The Santa Fe River is a 75-mile (121 km) river in northern Florida. The watershed of the river is approximately 1,380 square miles (3,574 km2) and spreads across southern Columbia, southern Suwannee, western Bradford, far southern Baker, Union, northern and eastern Gilchrist, and northern Alachua counties.[1] The headwaters of the river are Lake Santa Fe, near Keystone Heights.[2] The Santa Fe River is usually a slow-flowing river.[clarification needed] This slow speed, combined with the abundant leaf-drop from nearby trees, especially Bald Cypress, leads to a very dark-brown river due to dissolved tannins.
| Santa Fe | |
|---|---|
 Santa Fe River, north of High Springs | |
 Santa Fe River Drainage Basin | |
| Etymology | Spanish |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| Cities | Keystone Heights, Branford |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Santa Fe |
| • location | Keystone Heights, Florida |
| Mouth | Suwannee River |
• location | Branford, Florida |
| Length | 75 mi (121 km) |
| Basin size | 1,380 sq mi (3,600 km2) |
The Santa Fe River is typical of many rivers in karst regions in that it completely disappears underground and then reappears 5 kilometres (3 mi) downstream.[3] The river drops into a large sinkhole in O'Leno State Park[4] and reappears in the adjacent River Rise Preserve State Park.[5] The land over the underground section of the river, referred to as a natural bridge, was used for the main route of the Spanish mission trail and the Bellamy Road to avoid a water crossing of the Santa Fe River.[6]
Springs like Gilchrist Blue, Ginnie, Hornsby, Lily, Poe, and Rum Island springs are located at the banks of the river, mostly downstream of the river's reappearance above ground level.[7] The water temperature near the numerous springs is always around 72 °F (22 °C).[8] The area is sparsely populated compared to the rest of Florida, there have been sightings of animals like the black bear, bobcat, the rare Florida panther and due to the near-constant water temperatures along many portions of the river, manatees.[9] As with many rivers in Florida, plant and animal fossil remnants are plentiful along the Santa Fe.[10][11][12]
The tributaries of the Santa Fe include the New River, Olustee Creek, and the Ichetucknee River, another spring-fed river.[8] The Santa Fe empties into the Suwannee River near Branford, Florida.[13]
The river derives its name from a Franciscan mission named Santa Fé de Toloca formerly located near the river.[14]
List of crossings
edit
References
edit- ^ Florida State Map Collection. Geology.com
- ^ Lake Santa Fe Archived 2004-07-23 at the Wayback Machine. Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
- ^ Taylor, Charles J.; Greene, Earl E. "Hydrogeologic Characterization and Methods Used in the Investigation of Karst Hydrology" (PDF). In Rosenberry, Donald O.; LaBaugh, James W. (eds.). Field Techniques for Estimating Water Fluxes Between Surface Water and Ground Water. United States Geological Survey. p. 75.
- ^ "Underground Rivers of Karst". www.fgmorph.com. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- ^ "Resurfacing Rivers of Karst". www.fgmorph.com. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- ^ "Natural and Historic Sites in Alachua County". growth-management.alachuacounty.us. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- ^ Florida Department of Environmental Protection. "Santa Fe Springs". Florida's Springs. Retrieved on 2012-11-16.
- ^ a b Canoe Trips Archived 2007-02-12 at the Wayback Machine. UF Canoe & Rafting Club.
- ^ Gilchrist County, The natural place to live
- ^ Fossiliferous. E.R.Matheau-Raven. Archived October 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ COLLECTING FOSSIL PLANTS IN FLORIDA. Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida.
- ^ Diets, habitat preferences, and niche differentiation of Cenozoic sirenians from Florida: evidence from stable isotopes MacFadden, Bruce J; Higgins, Pennilyn; Clementz, Mark T; Jones, Douglas S. Paleobiology, Spring 2004.
- ^ Suwannee River Watershed. National Showcase Watersheds, United States Environmental Protection Agency.
- ^ Simpson, J. Clarence (1956). Mark F. Boyd (ed.). Florida Place-Names of Indian Derivation. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Geological Survey.
- ^ FDOT Florida Bridge Data 01-05-2010 Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map
External links
edit- The Santa Fe River, saveoursuwannee.org
- Paddling on Santa Fe River, adventureoutpost.net
- Our Santa Fe River, oursantaferiver.org
- Kayak The Santa Fe River, Florida, irishwaterdogs.com