In May of 2012 we canoed down the Santa Fe from the US 27 bridge, because the water levels were too low to leave from Jim Wood’s Canoe Outpost in High Springs. From there we paddled about 45 minutes through the ugliest, most disheartening natural scene I’ve witnessed in decades. The river’s water stank. Literally. So much so, we almost turned back. The thick, green algae (Anabaena circinalis) made the once tannin-colored river look Kelly green. Thanks to a drought, and over-permitting the region’s water supply, what little spring water the river receives contains too much nitrogen. This “fertilizer” from agriculture and High Springs septic tanks seeps into the warm and slow moving river making perfect conditions for the algae to propagate prolifically. It was so nasty, we didn’t want to get out of the canoe and get the cesspool water on our feet when the shallow water prevented paddling. It was depressing. Fortunately we paddled on, and once we got south of Poe Springs the river’s flow picked up and the Santa Fe once again looked like my old friend. Beyond Lily Springs, the cypress stood tall and the air smelled good again. But what if the entire river gets as sick as the waters upstream? Then what are we gonna do? Or are we gonna do anything?
Small: 6.25” x 9.5” – $100.00 | Medium: 12.5” x 19” – $200.00 | Large: 37.50” x 57” – $595.00