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Wekiva National Wild & Scenic River System
Love what you experience. Protect what you love.
The Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System, which includes the Wekiva River, Wekiwa Springs Run, Rock Springs Run and Black Water Creek is designated by the U.S. Congress as a National Wild and Scenic River. This designation means the values of the river and its ecosystems are natural treasures that must be protected for the enjoyment of future generations.
The Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System, A National Treasure
Learn about the National Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System
The Wekiva River System is surrounded by natural lands dedicated to the protection and restoration of native biological diversity.
The Wekiva-Ocala Greenway is a wildlife corridor stretching from Ocala National Forest to the southern tip of the Wekiva River. This area is a refuge for wildlife, especially the Florida black bear.
Did you know: Wekiva is the Creek-Seminole word for running or flowing water and the name of the river. Wekiwa is the Creek-Seminole word for bubbling water and is the name of the spring.
The central region of Florida has among the highest concentrations of Florida black bears in the state with an estimated 1,200 bears. Maintaining the connection of suitable habitat across the Wekiva-Ocala Greenway is key to sustaining this population.
A black bear at the urban interface in the Wekiva River System.
Wekiwa Springs and Wekiwa Springs Run Segment: Wekiwa Springs is an artesian flow located within Wekiwa Springs State Park. Wekiwa Springs is a second magnitude spring that discharges approximately 44 million gallons of water per day (MGD) from at least five horizontal caverns 14 feet below the surface in a kidney shaped pool. The spring is popular for swimming and snorkeling. Concerns over reductions in the volume of water flowing from the spring and the quality of the source of spring water - the Floridan aquifer - require monitoring and planning to reduce nutrients from septic tanks and fertilizers. Wekiwa Springs Run flows approximately one mile before connecting with Rock Springs Run to form the Wekiva River.
Rock Springs and Rock Springs Run Segment: Rock Springs, another second magnitude spring in the Wekiva River System, is located in Kelly Park, a 355-acre park owned by Orange County. This popular park is a hotspot for tubing a several hundred-yard section of the initial path of Rock Springs Run. The primary discharge of Rock Springs originates from the base of a partially submerged limestone bluff and produces an average discharge of approximately 41.8 MGD. Rock Springs Run flows north, then east and south for a total of approximately nine miles before joining Wekiwa Springs Run to form the Wekiva River. Most of the land adjacent to Rock Springs Run is in public ownership and there are no road crossings or bridges over it.
Wekiva River Segment: The Wekiva River flows approximately 14.2 miles from the confluence of Wekiwa Springs Run and Rock Springs Run to the St. Johns River. The Wekiva River is fed by a combination of natural springs as well as several hundred square miles of surface watershed in Orange, Seminole and Lake counties. The Wekiva River receives discharge from Miami Springs Run/Canal, Wekiva Falls Run/Canal, and the Little Wekiva River. Black Water Creek joins the Wekiva River approximately one mile upstream of the confluence of the Wekiva and the St. Johns rivers.
Black Water Creek and Seminole Creek Segments: Black Water Creek’s headwaters are at Lake Dorr in the Ocala National Forest. Upstream of the confluence with Seminole Creek, Black Water Creek is maintained by groundwater seepage , two 2nd-order magnitude springs, and outflow from Lake Norris. The creek has an expansive floodplain and a sinuous and braided channel with an abundance of deadwood snags. Not all Black Water Creek is navigable, depending on water level and downed trees or other vegetation that may inhibit passage.
The Springs: There are 31 named springs within the Wekiva River System. Six of them feed directly or indirectly into the Wekiva River, four feed into Rock Springs Run, five feed into the Little Wekiva River and sixteen feed into the Black Water Creek and Seminole Creek drainage basin. Wekiwa, Rock, Seminole, and Messant are second order magnitude springs, and the remaining 27 have lower order spring flows. The flow from Florida’s springs generally travels through a karst network of underground conduits and porous limestone, and eventually emerge at the surface.
Sections of the Wekiva River and Black Water Creek present a wild paddling experience.
More than half of the Wekiva River System flows through public conservation land characterized by natural aquatic and wetland habitat, unobstructed wilderness views, and experiences in solitude.
Wildlife & Vegetation of the Wekiva River System
The Wekiva River flows about 16 miles and discharges into the St. Johns River downstream (north) of Lake Monroe.
Much of the wetland and aquatic habitat associated with the Wekiva River System is in good condition and protected in perpetuity by public ownership, or extensive regulations.
