Amendment to the Levy County Comprehensive Plan
Data and Analysis
DATA AND ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT A
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE
LEVY COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Introduction
Since the 1950s, a rapid increase in Florida’s population has led to a dramatic
increase in developed land including roads, pavements, and other impervious
surfaces associated with development. These impervious surfaces contribute to
the prevention of rainwater from percolating into the aquifer and increase runoff (stormwater) of harmful pollutants. The Floridian Aquifer, an underground
water storage system, is the primary source of drinking water for Florida residents.
It is also the source of crystal clear water in springs. Collectively, Florida's springs
discharge over nineteen (19) billion gallons of freshwater each day. Every day in
Florida, more than nine (9) billion gallons of water are consumed, most of it
withdrawn from the aquifer. In addition, harmful fertilizers, chemical pesticides
and other pollutants make their way into our groundwater supply and
eventually the springs 1 .
The Florida Departments of Community Affairs and Environmental Protection
have joined together to create a Springs Initiative to raise the level of springs
protection within the State. Part of the initiative includes a draft Implementation
Guidebook for Protecting Florida’s Springs: Model Land Development Code
and Model Comprehensive Plan Objectives and Policies that is directed to the
cities and counties to assist in amending comprehensive plans and land
development regulations to protect springs. Other articles and sources of data
and analysis include maps from the Florida Geological Survey, the Florida
Statistical Abstract, and resources as listed in the accompanying bibliography.
Justification for the Proposed Amendment
Levy County, established in 1845, is a rural community with an estimated
population of 38,200 residents sparsely spread across the County. According to
the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, Levy County is projected to
gain 7,300 new residents by the year 2015. With the population projected to
increase by sixteen (16) percent over the next ten years, urban growth pressures
will be placed on Levy County’s environmentally sensitive lands and natural
resources, including springs and springsheds.
Levy County has two 1st magnitude springs and two 2nd magnitude springs
(Map 1). The 1st magnitude springs are Fanning and Little Fanning Springs, and
Manatee Springs; the 2nd magnitude springs are Blue Springs and Wekiva
Springs. Fanning Springs consists of two springs or pools, each with a run
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discharging to the Suwannee River. The water has consistently been recorded
as being clear and dark blue. Manatee Springs is bounded on the north by
cypress and gum trees and marsh shrubs and on the south by a pine grove and
picnic area. Blue Springs has a semicircular pool that is the headwater of the
Waccasassa River. Wekiva Springs is composed of three irregularly-shaped pools
of variable size in a complex of open solution cavities in limestone of the Floridan
aquifer. These springs form the head of the Wekiva River which flows about
seven (7) miles to the Waccasassa River and thence to the Gulf of Mexico. 2
Data and Analysis
1st magnitude springs
Fanning Springs is located within a state park in the town of Fanning Springs. The
springs produce an average of 65 million gallons of water daily 3 . According to
Levy County’s Future Land Use Map, the primary land use categories that
surround Fanning Springs include:
Cities;
Natural Reservation; and
Rural Low Density Agriculture Residential (ARR)
While the ARR land use category allows residential uses at a density of one (1)
dwelling unit per ten (10) acres, the town of Fanning Springs can be expected to
contain a variety of urban uses. Fanning Springs has about two (2) percent of
Levy County’s total households within a land area of approximately 3.56 square
miles. Using the percentage change of households that occurred between
2000 and 2003, Fanning Springs is projected to gain an additional 92 households
by the year 2015.
Manatee Springs is located in a densely wooded area on the east bank of the
Suwannee River. It is located about seven (7) miles west of Chiefland in the
2,075-acre Manatee Springs State Park. The springs produce 81,280 gallons of
crystal-clear water every minute or approximately 117 million gallons daily. 4
Because it is located in a state park, the surrounding area is managed for
camping, hiking, swimming, scuba diving, and nature study. According to Levy
County’s Future Land Use Map, the primary land use categories that surround
Manatee Springs include:
Natural Reservation; and
Rural Low Density Agriculture Residential (ARR)
There is also a Rural Commercial Node land use category near Manatee
Springs. However, the size and magnitude of this commercial node is not stated
in the Plan nor is it shown on the Future Land Use Map. Therefore, the threat of
this future commercial node to Manatee Springs cannot be determined.
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The City of Chiefland is covered by a Municipal Service District (MSD). This MSD
includes an area larger than the City and extends northward along US 19
toward Fanning Springs. Fanning Springs is also located within a MSD. These
Districts provide central water and sewer facilities that serve the existing
communities and are planned to serve future development.
