Gilchrist Blue is a Second Magnitude spring in the eponymous sub-basin within the Devils Eye basin. Its been a recreational park since the 1950s when it was managed by the Kirby family. It then became a State Park in 2017. Some photos show a diving platform above the vent and a boardwalk that went all the way to the river. Both of these structures suffered from storm damage in 2017 after Tropical Storm Irma.
Gilchrist Blue contains a group of springs including Johnson Spring near Rum, Blue Spring, Naked Spring and Little Blue Spring. The flow from this group of springs averaged at 99 cubic feet/second in 1970’s. It has decreased to its current average of 75 cfs. For more details check out the Santa Fe River Field Trip in the links below.
Nutrient loading within the Devils Eye basin which includes Gilchrist Blue, averages 2.25 mg/L. The statewide ‘safe’ limit is .35 mg/l. As a result of the high nitrate levels, this spring, along with all the springs in the Devils Eye Basin, is listed as impaired by the state, high nitrates in water is a health hazard to humans and wildlife as well as promoting algal growth.
The spring run is 1000′ long, filled with plant and aquatic life. The bounty of beautiful vegetation suffered a severe set back after the heavy floods in 2017 from Tropical Storm Irma. The spring run filled with tannic river water for several months, reducing the needed sunlight for the subaquatic vegetation (SAV.) Coupled with foot traffic, the SAV was damaged and it took more that a year to regenerate. The modified park policy eliminating foot traffic in the spring run , as well as a total protection of Naked Spring, is what allows the colorful bounty of SAV to thrive.
The 2017 flood also triggered a rare spring reversal which occurs when river water overwhelms and pushes back against the spring, entering the aquifer, and altering the spring flow. Spring reversals are discussed in more detail in a previous blog When Springs Reverse and in Cohen’s presentation A Century of Low and Flow Reversals in the Springs of the Suwannee River.
On July 15th, 2023, Gilchrist Blue suffered a shelf collapse blocking the springs vents and dropping the water levels nearly a foot until the spring pressure cleared out the vent allowing the spring flow to resume. Florida Springs Institute studied the event and produced a report listed below. Erosion from heavy foot traffic above and around the spring vent were likely factors. Spring vent collapses, like sinkholes, are also a natural occurrence with our easily soluble limestone foundatio
References:
A Century of Low and Flow Reversals in the Springs of the Suwannee River, Dr. Matt Cohen, UF Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, Oct 5, 2023 , online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ij0BTNAzSg, accessed online 5/25/25
Blueprint For Restoring Springs On The Santa Fe River, Florida Springs Institute, 2021, https://floridaspringsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Santa-Fe-River-and-Springs-Restoration-Blueprint-01_27_21.pdf, accessed online 5/25/25
Drinking Water Nitrate and Human Health: An Updated Review, Ward et al., 2018, Int J Environ Res Public Health, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6068531/#abstract1, accessed online 5/25/25
Florida Paddle Notes , James Steele, 2018, https://www.floridapaddlenotes.com/, accessed online 5/25/25
Gilchrist Blue Spring Collapse Report, Florida Springs Institute, Fall 2023, https://floridaspringsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gilchrist-Blue-Collapse-Report-1.pdf
Santa Fe River Field Trip, Alachua, Columbia, and Gilchrist Counties, Florida, June 2014, Guidebook Number 61, The Southeastern Geological Society (SEGS), Edited by: Peter Butt, Samantha Andrews, P.G., Greg Mudd, P.G. https://segs.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Microsoft_Word__Sante_Fe_SEGS_Guidebook_No_61_FINAL.pdf, accessed online 5/25/25,
Springs Fever: A Field and Recreation Guide to Florida Springs. Follman, J., and Buchanan, R. (n.d.). April 19, 2025 from http://thespringsfever.com/xxSantaFeChapter.html, accessed online 5/25/25
Springs of Florida (FGS : Bulletin 66), USGS, 2004, https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00094032/00001/images/493, accessed online 5/25/25
Springs 101, Howard T Odum Florida Springs Institute, 2024, https://floridasprings.org/springs-101/, accessed online 5/25/25
When Springs Reverse, OSFR, 2024, https://osfr.org/when-springs-reverse/, accessed online 5/25/25
Ruth B Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, Florida State Parks, https://www.floridastateparks.org/…/history-ruth-b…, accessed online 5/25/25
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