Water Is Life

One of the most beautiful, yet underappreciated and unexplored facets of Florida is it’s vast network of freshwater springs & the resulting ecosystem & geology of the regions.

After living on boats for 10+ years, when it came time to settle down back in the USA, South FL was the obvious choice for several reasons, with access to good local diving, both in the ocean and in the state’s interior, being a prime factor. But with such a busy international shooting schedule, I’ve been guilty of neglecting the freshwater springs which are just a few hours drive to the northwest. With the pandemic preventing international travel, and art exhibits cancelled all across the country, I’ve finally had time to start exploring my own backyard.

Our springs did not disappoint. We saw mermaids, alligators, turtles and tons of fish. We visited Ginnie Springs, Alexander Springs, Blue Gilchrist Springs, and Wekiwa Springs. We went diving, kayaking, snorkeling and star gazing.  These are special places and need our protection.

 

 

 

On our first adventure, we reached Ginnie Springs and passed numerous signs about banning Nestle and water is life and stop stealing our water, etc. We continued into the Ginnie Springs store, paid for our camping and diving and immediately hit the spring for an hour long dive. It was beautiful and chilly. My camera lens fogged up when we came out of the cold water and into the hot air. We grabbed some food and moved to the next section of the spring system called Devils Eye. This small hole intersects with the tannin filled Santa Fe river creating a rainbow effect from the super clear cold spring water hitting the warm brown water of the river. The Santa Fe River is fed from these springs, and is in desperate need of a recovery from having water taken from it for our use. I’d heard about these water controversies before so when we got back home I decided to try and find out a little more info.

The Florida spring system is the main source of drinking water for almost all of our 21 million strong population. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website- ” Florida’s current fresh water supply is projected to be unable to meet all of the growing needs of Floridians in the future.”  Hmmmm, then why are we letting companies pay a $115 permit fee to take millions of gallons from the Florida springs? This is what Nestle and numerous other bottling companies do every year. Companies that sell water are, of course, not the only source of contention- agricultural needs for water have also increased. Permits cost very little and companies take the water to sell back to us, use it to feed animals, or water crops. While I know all of these things are necessary to an extent, it seems we would expect real compensation from companies profiting off a resource we all need. We as citizens have not challenged the unhindered development of Florida and now we could reasonably expect to run out of fresh water in a matter of a few decades.

 

 

 

We implore you, as citizens and as parents, conservationists, and eco-friendly clients to do your own research and educate yourselves about the need to preserve our springs because water is life.