The waters of the Wekiva River System are often surrounded by swampland in a vast floodplain. The river itself is characterized by an abundance of wetland and aquatic vegetation that provide habitat for aquatic and wetland-dependent species from amphibians and turtles to fish and river otters.
The Brown Watersnake, a non-venomous native species spotted in the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System.
Wekiva River is home to the American alligator that can be spotted in wild river segments. Don't worry, it is unlikely for one to enter the swimming area while people are enjoying the water.
The Florida redbelly turtle, among other freshwater turtle species, can be found in the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System.
The native diversity of the aquatic ecosystem has evolved around this native plant assemblage, and it remains robust today. Changes in water quality, hydrology, and the abundance of exotic plants threatens the balance of this ecosystem and could result in changes to the abundance and diversity of animals that live there.
Native spider lily, spatterdock, and sawgrass
Several species of exotic fish are known to occur in the Wekiva River System, but their total abundance has not yet been determined.
A diverse assemblage of native fish is present in the Wekiva River System, but exotics including blue tilapia, armored catfish, and vermiculated sailfin catfish occur, and may congregate in places where they are highly visible.
Right Image: Exotic blue tilapia
Exotic vermiculated sailfin catfish / armored catfish
The large, exotic island apple snail is known to occur in the Wekiva River System but at this point, it is confined to areas near the confluence of the St. Johns River.
Exotic island apple snail (left) and the Florida apple snail (right)
Though exotic plants continue to be a problem in the Wekiva River System, control has stabilized their deleterious effects and generally maintained navigability.
Notable, exotic species of plants found in wetland and aquatic habitats include common water-hyacinth, hydrilla, and Peruvian primrose willow. These plants are managed according to annual work plans approved and implemented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Healthy eelgrass beds persist in the Wekiva River, Black Water Creek and Rock Springs Run, even though they are, in many places, burdened by a heavy periphyton load.
Left Image: Healthy eelgrass bed
Right Image: Herbicide control of exotic plants covering eelgrass bed
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are important components of many aquatic systems, because they capture sediments and reduce turbidity, assimilate and store nutrients, sequester carbon, and provide refuge and foraging habitat for aquatic invertebrates and fish. Much of SAVs on the Wekiva River are eelgrass beds, though there are concerns about a growing abundance of algae which could replace these indicators of a diverse native aquatic system.
Algae growing on eelgrass
Historical & Cultural Resources
There is a history of investigations and a substantial literature base related to historical and cultural resources in the Wekiva River basin.
Most of the area with the highest potential for historical resources is in public ownership or protected by existing regulations. Some historic and cultural resources within the Wekiva River System include:
Ethel Cemetary: The Ethel Cemetery, located in Rock Springs Run State Reserve, was established in the 1880s, named after the rural community that once resided here along the former Sanford-Lake Eustis Railway at the Moody stop. The rail bed can still be seen along the north side of Ethel Drive. It is the oldest known cemetery in Lake County, built in 1880.
Image: Ethel residents in 1912.
A crop freeze in 1895 caused most residents to leave the area and those who stayed moved to the area that is now Wekiva Falls RV Resort. Although only three tombstones are present on the one-acre site, research estimates 29 total burials have occurred on the site.
Twin Mounds Archaeological District: Twin Mounds was formed by snails, mussel shells, and fish skeletons gathered by the Native Americans as far back as 4,000 years ago. The two heaps from the accumulated discards are located on the west bank of the Wekiva River and is in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since 1992.
Buffalo Tram Campsite: A historic primitive campsite on the west side of the river within Rock Springs Run State Reserve. The campsite can only be accessed by canoe or kayak.
Buffalo Tram Campsite. Source: FloridaHikes.com
Shell Island: This shell midden island is the largest and oldest inhabitance in the Wekiva basin dating back between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago. In the 1920s and 1930s, a handful of Rollins students would spend the weekend here as part of their curriculum, sleeping in a log-cabin with a dirt floor on the river. In 1938, Rollins College bought the island for $10 and it remains an inholding of the Wekiwa Springs State Park.
Managing a Healthy Habitat
The Sandhill (long-leaf pine/wiregrass) and Scrub (Chapman’s, myrtle and sand live oak trees) communities are maintained by natural and prescribed burns.
Controlled burns allow the otherwise natural wildfire processes to occur under supervision. The burns assist with:
- Maintaining low plant density or "fuel" to reduce catastrophic wildfires
- Protecting lives and properties through distinct fire lines
- Managing forest health by stimulating new growth of fire-dependent plant species
- Recycling nutrients
- Controlling invasive species and disease
The Sandhill and Scrub habitat are vital for groundwater recharge.
