Identifying Water-Quality Domains near Ichetucknee Springs, Columbia County, Florida

1. Identifying Water-Quality Domains near Ichetucknee Springs, Columbia County, Florida By Sam B. Upchurch, Jim Schneider, Kyle M. Champion, David Hornsby, Ron Ceryak, and Warren Zwanka

2. Ichetucknee Springs 1st magnitude springs in the Suwannee Basin

3. Location of wells and springs within the study area Lake City Cody Scarp

4. Methods of Investigation Factor Analysis Hierarchical Analysis Star Diagrams WATEQ4F

5. Factor Analysis • Six factors explain ~ 76% of total variance. • Factor I - Alkalinity, Spec. Cond., Calcium, & TDS (dissolution of calcite) • Factor II – Silica, Magnesium, Fluoride, & Sodium (weathering of Hawthorn Group clays) • Factor III- Ammonia & TOC (organic-rich recharge)

6. Factor Analysis • Factor IV – Chloride, Sulfate, & Potassium (deep flow) • Factor V – Phosphorus, (-pH), & Sodium (well construction?) • Factor VI – Iron, (-Nitrate) & Temperature (shallow/deep flow or recharge)

7. Low scores in Cody Scarp suggests rapid recharge Factor I – Alkalinity, Calcium, Spec. Cond., & TDS

8. Factor II – Silica, Magnesium, Fluoride, & Sodium Highest scores in Highlands

9. Highest scores near streams and possibly deep flow Factor IV – Chloride, Sulfate Potassium, & TDS

10. Star Diagrams • Graphic representation of six water-quality factors. • Three water-quality domains 1) Northern Highlands 2) Discharge zones along major streams/rivers 3) Gulf Coast Lowlands

11. Star Diagrams

12. 3 1 4 4 6 8 7 1 0 9 1 1 1 3 5 1 2 2 1 8 1 6 2 5 1 9 2 2 2 0 2 3 2 4 1 7 2 1 Star Diagrams A l k C l P N H 3 M g 9 3 N O 3 9 5 9 6 9 4 9 2 9 7

13. 72 70 71 79 61 60 73 76 77 75 59 74 78 63 62 64 69 67 68 Star Diagrams 39 Alk 33 P Cl 32 41 NH3 Mg 31 NO3 40 48 53 49 51 50 52 82 55 A 81 B 56 57 C 80 54 D 58 E 84 86 87 83 F 85 88

14. Hierarchical Analysis • Using factor variables, cluster samples into similar groupings. • Factor variables included: Alkalinity, chloride, magnesium, nitrate, ammonia, and phosphorus • Clustering suggests three distinct water-quality groupings within the study area.

15. Dendogram for water-quality data in the study area

16. D A C C F C D E D A F C E D D D F D F F F F E Water-quality data in the study area D A F A E D D E A k l A E F P C l E D N H 3 M g 9 3 N O 3 D B B D D D D F D B B E

17. D D D D E D D D E D E D D E E E C C C Water-quality data in the study area E Alk D P Cl D D NH3 Mg E NO3 D D D E E D E D D D F D D F C C D C E C E C E E C C C

18. Water quality at the springs • Factor analysis indicates similarity in ground-water chemistry • Hierarchical analysis places springs in one major cluster. • Similarity of star diagrams suggests local recharge origin/flowpaths

19. WATEQ4F Analysis • At or near saturation w/ respect to calcite • Undersaturated in areas of the Cody Scarp • Greatest saturation occurs along Suwannee/Sante Fe river corridors

20. Saturation indices in the study area

21. Summary • Six factors account for more than 76% of the variability. • Factors are tied to water-rock interactions, recharge characteristics, and flow-paths in the aquifer. • Three major water-quality domains characterize the Ichetucknee Springs ground-water basin.

22. Summary • Domains extend over a wide range and overlap to some degree. • Using star diagrams, distinct water-quality domains are evident near the springs. • Much of the ground-water in the region is at or near saturation, except for areas in and near the Cody Scarp.

23. Questions