Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
Mooring Cove Springs main view
Mooring Cove Springs
Location
Mooring Cove Springs is located northwest of Yalaha in the Lakes and Springs subdivision. From the intersection of State Road 48 and the railroad tracks on the west side of Yalaha, drive west for about 1.6 miles and turn north (right) at Gator Point Drive. Turn right onto Spring Mountain Lane, and follow curves to Mooring Lane for 1.4 miles. Parking is available by the picnic tables.
Latitude 28°45’00.42” N, Longitude 81°50’01.23” W
NE¼ SW¼ NW¼ sec. 17, T 20 S, R 25 E
Description
Mooring Cove Springs head of run
Mooring Cove Springs is a fourth-magnitude spring with several sand boils in a circular pool about 200 feet in diameter. Concrete steps lead down a grass bank to the pool. One vent is below the concrete steps, with the largest boil on the opposite side of the pool from the steps. Some aquatic vegetation is present in the spring pool and run. The spring run is 3 to 4 feet wide and flows northward about 170 feet into a man-made canal, which then flows to the south shore of Lake Harris.
Discharge
Discharge at Mooring Cove Springs was measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1997 and by St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) in 2005. The mean discharge was 0.59 cubic feet per second (see the table below).
Water quality
Mooring Cove Springs was sampled by USGS in 1997, twice by Lake County in 2004, and by SJRWMD in 2005. Summary statistics of the water quality data for selected variables are shown in the table below.
Summary statistics of water quality and discharge at Mooring Cove Springs
| Mooring Cove Springs | Min | Mean | Median | Max | Count | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge, cfs | 0.36 | 0.59 | 0.70 | 0.71 | 3 | 1997–2005 |
| Alkalinity, total, mg/L as CaCO3 | 143.0 | 151.0 | 149.0 | 163.0 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Calcium, total, mg/L as Ca | 48.8 | 52.5 | 52.4 | 56.3 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Chloride, total, mg/L as Cl | 11.9 | 13.1 | 12.8 | 15.0 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 0.60 | 0.61 | 0.61 | 0.62 | 2 | 2004 |
| Magnesium, total, mg/L as Mg | 7.2 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Nitrate + nitrite, total, mg/L as N | 2.50 | 3.36 | 3.24 | 4.46 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Orthophosphate, total, mg/L as P | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2 | 2005 |
| pH, field | 7.11 | 7.35 | 7.37 | 7.50 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
| Phosphorus, total, mg/L as P | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.10 | 2 | 2005 |
| Potassium, total, mg/L as K | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Sodium, total, mg/L as Na | 7.6 | 10.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Specific conductance, field, µmhos/cm at 25°C | 381 | 395 | 395 | 407 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Specific conductance, lab, µmhos/cm at 25°C | 349 | 366 | 365 | 383 | 3 | 1997–2005 |
| Sulfate, total, mg/L as SO4 | 11.0 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 23.0 | 4 | 1997–2005 |
| Total dissolved solids, mg/L | 196 | 213 | 207 | 231 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
| Water temperature, °C | 24.3 | 24.7 | 24.5 | 25.5 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
mg/L = milligrams per liter
cfs = cubic feet per second
Age of discharge water
The age of water discharging from Mooring Cove Springs was determined by measuring the concentration of tritium, carbon-14 and carbon-13 in the spring discharge, which was measured in March 2005. Mooring Cove Springs had a tritium concentration of 1.57 tritium units and a carbon-14 concentration of 32 percent modern carbon and a delta carbon-13 value of –9.39 parts per thousand. The tritium concentration suggests that the water is less than 50 years old. The carbon-14 concentration of 32% modern carbon can result from the reaction of rainfall with calcite, dolomite, and soil organic matter.
