Possible Spring in South Carolina

[Capt. Tyler]

For the past 5 months I have been diving in a pond here in hilton head that has great visibility, about 25' deep. Well the other day I was searching around the area to find out if there were any other ponds like it.

This is what I came up with.

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq172/SandcastleConstructors/Picture1-1.png

Friday I went to do a little exploring on foot and found it to be just as clear as my first pond just bigger.

Today my buddy and I went out there to do a dive and to our suprise there was about a 15 degree thermocline in it. Went from 85 on the surface to 70 on the bottom.

My question is, Have yall ever heard of there being springs in south eastern South Carolina??

If anyone is in the area and wants to do some more exploring with me shoot me a PM and I can go just about anytime.

[Cindy]

I don't know the area but it looks awesome! Have a great time exploring. :D

[murfef]

I'm still trying to get over there and dive with you. haha, just so much going on here to get ready for the move. This week sometime though I might be able to go with you.

[jason]

you might consider consulting a geological map of south carolina.

[stairman]

Maybe some old timer in the area can enlighten you on its orgin. It must be remote since its not a local swimming hole. Looks like fun though. Id be checking with the courthouse plats to see who owns it.

[Spd 135]

This is very cool. Good luck.

[RN]

It would be cool if you find a spring in there, but don't count on it just because of the thermocline. I've done a fair amount of lake diving and most lakes have thermoclines that drop 10-15 degrees. The clarity of the water is promising, though. Keep us posted!

[Capt. Tyler]

One of the main reasons I think there might be a spring is because there are other ponds near this area that have no thermocline. They are all about the same depth.

Here is the bigger pic

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq172/SandcastleConstructors/Picture3.png

They are all pretty clear however all the other ones are 83 degrees top to bottom.

Also when we got down to the thermocline the vis changed by about 15 feet.

[Capt. Tyler]

Here are the other ponds we frequently dive. These are by far the clearest.

Right now there 83 top to bottom

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq172/SandcastleConstructors/Picture4.png

Typical vis
http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq172/SandcastleConstructors/photo-6.jpg

[murfef]

Nice, I'm definantly gonna try to get over there.

[Capt. Tyler]

give me a call this week, were going to plan a night dive soon.

[Webmaster]

My first thought would be gravel or sand dredging ponds. I wouldn't think they would be spring fed (at least nothing you could physically get into) out in the coastal plain like that, but cover the bottom. If nothing else you get some diving in right?

[murfef]

give me a call this week, were going to plan a night dive soon.

That would probably work out a lot better for me since I'm so busy during the day. When are you planning on going?

[FW]

FWIW, most FL springs don't have thermoclines. There are some sinkholes that do, so you still might be in luck.

Spring or not, it looks like a nice place to dive!

[KarsticGator]

There are some carbonate deposits in the coastal plain of sc, but they are mainly unconsolidated and consist of marls, shell hash, etc.

That being said, I don't think the geology is conducive for cave/spring formation. I would think most of the groundwater movement occurs in pore spaces/matrix. I think there is substantial surface water chanels in that area as well.

Cool dive sites, nonetheless, and maybe you'll prove otherwise.

[KarsticGator]

My first thought would be gravel or sand dredging ponds. I wouldn't think they would be spring fed (at least nothing you could physically get into) out in the coastal plain like that, but cover the bottom. If nothing else you get some diving in right?

I agree. Depending on the location of these, they could be fill dirt pits, aggregate mines, or possibly quarries for cement plants. The busted up concrete on the bottom makes me think these ponds were for fill dirt, and the contractor had some waste material that they dumped there.

[GatorCaver]

Those last two ponds in the 3rd picture are tell-tale retention/detention ponds (purpose tbd). The shapes of the other ponds- along with their locations being next to roads/berms, their nice straight lines followed by perfectly curvilinear sides, and that they are so close to an industrial site/school indicates to me an almost guaranteed man-made origin. Can you send some lat/lons (PM if you don't want to advertise it to everyone", Capt. Tyler? I will never be up in that area to dive them, but those excellent pictures you attached are intriguing enough that I now want to find out more about them, just to satisfy my curiosity. For an inland dive where you don't have to worry about having a boat, those look to be ideal.

[Capt. Tyler]

Yea I definitely think they are all man made, The main thing that caught my attention was the thermocline in the biggest pond. My thinking was that they dug deep enough to hit a spring.

Lat. Longs.

32 19 37.74n 81 02 47.31w
31 20 15.48n 81 01 31.55w

I dont mind giving out the lat longs just as long as if anyone wants to dive it they call me to come too!

[Capt. Tyler]

Look at them on bing maps, it is by far the best

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I would guess, without anything to back it up, that a spring up there would be significantly colder than your thermocline - likely in the 50sF eh?

[FW]

I just thought of another reason a pond might be clear. Something in the water that kills algae. That is OK, as long as the concentration isn't high enough to kill you too. If there are fish. it is probably safe.

[FW]

I would guess, without anything to back it up, that a spring up there would be significantly colder than your thermocline - likely in the 50sF eh?
More likely the 60s. It doesn't get below 60 until north of Atlanta. But you are right, it would be below 70 for sure. Anything much north of I-10 would be below 70.

[Capt. Tyler]

Ruh roh no fish in the pond. Just crayfish...

[runawaylobster]

Well might be that the dredging hit underground water source... but yea they do look kinda square to be natural :)..

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Ruh roh no fish in the pond. Just crayfish...

If crayfish are there, its probably safe. They're good indicators.

[KarsticGator]

Yea I definitely think they are all man made, The main thing that caught my attention was the thermocline in the biggest pond. My thinking was that they dug deep enough to hit a spring.

Lat. Longs.

32 19 37.74n 81 02 47.31w
31 20 15.48n 81 01 31.55w

I dont mind giving out the lat longs just as long as if anyone wants to dive it they call me to come too!

Google Earth provides some good photos of the area as well. I think its defiantly safe to say that the pond excavation may have penetrated into an intermediate or perched aquifer, that may have a colder water temperature than the surface water table. But im thinking this water is moved through the pore spaces within the material, and not through large conduits.

I'm up in that area for work quite a bit, and will take a drive be sometime. And it looks like there are ponds everywhere up in that area.

Any issues with land owners or interested neighbors when you go out there to dive?

[Capt. Tyler]

I dive at least 3 times a week in these ponds and never have had a problem.