Urban
development within the Chiefland and Fanning Springs Municipal Service
Districts has the potential of impacting the springs and springsheds of Levy
County.
Springsheds
Levy County has six springsheds that overlay the entire County: Fanning,
Fanning/Manatee, Kings Bay, Manatee, Rainbow Group, and Santa Fe Springs
(see Map 1). These springsheds extend beyond the County boundaries into
Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Marion, and Citrus counties. The Fanning,
Fanning/Manatee, and Manatee springsheds cover the entire north-western
portion of the County, which are the prime locations for the 1st magnitude
springs. Future urban development occurring in the northwestern portions of
Levy County may pose a threat to the County’s springs and springsheds unless
some actions are taken to minimize the effects of that development.
Karst features
Sinkholes are one of the several karst features that are commonly found in
Florida’s landscape. Sinkholes result from the collapse of overlying sediments
into the underground cavities. Sinkhole formation is aggravated and
accelerated by urban development through increased water usage, altered
drainage pathways, overloaded or compacted
ground surfaces, and
redistributed soil. If left unprotected, polluted surface water can drain into
sinkholes and easily contaminate the aquifer. According to the Florida
Geological Survey, there are 54 recorded sinkholes in Levy County. The majority
of these sinkholes are located in the northwestern portion of the County, east of
Manatee Springs and southeast of Fanning Springs.
More freshwater caves and caverns are found in Florida than anywhere else in
the world. The cave system is important to the aquifer because provides a
direct connection between the groundwater and springs; where water
intersects with the ground surface, a spring forms. 5 Caves are also important
because they enable the aquifer to store large volumes of water that flow freely
through the aquifer. The Manatee Springs Cave System is located in the
northwestern portion of the County. It covers an area of about ten (10) square
miles, including the city limits of Chiefland, and extends beyond the County’s
boundaries into Dixie County (See Map 1).
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The Depth to Water Table Map (Map 2), associated with the Manatee Springs
Cave System, shows the depth to the water table is 44 ft or less. If the watertable rises, a collapsed sinkhole can fill with water, and overflow like a spring. If
too much water is withdrawn from a well location, the water table is lowered
and may result in accelerated sinkhole formation and decreased spring flow.
The Floridan aquifer is composed of multiple layers of water-bearing limestone
known as bedrock. This bedrock is a confining bed of impermeable sediments
that applies pressure that strong is enough to contain the groundwater in the
Floridan aquifer. Where the water pressure is great enough, the groundwater
breaks to the surface and a spring flows. If the overburden of a sinkhole is thin or
absent, the surface of the limestone bedrock is broken down by erosion from
wind and surface water, which will impact the source of Florida’s drinking water.
The bedrock is also important because the groundwater in the aquifer is
replenished by surface water that leaches into the water-bearing limestone
bedrock. 6 In Levy County, the average depth of the bedrock near the 1st
magnitude springs is about 79 feet or less (Map 3- Levy County Depth to
Bedrock).
As Levy County’s population continues to expand, development pressures will
be placed on the lands within the County’s springsheds. This will increase the
amount of impervious surfaces which may lead to:
a decrease in the amount of surface water reaching the bedrock;
an increase in the pollution of the contaminants in the surface water that
replenishes the aquifer;
a decrease in the strength of the bedrock; and
An increase in the number of wells and possible over-pumping of the
water table.
This adversely affects the quantity and quality of the water supply generated by
Floridan aquifer.
Aquifer protection
The Floridan Aquifer underlies all of the State of Florida and portions of southern
Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. Most of Florida’s residents rely on the
aquifer as the main source of drinking water. 7 Therefore, the areas where the
groundwater is recharged are critical to the health of both the aquifer and the
springs. While there are some areas in Florida where recharge may reach twenty
(20) inches per year, the average recharge is about ten (10) inches per year.
This rapid recharge is also the resource’s greatest vulnerability. The Floridan
Aquifer is:
A major source of irrigation to Florida’s $6.85 billion agriculture industry;
A strong base for recreational and tourist attraction;
85 to 90 percent of Florida’s drinking water; and
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The source for Florida’s bottle water industry.