Scrub and sandhill habitats are often underlain by deep marine sands that allow recharge of rainwater into the Floridan aquifer, which is the source of groundwater that feeds the spring systems in the Wekiva River System.
Image: Rainfall in scrub and sandhill habitats percolate through sandy soils into the Floridian Aquifer and recharges rivers and springs.
Wekiva's Water Resources
Rock Springs Run is known for its crystal-clear water from the Floridan aquifer.
Crystal clear waters flow from Wekiwa and Rock Springs on a consistent basis and create an incredible experience for those using the Wekiva River System. Rock Springs Run stretches for 8 miles at about a 3-to-6-foot depth before joining with the Wekiva River. At Kelly Park and Kings Landing, visitors enjoy floating down the river in tubes and explore in kayaks (even some with glass bottoms).
Stretch of Rock Springs Run
GoPro video while canoeing on Rock Springs Run
Unfortunately, these springs and the spring runs have high nutrient concentrations which affect the aquatic ecosystem. To rectify these problems, FDEP has approved Basin Management Action Plans (BMAP), which provide a mechanism to improve nutrient concentrations in the springs and spring runs.
Video: Collecting water quality samples from the spring vent
Click to expand image above.
Until BMAP projects are fully implemented, water quality is threatened by fertilizers and septic systems in vulnerable areas of the Wekiva basin. Other threats to aquatic habitat include increased salinization from a diminishing freshwater aquifer, and reduced spring flow due to pumping from the aquifer.
Also, these communities harbor species of plants and animals that are rare and endemic to Florida, including the iconic Florida Scrub-Jay. The Florida Scrub-Jay is a unique, acorn-eating, cooperative breeder that is inextricably linked to the low- growing oaks of this habitat type in Florida.
Florida Scrub-Jay habitat
The Spring's Central Vent
According to the Florida Springs Institute, "Florida’s springs are the largest by volume in the world." All springs, including those in the Wekiva River Basin, are categorized by "magnitude" based on volume of water that flows from its central vent.
1st Magnitude
Flows more than 65 million gallons per day!
There are no 1st magnitude springs within the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System. Silver Spring & Manatee Spring are examples of other Florida 1st magnitude springs.
Image: Silver Springs
2nd Magnitude
Flows between 6.5 and 65 million gallons per day.
Wekiwa, Rock, Seminole, and Messant are 2nd magnitude springs within the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System.
Image: Wekiwa Springs
3rd Magnitude
Flows between 0.65 and 6.5 million gallons per day.
The other 27 springs within the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River System are 3rd magnitude.
Image: Helen Springs
Find your next adventure.
Explore destinations and amenities along the Wekiva Wild & Scenic River by continuing to scroll.
Black Water Creek at Lake Norris Conservation Area
Location: 37939 Lake Norris Rd, Eustis, FL 32736
Highbanks Boat Ramp
Location: 499 W Highbanks Rd, Debary, FL 32713
Katie's Landing
Location: 262 Wekiva Park Dr, Sanford, FL 32771
Kelly Park & Rock Springs
Location: 400 E Kelly Park Rd, Apopka, FL 32712
King's Landing
Location: 5722 Baptist Camp Road, Apopka, FL 32712
Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park
Location: Swift Road & Fechtel Road, Eustis, FL 32736
Rock Springs Run State Reserve
Address: 30601 County Road 433, Sorrento FL 32776
Seminole State Forest
Location: 28500 State Road 44, Eustis, FL 32736
Wekiva Falls
Address: 30700 Wekiva River Rd, Sorrento, FL, 32776
Wekiva Island
Location: 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood, FL 32779
Wekiwa Springs State Park
Location: 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, FL 32712
Wilson's Landing
Address: 379 Malekean Trail, Sanford, FL 32771
Engage
19 Partners | 3 River Segments | 41.6 miles ONE Community
What can I do to help?
Stay Connected
Reach out to the Wekiva River Ambassador for information on how to get involved or to learn more about the Wekiva River System.
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Volunteer With Us
There are many opportunities to volunteer on The Wekiva Wild & Scenic River. Check them out and help us protect our river.
Opportunities may include:
- Turtle, dragonfly, and bird surveys and other community science projects
- Natural resource monitoring
- Litter collection
Join the Friends of Wekiva River
Joining our organization places you among like-minded people who want to ensure a healthy river that will support robust wildlife, recreation, and our local economy for generations to come. We welcome all levels of support!
All memberships include news updates via email, volunteer opportunities, invitation to events, and the knowledge you are helping to protect Central Florida's environmental jewel.
Thank You Partners