All-natural lazy river at Blue Spring State Park

Published May 23, 2014
"Anytime people are out in nature and they can experience something like this that is crystal clear water and they can feel safe and see all the different animal life, I think they are going to have an appreciation. It's going to help create that conservation moment that we need more of," said scuba instructor Chad Truxall.
Blue Spring is open to bathers through mid-November. Soon after, stairways are removed as manatees return to stay warm as Florida's chilly season begins.
Source

Florida’s springs offer a pleasant escape

Published May 22, 2014
Tips for Enjoying Florida's Springs
Give yourself plenty of time to visit — at least a full day. You can’t be rushed on nature trails or tubing down a river. Nearby motels and camping are quite affordable in Florida’s less populated areas. Bring bug spray.

Call ahead of time to make sure you can swim the springs. A couple of weeks without a heavy storm will usually restore churned-up freshwater from brown back to sparkling turquoise.
Source

The Hidden Beauty in Florida's Swamps and Springs (PHOTOS)

Published May 22, 2014
In more ways than one, Glaser has learned to work with the conditions that she finds at the swamps and springs. Sporting long pants and boots, she wades out into the water where alligators and other swamp-dwelling creatures lurk. When she photographed spawning garfish, the temperature outside was in the 40s — quite a difference from the constant 72-degree spring water.
Source

Studying Rainbow Springs

Published May 8, 2014
An estimated 21 percent of the nitrogen that annually makes its way into the groundwater and bubbles up from Rainbow Springs can be attributed to area septic tanks, according to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection study.

Rainbow Springs is a first-magnitude springs system located in southwest Marion County, 4 miles north of Dunnellon and 20 miles southwest of Ocala. Although flow varies, it produces about 450 million gallons per day of water. The river flows south for about 5.7 miles until it joins the Withlacoochee River
Source