Grace McAlister
Reporter1@riverbendnews.org
The Alachua Conservation Trust has announced its plans to sell Telford Spring to the Suwannee County Water Management District. Located in Suwannee County and directly adjacent to the Peacock Spring Conservation Area, Telford Spring is a second magnitude freshwater spring with a maximum depth of 11.3 feet over the spring vent. The shallow spring run flows for 75-feet into the Suwannee River. The Alachua Conservation Trust acquired Telford Spring and its surrounding 94 acres late in 2021 through the support of several private bridge loans from individuals in the community, private donations and state springs funding. The Alachua Conservation Trust announced that it would eventually be sold to the Suwannee River Water Management District and incorporated into adjacent existing state conservation lands.
The spring is also nearby to two sinkholes, Telford Sink and Terrapin Sink and provides access to over 4,000 feet of an underwater cave system, making it a popular diving destination. The intricate limestone cave system boasts high and low ceilings, as well as rocky, sandy and silty floors throughout its tunnels. Suwannee River Water Management District announced in a press release that a “total of $1.1 million in collaborative funding will allow the District to acquire 94 acres for enhanced conservation and public access to Telford Spring.”