinements of the BMAP. The monitoring strategy may be updated as necessary.
Documenting water quality improvements for the springs will require periodic surface water sampling at the spring vent, groundwater monitoring, and biological monitoring. Surface water quality data are collected to determine if TMDL nitrate targets are being achieved. Flow data are collected in support of the secondary objective of calculating total nitrogen (TN) loading and tracking changes in TN loading in the basin. Groundwater well data are collected because the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) well network is expected to respond to changes in nitrate concentration before the spring vents and rivers and will help identify the response of the UFA nitrate levels to different land uses and recharge rates.
At a minimum, the core parameters will be tracked to determine the progress that has been made towards meeting the TMDL and/or achieving the numeric nutrient criteria (NNC). For this BMAP, nitrate is considered to be the key core parameter measured to track progress in decreasing nitrogen concentrations in groundwater and the water surfacing at the spring vent. The other parameters are considered supplementary parameters for the BMAP, as they build information about water quality in the groundwater and at the spring vent but are not direct measurements of impairment.
Biological responses to BMAP implementation may also be tracked. A significant amount of time may be needed for changes to be observed.
DEP uses several monitoring tools designed to measure direct biological response to the water quality improvement or decline in springs. Rapid periphyton surveys (RPS) are conducted to assess the extent and abundance of attached algae (periphyton) and evaluate the autecological information associated with the dominant algae. Stream Condition Index (SCI) will be conducted to measure the number of different organisms present in the river and/or springs. In addition, habitat assessments (HAs) are conducted to assess the conditions and habitat present to support the SCI evaluation. Water quality samples should also be collected with the biological monitoring.
DEP continuously monitors the effectiveness of the monitoring network to fulfill the objectives stated in the BMAP and will continue to coordinate within and across jurisdictions to achieve water quality targets.
Water Quality
The Protecting Florida Together water quality map delivers statewide water quality information. On this site, you can explore the Florida regions that are of interest to you. Individual waterbodies are color-coded based on the assessment status of nutrients and whether they are meeting standards.
The water quality map has information on impairments under the “Water Impairment” tab based on the DEP watershed assessment process, in accordance with the Impaired Waters Rule. When sufficient data is available, you can click the button called “View Waterbody Trends” to see a graph of annual geometric mean concentrations (AGMs) for each parameter over the last 10 years. Additionally, the “Get More Data” button below the graphs allows users to search for additional monitoring data from the statewide database, Watershed Information Network .
The Protecting Florida Together water quality maps and graphs can be accessed at the following link.
Projects
This BMAP provides for phased implementation under Subparagraph 403.067(7)(a)1, F.S. The management actions and adaptive management approach described in the BMAP will address nitrogen reductions needed to meet the TMDL. This adaptive management process will continue until the TMDL is met. BMAP implementation will be a long-term process. The adaptive management approach used for this BMAP requires regular follow-up to ensure that management strategies are carried out and that their incremental effects are assessed. This type of approach acknowledges that there is some uncertainty associated with the outcomes of proposed management strategies. In subsequent five-year management cycles, progress will be evaluated and adjustments made or new projects added, as needed, to meet the TMDL.
Stakeholders submitted management strategies to the department with the understanding that the strategies would be included in the BMAP, thus requiring each entity to implement the proposed strategies in a timely way and achieve the assigned load reduction estimates.
Projects implemented in this BMAP that could have a significant impact in reducing nitrogen loads to the springs include wastewater treatment upgrades, conversion of septic systems to central sewer, fertilizer ordinances, and implementation of agricultural BMPs. For a full list of projects please visit the Statewide Annual Report .
Examples of stakeholder projects for the Silver Springs Group BMAP to reduce nitrogen sources
- Treatment of stormwater runoff with denitrifying media to reduce nitrogen loading. This technique is also applied to discharges to drainage wells.
- Connection of septic systems to central sewer for better nitrogen removal.
- Upgrade of wastewater treatment plants for better nitrogen removal.