8
The Implementation Guidebook states that human activities can threaten the
aquifer in three main ways – the first two by altering the quality and quantity of
the recharge. Consumptive use, the withdrawal of water from the aquifer and
failure to return it to the aquifer, is the third threat. Water that has not spent
enough time filtering through the aquifer can emerge turbid or smelly when it is
extracted. Clean groundwater can become polluted by certain contaminants
in the surface water that replenishes the aquifer, or by subsurface septic tanks
and fuel receptacles. The springs are an important indicator of the health of the
aquifer by providing a visible and measurable discharge from the aquifer. 9
Springs Protection Zone
The combined land area comprised by the Fanning, Fanning/Manatee, and
Manatee Springsheds within Levy County delineated on Map __1__ shall be the
Springs Protection Zone. The combined springshed is considered to be the area
where the development of land will have the most direct impact on the springs
and water quality. The springshed also contains the majority of identified
sinkholes and caves. The springs protection zone may be referred to as the
“springshed” in land development policies and regulations.
Relationship of Proposed Amendment to the Existing Comprehensive
Plan
Levy County has assigned low density residential land uses to areas adjacent to
Manatee Springs State Park (1 unit per 10 acres) and the springs are located
within a state park. Fanning Springs is also located in a state park, but that park
is located within Fanning Springs. Both Fanning Springs and Chiefland are
designated as urban areas in the County’s Plan and can expect an increase in
population throughout the planning period. These communities are located
within Municipal Service Districts that provide for expansion of urban densities
and intensities through the provision of urban services, such as central water and
sewer facilities.
While the Future Land Use Element (Policy 1.5) provides residential density
standards for natural resources and Environmentally Sensitive Lands, it does not
include springs, springshed, or associated features as part of these resources.
This leaves the County’s springs and springshed areas subject to impacts from
residential development that could occur within these areas. Policies 1.9 and
3.1 of the Future Land Use Element contain standards that promote innovative
land use development patterns, including the clustering of Planned Unit
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Developments and cluster zoning; these development standards are not related
to the springs.
As the County continues to experience increasing population growth and the
affects of development on its natural resources, additional provisions are
needed in the Comprehensive Plan. The addition of a Springs Protection
Element to its Comprehensive Plan is one way to achieve this protection. This
element will contain a designated springs protection zone based on identified
springsheds along with development standards and techniques that will assist
the County in protecting spring resources. Based on the addition of springs
protection to the Plan, land development regulations may be provided that will
contain more specific design and development standards.
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Map 1 – Levy County Springsheds
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Map 2 – Levy County Depth to the Water Table
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Map 3 – Levy County Depth to Bedrock
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Endnotes
1
FDEP, “Florida’s Springs: Protecting Nature’s Gems.”
2
FGS, “Springs of Florida.” Geological Bulletin No. 31.
3
Florida State Parks, http://www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings/default.cfm
4
Florida State Parks, http://www.funandsun.com/parks/ManateeSprings/manateesprings.html
5
UF and FDEP, “Aquatic Caves and Caverns,” Plant Management in Florida Waters: Aquifers,
http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/caves.html
6UF
and FDEP, “Aquatic Caves and Caverns,” Plant Management in Florida Waters: Aquifers,
http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/caves.html.
7
USGS, Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina.
Publication HA 730-g.
8
FDCA, Implementation Guidebook, 2005.
9FDCA,
Implementation Guidebook, 2005
Bibliography
Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “Florida’s Springs: Protecting Nature’s
Gems.” 2002.
www.floridasprings.org/exploration/featured/wakulla/text/protecting/map/
---. Springs Locator. “Florida Springs – Suwanee River Region.”
www.floridasprings.org and www.dep.state.fl.us/springs/locator/Firstmagmap.htm
Florida Department of Community Affairs. Implementation Guidebook for Protecting
Florida’s Springs: Model Land Development Code and Model Comprehensive Plan
Objectives and Policies. March 2005
Florida Division of Recreation and Parks.
www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings/default.cfm
Florida Geological Survey. “Springs of Florida.” Geological Bulletin No. 31. Revised
March 24, 1998.
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/springs_of_florida/content.html
Florida Net Link. www.floridanetlink.com/floridacounties.php 2005.
Florida Online Park Guide. www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings/default.cfm
Florida State Parks. www.funandsun.com/parks/ManateeSprings/manateesprings.html
and www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings/default.cfm
United States Bureau of the Census. Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic
Characteristics: 2000 Geographic Areas: Fanning Springs and Chiefland.
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United States Bureau of the Census. GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and
Density: 2000.
United States Geological Survey. “Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina.” HA 730-g. 1990.
http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch g/G-text6.html
University of Florida. “Florida Long-term Economic Forecast Volume 2 – State and
Counties”. Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR). 2002
University of Florida and Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “Aquatic
Caves and Caverns.” The Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. 2003.
http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/caves.html
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