Abundant springs providing clean, fresh water to Indigenous peoples and European settlers fueled the Tampa Bay region’s growth for centuries. More recently, some springs, like Ulele, which was once the source of Tampa’s drinking water, had been buried underground and piped to the Hillsborough River until it was restored in 2014. Purity Springs, which the City of Tampa is restoring now, was once the source of water so pure it was loaded on ships for sailors to enjoy at sea.
For Tom Ries, founder of the nonprofit Ecosphere Restoration Institute, finding and restoring springs is a personal mission. “Springs are being lost,” he said. “With all the impervious surfaces we need for development, compounded by increased water use for new residents, the springs are just drying up. I know of five within the Southwest Florida Water Management District that were flowing 30 years ago when we were working on the district’s SWIM (Surface Water Improvement and Management) program that are gone now.”
Tampa Bay’s lost springs
When Tom Ries “discovered” the spring at Ulele, it had been lost from all historical records and found only because homeless men were drinking its fresh, clean water. Members of the Rose Circle knew about the spring at Fred Ball Park, and mentioned it to Ries, which inspired the restoration of the Palma Ceia Spring.
There is no complete inventory of all of the natural springs for this region, and Ries is sure there are many more springs to be discovered. “I’ve heard of a list of ten unnamed springs, but I haven’t seen a copy,” he said. “I’m sure there are springs in people’s yards, even if they think it’s just a wet spot.”
Those wet spots can easily be transformed to provide ecological benefits by cleaning them out and replanting them with plants that can grow in soggy soil. “We need to take maximum advantage of this fresh, free-flowing water,” he said.
His next big project is restoring the ecological value of the Palma Ceia Spring, the centerpiece of the Fred Ball Park on Bayshore Boulevard. In the mid-1800s, two separate springs flowed to the Hillsborough Bay. The larger, easternmost spring was known for its healing powers, and a concrete pool was built to serve visitors who came to soak in its waters.
More than 100 years later, the main spring flows into a concrete basin with a small fountain that splashes into pea-green waters and then runs under Bayshore Boulevard into Hillsborough Bay. The restoration plan calls for combining the two natural springs that will connect in a restored spring basin prior to discharging into the bay.
“We won’t be able to build the same kind of spring run and wetlands at Palma Ceia that we could at Ulele because Bayshore Boulevard runs between it and the bay,” he said. “But we can create a small wetland with plants that will cleanse water before it flows into the bay.”
On the seaward side of Bayshore’s iconic balustrades, Ries will install an oyster habitat to provide shelter for small fish. “Estuaries are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, but they need fresh water to function. The oysters help cleanse the water and provide a safe spot for small fish that depend upon low-salinity habitat.”
Filtering water before it enters Hillsborough Bay also helps improve water quality in one of Tampa Bay’s most impacted segments, Ries adds. “About half of the seagrasses in Hillsborough Bay have recently been lost due to poor water quality, so anything we can do to clean the water before it enters the bay is important.”
Although small, Fred Ball is probably the most well-kept park in Tampa, thanks to the Tampa Garden Club’s Rose Circle, which maintains the park and has contributed $35,000 toward the spring restoration, Ries said. “They’re an amazing group that understands how important springs are to their ecosystem.”
With matching funds from the Rose Circle, Ecosphere was able to secure a $50,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County’s Pollution Recovery Fund to design and permit a spring restoration project that will include removing the concrete basin, expanding the spring pool and restoring natural freshwater wetlands to filter spring water as well as stormwater from nearby neighborhoods.
To help raise funds for construction, a Garden Party is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28 at Ulele. “This is our second fundraiser in more than 22 years, but we’ll need support from the community to make this spring the beautiful asset it should be,.” said Ries. Reservations are required, visit https://www.ecosphererestorationinstitute.org/ for ticket information.
Originally published February 26, 2025