The park manager just informed the NFSA that the above parks are closed until further notice.
Jim Wyatt
NFSA
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The park manager just informed the NFSA that the above parks are closed until further notice.
Jim Wyatt
NFSA
This basically means Little River is gone, too, from what I recall.
Thanks JimQuote:
Originally Posted by Jim Wyatt
Forgive my Ignorance, is this just SOP, or something bigger this time?
I would imagine Madison and Lafayette are pretty well flooded. Peacock isn't but I can't imagine the roads are in very passable shape.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danseur
I guess that answers the July 7th Social question.
The closures could be because the ground is so muddy and saturated that the roads and walkways are impassable. If you can't safely get to the cave who knows or cares what the cave conditions are.
I have seen the parking lot at little river flooded, sure the approaching road is paved, and we could navigate our way to the cave, but the park was still closed.
Mark Vlahos
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Jill just posted a picture of Little River in the "current conditions" thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by jj1987
http://www.cavediver.net/forum/attac...4&d=1340820690
The good news... the cave is still flowing, has not reversed yet. And the parking lot is still above water (as of this morning).
She's holding her own, but for how long? There is no doubt more flow pumping to hold the river back like that.
The gauge at branford is up to 9' from 3' three days ago. Still Climbing!
Help. I have a low profile vehicle. I have been stranded in Obrien due to the dirt road being flooded and to deep for my Equinox. That has improved considerably. I need to know if I can get from Branford to I-75 safely in the morning. Anyone been that way today?????
Actually a line committee member did a dive today and found inches of viz on the gold line. Realize Peacock flooding doesn't come up the spring run first,but infiltrates up tannic vents from the river. So flooding comes from within,but what is so bad is that with the aquifer depleted so bad,there is nothing to stop this flow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenwood_60
Thanks to Rick Crawford for going. Rick helps us maintain the lines, the signs and helps us keep the park manager up to date on conditions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Hart is also blown, Just got back from a sight seeing tour; Little Hart is a swirling, tannic suckhole!
Yep I was diving with Rick today or planning on it anyways. Peacock is one giant mud puddle. I will post up some pics I took today.
Got the info I needed. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diverlee
Lauraville gage is now above 25'.
just wondering, what is the record?Quote:
Originally Posted by Shocky
Didn't I overhear a conversation when last I was in Florida that we need SEVERAL of these events, soon, to even make a dent in the water deficit?
Yes, and you wouldn't believe at how localized this one was. I'm only a couple of hundred miles north, and we didn't get any rain to speak of.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danseur
And perhaps GA and TN is where it's needed most to recharge the deep aquaifer?
We pretty much need more than 150" spread out over the entire summer in N Fl, Ga, and LA to make any kind of dent in our problems, but this event is a great startQuote:
Originally Posted by Danseur
The fresh water we're concerned about in Florida is in the surficial aquifer and it needs local rainfall.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danseur
Mother nature has a way of taking care of things. The water level has gone up and down, up and down forever and this time is no different.
Except now, Coca Cola and agriculture are drawing record amounts of water OUT of the aquafer, in addition to the "normal" drought/flood cycles. Unless we start to limit the UNNATURAL man-made draining of the aquifer, central Florida is in danger of becoming the next Aral Sea.Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeCountyDiver
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea
I'm afraid it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeCountyDiver
If a commercial jet takes 30 minutes to descend from cruising altitude nominally, but then does it in 2 minutes, there IS something different and a problem...
I think mother nature has done her part! We are the ones that are dysfunctional.Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeCountyDiver
Old Joke: The Navy has left more ships stranded at the bottom of the sea, than the Air Force has left Air Craft hanging in mid-air.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danseur
are the parks reopen to diving?
What are the conditions?
Still closed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaryo
and now, is it still close?
Still closed. It is going to take sometime to clear out. Flooding is part of the normal process,and it is good,because it provides a "healing" to the cave. In years past flooding was pushed out as the river dropped because the hydrostatic pressure from the springs pushed it out. But,Florida has had a severe drought,combined with severe demands on the ground water from development and agriculture,this hydrostatic pressure isn't there like it has in the past. In the 16 years I have been cave diving,and have seen Peacock flood,this is the first time I have ever seen it blow out without water coming up the slough. When it is clear enough to allow diving,the conditions will be marginal,and will take sometime to resume to conditions you are familiar with. When parks start to open we will announce it here,and on the North Florida Springs Alliance facebook page,but the local dive shops have received almost threatening calls for something they can't control-I have yet to understand why people lose patience over an event caused by mother nature and can become hostile over it. But,then again there are people that are told that a road is closed because of high snow,will insist on driving on it anyway,get stuck,and die because there is no help. Oh well...we will keep everyone up to date as we know it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaryo
Almost threatening calls by who? These idiots should be held accountable. The dive shops arent exactly enjoying the lost revenue here but a spring cleaning and replenishing was needed.
I don't understand it,but then again I can see how some people plan a vacation,make reservations etc,only to be told that the springs are blown (frustration-aggression hypothese). Placing this frustration on the area businesses won't solve the problem,because as you mentioned,they are losing money. The comments from some people that they are going to go diving there any way is counter intuitive,because the caves are flooded,near zero viz,and very dangerous. The biggest problem is that regular seasonal flooding has become a thing of the past with changing weather patterns,so new people coming along don't understand that the springs are flooded,and they can't dive. What surprises me is people will become upset when the springs are flooded and can't dive,but won't bat an eye when they are told an ocean trip is blown out because of high winds.Quote:
Originally Posted by stairman
Thanks for the update Kelly.
Go dive Manatee. It's wonderful right now. How many people have dived the Chalkley Bypass, the Milk Tunnel, the Sewer Tunnel, and for more advanced divers the Blue Water Tunnel and the beautiful cave up to and beyond the Syphon Tunnel T? You could spend a week diving there and not do the same dive twice. It really is one of the best caves in Florida.
When the vis is good even the stretch between Friedman and Catfish is spectacular cave.