- Decommission package wastewater plants by connection to larger wastewater treatment facilities that provide better nitrogen removal.
- Cost share programs with agriculture producers to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce fertilizer use.
- Equine manure composting demonstration and outreach.
- Florida Friendly Landscaping to reduce fertilizer use and need for irrigation.
There are specific projects of note for this BMAP. Marion County Utilities has completed a wastewater feasibility study that outlines how septic systems and central sewer connection will be handled. In 2020 Ocala opened the Wetland Recharge Park which utilizes engineered wetlands to clean wastewater and stormwater, before discharging that water to recharge the aquifer, while also providing greenspace. Ocala’s Septic Tank and Citywide Well Elimination Program begun in 2015 has connected over 900 properties with existing septic systems to central sewer. The city along with Belleview, Marion County, and FGUA (the utility serving Dunnellon) have plans to eliminate additional septic systems through connection to central sewer. Between Marion County, FGUA, and Ocala more than 25 package wastewater plants have been or are planned to be decommissioned with connection of their service areas to larger wastewater treatment facilities with better nitrogen removal.
The BMAP implementation process uses adaptive management to adjust when circumstances change, or monitoring indicates the need for additional or more effective restoration strategies. Adaptive management measures may include recommending additional restoration projects, updating the information in the water quality model, updating the model itself, adjusting allocations, or including new statutory requirements.
More information on projects in the Silver and Rainbow Springs BMAP can be found in the latest Statewide Annual Report .
Progress
Annually, DEP works with stakeholders to track BMAP project implementation and to review progress. The updated project list for the prior calendar year is presented by July 1 in the Statewide Annual Report. A complete project list can be downloaded from this site, for those interested in detailed project information. To promote progress and implementation, BMAP stakeholders meet annually to follow up on plan implementation, share new information, and continue to coordinate TMDL restoration–related issues.
In this BMAP, the following statements provide an indication of the challenges related to reducing pollutants from different sources.
Urban Turfgrass Fertilizer (UTF)/Sports Turfgrass Fertilizer (STF)
- After an initial period of identifying and quantifying projects, local entities have struggled to identify and fund additional urban stormwater projects to achieve the necessary reductions.
- Implementation of source control measures is needed to decrease the amount of nutrient loading. Examples of source controls include public education and local ordinances to address residential fertilizer, over-irrigation, and pet waste.
Farm Fertilizer/Livestock Waste/ Dairies
- Almost all agricultural producers are compliant in their requirements to enroll in applicable BMPs or conduct water quality monitoring.
- Since owner-implemented BMPs are also cost effective, these BMPs may have been implemented prior to enrollment and are, therefore, not a new reduction in loading.
- As agricultural loadings are an important source of loadings in this BMAP, regional projects and cost-share BMPs, which are the responsibility of the state, need to be identified and implemented to reduce agricultural loads.
- More information is needed on agricultural practices that improve loads to groundwater for springs protection.
Wastewater
- The wastewater provisions in the BMAP have not yet been fully implemented but will be added as permits are renewed.
- Legal challenges to this BMAP delayed the implementation of additional domestic wastewater provisions.
Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems (OSTDS)
- This BMAP has additional requirements for OSTDS enhancement or septic-to-sewer conversions that have recently gone into effect and have not been fully implemented.
- Expanding the BMAP requirements for OSTDS enhancement or additional septic-to-sewer conversion projects may be necessary in future iterations given the magnitude of OSTDS loads in this springshed.
- Legal challenges to this BMAP delayed the implementation of provisions for OSTDS enhancement or septic-to-sewer conversion projects.
Contacts & More Information
For more information on the Silver Springs and Upper Silver River BMAP, please contact:
Jessica Fetgatter
Voice: 850-245-8107
email: Jessica.Fetgatter@FloridaDEP
Resources
For more information on the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration's BMAP program, click https://floridadep.gov/bmaps .
For more information on all of the restoration plans developed with specific provisions for the protection and restoration of the state’s Outstanding Florida Springs, click here .
Image: Rainbow Spring Group_DEP