I generally like to post a short video clip on Mondays to start the week with an inspirational reminder of the beauty and joys of our Santa Fe River. After a month of grey days and wet weekends, I thought we could use some sunshine to start the week.
I started by reviewing footage I have taken of the uplands, contemplating their contribution to replenishing our aquifer. While we often assume that all rainfall contributes to the aquifer, only 6% is actually pulled down into it. The majority of rainfall enriches surface waters, filling our streams and rivers that eventually flow into the gulf and sea.
This brings me back to the significance of uplands and their crucial role in aquifer recharge. Uplands, characterized by their proximity to the river and to their being on high, sandy banks, effectively absorb rainfall, enabling it to permeate deeply into the sandy soils and recharge our aquifer. This underscores the importance of preserving open spaces, meadows, and mixed forests; these areas serve as natural absorbers of rainfall, playing a key role in aquifer recharge. Protecting these uplands from development secures the absorption and recharge capacity of the watershed.
To learn more about our watershed, check out the EPA’s How’s my Watershed tool, designed to “provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others..”
You might also enjoy the Suwannee River Water Management district’s (SRWMD) gauge on Realtime river levels, and rainfall amounts.
OSFR President Joanne Tremblay
joanne.tremblay@oursantaferiver.org
“Giving Our River A Voice”
