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Save the springs

Adding 11,000 homes, shopping centers and a golf course near Silver Springs could mean the end of the ecological treasure.

It's no exaggeration to say the fight to save Silver Springs from pollution and overdevelopment could be the environmental equivalent of the Battle of Gettysburg. Just as that battle marked the beginning of the end of civil strife, the outcome at Silver Springs will be both a real and symbolic turning point in the preservation of Florida's incomparable springs. That means state officials and conservationists need to take extraordinary steps to win this battle.

A developer, Avatar Properties, wants to build an entire town about a mile from the springs' water recharge area. Nutrient pollution, mostly from fertilizer runoff, already has started to degrade the springs with algae. Adding 11,000 homes, three shopping centers and a golf course nearby could be the coup de grace.

In its day, Silver Springs was a tourist destination as famous as Disney World is now. Not only could tourists gaze into its depths in its trademark glass-bottom boats, but the springs' exotic beauty lured Hollywood. Beginning in 1916, when the silent movie The Seven Swans used the springs as a backdrop, it became a favorite location for a variety of movies and TV shows. Six Tarzan movies were shot there, as well as everything from The Creature From the Black Lagoon to jungle warfare training films.

Its glitzy history overshadowed the springs' ecological significance. One of the largest spring systems in the world, it pours 500-million gallons of naturally filtered water into the Silver River daily. But lately the water has been tarnished. Storm runoff has raised nitrate levels, clouding waters that were once a window into the earth. State and local environmental officials are working to fix that problem, but if Avatar's 5,000 acres are developed, the battle could be lost.

The next few months will be crucial, as the state tries to buy the property. An earlier offer was turned down by Avatar. The Department of Environmental Protection is gathering new appraisals and will begin negotiations soon.

Because the state is restrained from paying more than the appraised value, the deal could fall through if Avatar gets too greedy. Other groups interested in growth management and environmental preservation - including Marion County government and the water management district - could help raise more money.

And individual Floridians should do their part, making it clear that the destruction of Silver Springs is not an option.

[Last modified June 6, 2006, 06:37:33]