Using SF[sub 6] to establish the general recharge area for three springs in the Santa Fe River Basin, Florida

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5587098

Kincaid, T R; Denizman, C; Ellins, K K ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States). Geology Dept.

In spring 1992, a recharge--discharge groundwater tracing experiment was conducted in order to establish the general location of recharge and investigate the interrelationships of three springs in close proximity (Rum Island, July, and Little Devil's) on the Santa Fe River, Florida. The study area lies within the High Springs Gap physiographic province where the Ocala Limestone is exposed at the surface leaving the Floridan Aquifer unconfined. These three springs are discharge points for two, previously through separate karst conduit systems, Devil's Ear and Little Devil's. Sulfur-hexafluoride (SF[sub 6]), an innovative, man-made gas was employed as a deliberate tracer for this experiment. Two injections were carried out, one in a well penetrating the Floridan aquifer and another in a sink-hole located near a karst trace that extends to the river. The tracer was successfully detected in all three sampling locations at varying concentrations during a 50 hour sampling period. The injection locations as well as the three springs were also measured for water chemistry parameters and major cations. A comparison of the results at each spring show a definite correlation between the three spring and the groundwater flow path in the area. Repeated peaks of the tracer show that all three springs receive at least part of their recharge from the north side of the Santa Fe River through a complicated maze like karst conduit system. Finally, the result of this experiment disprove the earlier hypothesis that the two conduit systems (Devil's Ear and Little Devil's) are separate and distinct.

• OSTI ID: 5587098
• Report Number(s): CONF-921058-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 24:7; Conference: 1992 annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Cincinnati, OH (United States), 26-29 Oct 1992; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUIFERS
HYDROLOGY
FLORIDA
STREAMS
RECHARGE
DRAINAGE
GROUND WATER
SULFUR FLUORIDES
TRACER TECHNIQUES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WATER
580000* - Geosciences
540250 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)