October’s rainfall spectrum: Contrasts and highlights across the District 

In October, the St. Johns River Water Management District witnessed a diverse range of rainfall patterns. Northern counties and an area through the central region received below-average rainfall, while St. Johns, Flagler, and Putnam counties, as well as the southern part of the District, experienced above-average rainfall.

A full report outlining October’s hydrologic conditions was presented at the District’s Governing Board meeting Nov. 14. Highlights include:

Rainfall

• Districtwide, October rainfall averaged 3.53 inches, which is slightly below the monthly average by 0.49.
• Over the past 12 months, rainfall was below average in most of the District, except for counties along the central coast and southern end, which was above average.
• Districtwide, the cumulative rainfall total for the past 12 months is 49.52 inches, which is 1.49 inches below the long-term average.
• County-wide totals ranged from 44.3 inches in Lake County to 55.7 inches in Indian River County.

Groundwater 

• Upper Floridan aquifer conditions were a mix of mostly high or normal range at the end of October, except for some areas in Duval County, where conditions were in the low range.
• Districtwide groundwater levels, expressed as a single index, fall within the 54th percentile, considered normal for this time of year.

Spring flows

• Silver Springs recorded a mean monthly flow of 624 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 403 million gallons per day (mgd), within the normal range for this period.
• Blue Spring station in Volusia County reported a mean monthly flow of 160 cfs, or 104 mgd, which is in the high range.
• Rock Springs experienced a slight decrease in mean monthly flow, falling within the normal range at 59 cfs (38 mgd).
• Wekiwa Springs maintained a mean monthly flow of 64 cfs (42 mgd), consistent with the normal range for this time of year.

To learn more about rainfall totals and other hydrologic data collected, visit www.sjrwmd.com.     

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About the St. Johns River Water Management District

St. Johns River Water Management District staff are committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the District and the State of Florida. The St. Johns River Water Management District is one of five districts in Florida managing groundwater and surface water supplies in the state. The District encompasses all or part of 18 northeast and east-central Florida counties. District headquarters are in Palatka, and staff are also available to serve the public at service centers in Apopka, Jacksonville, and Palm Bay.

For more information about the District, please visit www.sjrwmd.com.