Recent rains have helped raise levels in area rivers and lakes, but for some businesses it’s bitter-sweet as business has suffered.
HIGH SPRINGS – At Adventure Outpost located off US Highway 441, the parking lot remains empty as dark, heavy clouds slowly brew in the sky above. Behind the festive building, decorated with colorful string lights, rows of canoes wait to be used.
As the raindrops land on the hollow shells, the deserted building sits silent, waiting for the weekend, waiting for the people to return, waiting for the storm to blow over.
“It might not be good for our business personally when it rains, but it’s good for our water, our aquifer and our springs,” said Patsy Andersen, co-owner of the Adventure Outpost. “All in all, we think the rain is wonderful.”
Despite the frequent storms, the canoe and kayak business in the area has improved, Lars Andersen said. While rainy days may not draw the people to the store, the rising water levels on the Santa Fe River have enticed visitors and locals back onto the waterways, and in effect, back into the Adventure Outpost.
“Ever since the river went down after the storm [Debby], business has been great. Better than ever, I think,” Patsy said. “We hadn’t done the stretch from the 441 boat ramp to the 27 boat ramp in over a year because it was way too low, and that’s a beautiful stretch.”
With Debby’s deluge, the water on the river is flowing again, and so is the overall business at Lars’ shop.
But despite the increase, Lars and Patsy doubt that the frequent rainfall has helped replenish the aquifer.
“As much rain as that brought us, there are still some waterways, surprisingly, that are still too dry to paddle,” Lars said. “It kind of speaks to how great our water deficit really was.”
Prairie Creek, which winds close to the city of Gainesville, remains at low water levels since the tropical storm’s flooding. Lars admits, however, that he hasn’t been out to that area in a of couple weeks.
Since Debby, the levels have slowly started to decline, although they are not as low as prior to the storm.
“People have been saying the aquifer is fine,” Patsy said. “Now that we’ve had all this rain, we can waste water again. It’s not true. We need to conserve water now – for the long run.”
However, while Lars and Patsy have seen an increase in business, other places around High Springs have not been as lucky.
“I’ve had to reschedule several classes due to the poor conditions,” said Dan Patterson, a dive instructor at Extreme Exposure Scuba Shop.
With increased surface runoff, the springs turned dark and tannin-stained, resembling a brownish tea instead of the crystalline waters normally common for springs in this area.
For divers, and cave divers especially, decreased visibility makes it hard to dive and sometimes even dangerous to train, Patterson said.
Ginnie Springs, Patterson’s favorite cave system, currently has the worst visibility he has seen since approximately 1998.
With poor conditions at the local springs, even equipment purchases have seen a decline at Extreme Exposure. After Debby, Ginnie Springs closed for three or four weeks, Patterson said, adding that some of the store’s business is from through traffic on the way to scuba dive at the spring.
Summer is normally the busiest time of the year for the High Springs scuba business, but Patterson believes he will have to continue rescheduling classes. Already, the first class in September has been pushed back a couple of weeks.
“Cave divers are a pretty tenacious group,” Patterson said. “They’re still diving.”
Even the springs, such as Ichetucknee Springs State Park and Blue Springs Park, suspended services offered during the time directly after Tropical Storm Debby. Both restricted visitation because of naturally darkened water that occurs after a flood.
However, both recovered quickly and are once again open to the public for recreational uses, such as swimming and tubing.
Jennifer Diaz, external communications manager with Ichetucknee, said the rising floodwaters that occur after a storm cause the waters to become turbid. However, since the storm, the water levels have decreased and clarity has returned to the spring.
Despite the continued rain, the park is enjoying normal visitation levels for this time of the year.
According to Gus Olmos, water resource manager at the Alachua County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Alachua County is still currently in a water shortage order as dictated by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), even though the district has lifted the ban in other counties within its jurisdiction.
Alachua County DEP is waiting for an updated report from the SRWMD about the health of the aquifer within its district. As of last month’s report, the aquifer still had a long way to go before it was anywhere near healthy water levels. However, Olmos said the county has seen a large amount of rainfall in the past weeks that may have decreased the severity of the situation.
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Email awilliamson@alachuatoday.com
Irby Elementary teacher Ashley Helfrich welcomes kindergartner Taylor Mcrae and his mother Charlene Mcrae on the youngster’s second day of school Wednesday morning.