Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
W.W. Gay Spring main view
W.W. Gay Spring
Location
W.W. Gay Spring is located on the Camp Echockotee Boy Scout property southwest of Orange Park. From the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and State Road (SR) 224 (Kingsley Avenue), drive west on SR 224 for 0.6 mile, then turn south (left) at SR 224A (Doctors Lake Drive) and continue for about 1.5 miles to the camp entrance on the left side of the road. The spring is on private property and permission must be obtained before visiting the spring.
Latitude 30°09’14.10” N, Longitude 81°43’42.76” W
Section 41 (irregular section), T 4 S, R 26 E
Description
W.W. Gay main sand boil
W.W. Gay Spring is a fifth-magnitude spring, also referred to as Camp Echockotee Spring. The spring issues from the surficial aquifer. Sand boils are situated in a small ravine eroded into a wooded hillside on the northwest portion of Camp Echockotee, with some additional water seepage from the banks of the hillsides around the boils. Mats of orange iron bacteria are common in the spring pool and run. Water also seeps from the hillside about 100 feet to the southeast of the head of the ravine. The spring run flows under a wooden bridge toward the southeast for about 0.3 mile to Doctors Lake.
Discharge
W.W. Gay Spring run downstream
Discharge from W.W. Gay Spring, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1993, was 0.14 cubic feet per second (see the table below).
Water quality
W.W. Gay Spring was sampled by the St. Johns River Water Management District in 2000. The water quality data for selected variables are shown in the table below.
Summary statistics of water quality and discharge
at W.W. Gay Spring
| W.W. Gay Spring | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Discharge, cfs | 0.14 | 1993 |
| Alkalinity, total, mg/L as CaCO3 | 118.3 | 2000 |
| Calcium, total, mg/L as Ca | 50.3 | 2000 |
| Chloride, total, mg/L as Cl | 37.8 | 2000 |
| Fluoride, total, mg/L as F | 0.12 | 2000 |
| Magnesium, total, mg/L as Mg | 6.1 | 2000 |
| Orthophosphate, total, mg/L as P | 0.06 | 2000 |
| pH, field | 7.06 | 2000 |
| Sodium, total, mg/L as Na | 13.6 | 2000 |
| Specific conductance, field, µmhos/cm at 25°C | 344 | 2000 |
| Sulfate, total, mg/L as SO4 | 19.8 | 2000 |
| Total dissolved solids, mg/L | 208 | 2000 |
| Water temperature, °C | 22.5 | 2000 |
mg/L = milligrams per liter
cfs = cubic feet per second
