TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Geological Survey, in partnership with the Northwest Florida Water Management District, will be using a non-toxic dye Saturday to study where the water in Lake Jackson goes once it drains into the underlying upper Floridan aquifer.
According to Florida's Department of Environmental Protection, this is a unique opportunity for the study as the Porter Sink Hole is exposed on the dry lake bed of Lake Jackson.
The upper Floridan aquifer provides drinking water to the citizens of Leon and Wakulla counties and is also the source of water that discharges from springs like Wakulla Spring, said the DEP.
"One of the goals of this dye trace is to confirm the results of a previous dye trace that revealed there may be a connection between Lake Jackson and Wakulla Spring," said acting Florida Geological Survey Director and State Geologist Guy Means. "Confirming this connection will help resource managers develop more informed strategies for managing our water resources."
Twenty-three sites will be monitored and officials expect to collect hundreds of samples.
For the study, geologist will use the same bright green dye that is used to turn the Chicago river green every St. Patrick's Day.
The DEP said that Saturday is the perfect day to release the dye as any rainfall from the storm should "help the dye disperse into the underlying aquifer and provide some additional pressure forcing the dye to move toward the sampling sites."
It could be months before the results of this dye trace will be known.
