A water test was performed to investigate the purity of the water. The four main areas of water quality were checked: Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, and pH. The first three are all indicators of the amount of decaying organic material. pH indicates the acidity of the water on a scale from one to 14, 1 being the most acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being the most basic. From viewing the provided table of data gathered, it is apparent that the water quality is superb, as was expected from Blue Spring.
As seen from the results of the water test of Blue Spring, it is obvious that the water is very clean, mimicking the quality of drinking water. This makes sense considering many water companies obtain their water from Florida springs. But why is this? This phenomenon is caused by one major factor unique to the geography of Florida. Blue Spring pumps 104 million gallons daily into the adjacent waterways. More importantly than this mass of water, however, is the natural filter through which it is pumped. It is called the Florida Aquifer and is composed of porous, water-bearing limestone. This key rock allows water through, while simultaneously extracting all foreign objects and impurities. This results in the nearly perfectly pure water we encountered in Blue Spring. Had we tested at the source itself, the numbers would have invariably been zero for ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, as well as a perfect seven on the pH scale. (Downstream, decomposing organic matter accounted for the minimal impurities). 
These aquifers are well under appreciated. The Florida aquifer accounts for nearly 100% of the state’s drinking water, discharging over 800 billion gallons of water a day (the most productive in the world) (plants.ifas.ufl.edu). They are the basis for the quality of Florida flora and fauna, especially around springs, swamps, and wetlands like Blue Spring or the Everglades respectively. Since Florida’s primary source of revenue is tourism, and considering the environment is a major draw, the aquifer is something to be revered and conserved, if not for the environment’s sake then for ours. Considering the aquifers responsibility for human health, industry, recreation, agriculture, et cetera, it is difficult to overstate its importance. So, next time you, as a probable Floridian, take a sip of water, remember the source of that water, and then picture if it were absent.
