Holton Creek Rise

The beautiful, pristine forest along the Suwannee River has its own secrets. One of them is Holton Creek Rise – an enormous spring some 500 m north of Suwannee River.

Holton Creek Rise is not an artesian spring that comes from deep underground – it is a resurgence of a river. Most of its water comes from swallets in the Dead River Sink some 20 km north, where the Alapaha River disappears.

In fact, this is one of the two resurgences of the Alapaha River – the other one is Alapaha Rise. A dye put in the Dead River Sink appeared in Alapaha Rise four-eight days later and in Holton Creek Rise – some eight-ten days later.

When the water level in Alapaha River is low, the amount of water in Holton Creek Rise decreases as well, thus, Holton Creek Rise is a kind of overflow for Alapaha Rise. Thus, the amount of water fluctuates in Holton Creek a lot, but, nevertheless, this is an enormous, powerful spring.

The resurgence has formed a pool that is some 70 by 54 meters large. There is a limestone ledge along its northern coast that continues to a 30 m great depth. The river banks around Holton Creek are high, mostly sandy.

References

1. Karst Hydrology of the Upper Suwannee River Basin, Alapaha River Area Hamilton County, Florida, Southeastern Geological Society. Last visited on May 4, 2023.
2. Holton Creek Rise, CaveAtlas.com. Last visited on May 4, 2023.
3. First Magnitude Springs of Florida, 2002. Last visited on September 6, 2023.
4. Holton Creek Rise. Suwannee River Water Management District, Water Data Portal. Last accessed on 9th September 2023.

Holton Creek Rise is included in the following article: