Report Request: madison

[MORGAN]

What’s the website where y’all are checking the river levels?

Google Suwannee River Water Management District (www.mysuwanneeriver.org) and click on Lake and River Levels.

[Terry D]

http://www.mysuwanneeriver.org/realt...ver-levels.php

[Scoober]

Looking at that table, how can we tell if a particular dive site is blown?

[MORGAN]

Looking at that table, how can we tell if a particular dive site is blown?

It's an inexact science. Unfortunately, there's not a magic number for river level that correlates exactly with cave conditions.

In very basic terms (because that's my level of understanding), it's a balance between the river level and the degree of charge in the aquifer. If the aquifer is well charged and the cave has a lot of outflow, it will take higher river levels to cause it to reverse. If the aquifer is low and the cave outflow is low, it can be blown at a lower river level.

The aquifer level is affected by rain in the recharge area of the spring, while the river level is affected by rain in the headwaters and tributaries of that river. There can also be infiltration of tannic river water into areas of a cave through subterranean channels, even though the cave is continuing to spring. Peacock is a good example of this; when the Suwannee is rising, some areas of the cave will have tannic water intrusion even though most of the cave is still clear.

Local cave divers who have been watching conditions for years or decades are the best resource.

[diveconjeff]

Nicely said


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