Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
Sun Eden Spring main view
photo by T. Roberts, FGS
Sun Eden Spring pool
Sun Eden Spring boil
Sun Eden Spring
Location
Sun Eden Spring is located about a mile northwest of Yalaha, in a residential area, near the south shore of Lake Harris. Driving west on State Road 48 from Yalaha, turn north (right) at Orange Avenue into the Sun Eden subdivision (a convenience store is at the corner), and go 0.3 mile to Spring Drive. Turn left onto Spring Drive, and go 0.1 mile. Park at commons area next to Sun Eden Spring.
Latitude 28°44’39.98” N, Longitude 81°49’11.60” W
Sec. 16, T 20 S, R 25 E
Description
Sun Eden Spring is a low fourth-magnitude spring that is composed of several sand boils in an oval-shaped pool, about 75 feet long, 65 feet wide and up to 3 feet deep. The pool has a sand bottom with algae and organic matter, with aquatic vegetation and algae present on the surface of the pool. The spring run flows 400 feet toward the west, through a culvert under the street, then flows north 0.3 mile in a man-made channel to Lake Harris. The spring is surrounded by a private residential area.
Sun Eden Spring run
Discharge
Discharge at Sun Eden Spring 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 0.26 cubic feet per second (see the table below).
Water quality
Sun Eden Spring was sampled once by USGS in 1997, twice by Lake County in 2004, and twice 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 Sun Eden Spring
| Sun Eden Spring | Min | Mean | Median | Max | Count | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge, cfs | 0.15 | 0.26 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 3 | 1997–2005 |
| Alkalinity, total, mg/L as CaCO3 | 104.0 | 107.7 | 108.4 | 110.0 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Calcium, total, mg/L as Ca | 31.2 | 34.3 | 35.2 | 35.4 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Chloride, total, mg/L as Cl | 8.1 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 11.0 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 0.60 | 0.70 | 0.70 | 0.80 | 2 | 2004 |
| Magnesium, total, mg/L as Mg | 6.9 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 8.1 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Nitrate + nitrite, total, mg/L as N | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Orthophosphate, total, mg/L as P | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2 | 2005 |
| pH, field | 7.40 | 7.66 | 7.68 | 7.90 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
| Phosphorus, total, mg/L as P | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 2 | 2005 |
| Potassium, total, mg/L as K | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2 | 2004 |
| Sodium, total, mg/L as Na | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Specific conductance, field, µmhos/cm at 25°C | 257 | 275 | 260 | 324 | 4 | 2004–2005 |
| Specific conductance, lab, µmhos/cm at 25°C | 243 | 246 | 247 | 249 | 3 | 1997–2005 |
| Sulfate, total, mg/L as SO4 | 7.1 | 11.6 | 9.6 | 20.0 | 4 | 1997–2005 |
| Total dissolved solids, mg/L | 135 | 145 | 142 | 166 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
| Water temperature, °C | 23.7 | 24.4 | 24.4 | 25.1 | 5 | 1997–2005 |
mg/L = milligrams per liter
cfs = cubic feet per second
Age of discharge water
The age of water discharging from Sun Eden Spring was determined by measuring the concentration of tritium, carbon-14, and carbon-13 in the spring discharge, which was measured in March 2005. Sun Eden Spring had a tritium concentration of 1.19 tritium units and a carbon-14 concentration of 30 percent modern carbon and a delta carbon-13 value of –9.27 parts per thousand. The tritium concentration suggests that the water is less than 50 years old. The carbon-14 concentration of 30% modern carbon can result from the reaction of rainfall with calcite, dolomite, and soil organic matter.
