DeLeon Springs

DeLeon Springs

DeLeon Springs is part of DeLeon Springs State Park, and is located 8 miles northeast of DeLand in central Florida. Home to the famous Sugar Mill restaurant, this place is a popular destination for residents and tourists alike!

The watershed that recharges the spring is made up of commerical, residential, agricultural, and conservation lands. DeLeon Spring flows north into Spring Garden Run, then across Lakes Woodruff and Dexter (part of the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge), and into the St. Johns River.

The basin surrounding the main boil is comprised entirely of sand, except for a small outcropping of limestone that encompasses the only opening. The spring itself issues from a single vent at the bottom of a conical depression at a depth of about 28 feet.

DeLeon Springs is a 2nd magnitude spring with an average discharge of 200 gallons per second (17.5 millions of gallons per day).

The cave itself is carpeted with dense layers of orange bacterial mats, well beyond the photic zone. In addition, a variety of invertebrates have been collected from here, including a new genus of amphipod that is being described by Dr. John Holsinger at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

Dissolved oxygen concentration in the water is exceptionally low (< 0.5 mg/L).