South Carolina has
an abundant water supply, both in its surface water, like streams
and lakes and in its ground water, like wells and springs. Early
explorers and settlers and of course the Native Americans who came
before depended on this plentiful water supply. Moody Spring is
located directly off Hwy 107 just north of Wallhala, South
Carolina. It has been a popular spot for travelers to stop by and
fill jugs while taking a leisure break before heading back out on
the road again. It is easily accessed with no trail to take or bush
wacking to do. Parking is right in front. Unfortunately it has
become a backdrop for some local grafiti artist.
Most of South
Carolinas springs are located in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge
provinces, or the upper one-third of South Carolina, northwest of
the Fall Line. This is because the igneous and metamorphic rocks of
this area have many fractures and faults, which allow the movement
of ground water from a depth to the surface, in addition to the
greater topographic relief, which facilitates the flow of spring
water. There are numerous springs in the Coastal Plain also,
although most ground water reaching the surface naturally in the
lower two-thirds of the state shows itself as creeks and marshy
areas.
What is a
Spring?
A spring is a place
where ground water flows naturally from rock or soil onto the land
surface or into a body of water. A well, on the other hand, is an
artificial or man-made excavation into the ground deep enough to
reach ground water allowing it to flow or be pumped out. a flowing
well is often confused with a spring, is a well from which the
water flows out under pressure but it is not a spring. The
headwaters of essentially all streams are technically springs,
although generally the springs of interests are those that flow out
of rock or the ground in such amounts as to be useful or at least
noticeable.
Water issuing from
an artisan spring rises to a higher elevation than the top of the
confined aquifer from which it issues. When water issues from the
ground it may form into a pool or flow downhill, in surface
streams. Sometimes a spring is termed a seep.
Minerals become
dissolved in the water as it moves through the underground rocks.
This may give the water flavor and even carbon dioxide bubbles,
depending upon the nature of the geology through which it passes.
This is why spring water is often bottled and sold as mineral
water, although the term is often the subject of deceptive
advertising. Springs that contain significant amounts of minerals
are sometimes called 'mineral springs'. Springs that contain large
amounts of dissolved sodium salts, mostly sodium carbonate, are
called 'soda springs'. Many resorts have developed around mineral
springs known as spa towns.
CLASSIFICATION:
Springs are often
classified by the volume of the water they discharge. The largest
springs are called "first-magnitude," defined as springs that
discharge water at a rate of at least 2800 L/s. The scale for
spring flow is as follows:
0 Magnitude - no
flow (sites of past/historic flow)
1st Magnitude -
100 cubic feet per second (cfs)
2nd Magnitude - 10 - 100 cfs
3rd Magnitude - 1 -
10 cfs
4th Magnitude - 100 gal/min - 1 cfs (448
gal/min)
5th Magnitude - 10 to
100 gal/min
6th Magnitude - 1 to 10 gal/min
7th Magnitude - 1 pint
to 1 gal/min
8th Magnitude - Less than 1 pint/min
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS: Email me what you think the
magnitude of this spring would be according to the scale and upload
a photo of you with a GPSr at the spring location. (Go ahead and
log your visit even after your email of answers. If any thing is
different I will contact you through geocaching.com as my yahoo
account is totally unusable. Until I can get it fixed or another
email account. Thank
you!)
A long time
mystery has surrounded Moody Springs. It has been said a
hitchhicker wearing a long rain coat, if picked up, will ask to be
taken to either the Piedmont Overlook or Moody Springs. Once he is
let out he disappears in a mist.
FTF Congrats to - Puppyluv68 and Lilman
shane!