Alachua Sink
Right: The crystal clear waters of Alachua Sink. (Agnes Milowka)
Dive Rite joined over 50 volunteers from all around the community at a cleanup of Alachua Sink at the end of March 2008. Mill Creek Sink, more commonly known as Alachua Sink is owned by the National Speleological Society (NSS) who strive to protect and conserve the area.
The cleanup was organized in order to remove large amounts of garbage and trash that have accumulated around the sink and surrounding property over time. Almost 3700 pounds of garbage including 27 tires, old appliances and a mattress, as well as hundreds of pounds of construction debris and cans and bottles were removed from the site. The dumpster donated by Waste Pro was filled to the brim by the end of the cleanup.
Alachua sink is not a separate isolated cave but is part of a much larger whole. Recent dye studies show a direct connection between the water flowing through nearby Mill Creek and Mill Creek Sink to Hornsby Spring and onto the Santa Fe River. The Santa Fe River Basin encompasses 1,384 square miles in North Florida. Thus any contamination from development or storm water pollution at Alachua Sink has a far more widespread effect. Anything that lands in this sinkhole goes straight into the aquifer and can cause permanent damage to fresh drinking water that 90% of Florida's population relies on.
The dumpster donated by Waste Pro was filled to the brim by the end of the cleanup (Beth Murphy)
Further improvements were made to the area by the Mill Pond Guides who installed a new post in order to deter trespassers and increase security of the site. Everyone involved on the day was treated to a Sonny’s lunch generously provided by Karst Environmental Services (KES).
Click on the SLIDESHOW tab above to see more images from the Alachua Sink clean up.