Glen Springs Run is a tributary of Hogtown Creek beginning at the Elks Lodge on NW 23 rd Blvd just west of NW 16 th Blvd. The head waters of the creek run originate at an intermediate aquifer privately owned spring or boil (a small stream of water flowing naturally from the earth) called Glen Spring which is the first of a series of 3 pools on the Elks Lodge Property. In the 1950’s these pools used to be public swimming pools but are now catch-and-release fishing ponds stocked with bass and catfish. After it flows out of the Elks Lodge property the spring run enters Alfred Ring Park where it joins Hogtown Creek. The entrance to Alfred Ring Park is located at the Elks Lodge Parking lot. Hiking trails follow Hogtown Creek through this park, and there is also a picnic pavillion, restrooms and a wildflower garden. For more information on the Hogtown Creek system, click here.

Do you live near Glen Springs Run? Here’s what you can do to keep your water clean and the creek healthy:

Remember that all of our creeks, one way or another, make their way to the aquifer from which we get our drinking water. The fact that the creeks eventually make their way into the giant “well” from which we draw our drinking water supply is a good reason, among many, to protect them. Increased impervious area and decreased riparian buffers lead to more runoff going into the creeks during storm events. Runoff from yards and driveways carries pollutants like automobile fluids and wastes, detergents, fertilizers, pesticides, household chemicals, pet wastes, and plain trash down the stormdrains into the creeks. Even organic yard wastes – leaves, cuttings and landscape detritus - can overload the creek system. If you ever wondered where those storm drains actually drain to, the creek is your answer. In Gainesville, the runoff can carry considerable pollution into our treasured waterways, and it does.

You can help - keep pollutants off the streets; change your oil and dispose of it sensibly, keep up the maintenance on your vehicles to prevent leaks, use pesticides and fertilizers minimally if at all, dispose of pet waste hygienically, and put trash where it belongs! If you prevent pollution from entering the aquifer, you will be doing your part to protect the health of your community.

If you are lucky enough to live on a creek, you can maintain a healthy riparian buffer with native landscaping to effectively filter pollutants from the roadways. You can sign up for a creek cleanup with Adopt-A-River, or participate in our Watershed Action Volunteer program teaching kids about watersheds, or learn to landscape a Florida Friendly Yard. All of these efforts will help to protect the creeks from pollution.

WHERE TO VISIT THIS CREEK
A good place to visit the creek is to take a trip to
Alfred Ring Park located west of Hogtown Creek between NW 23rd Boulevard and NW 16th Avenue. Paved parking is available at 2424 NW 23rd Boulevard, adjacent to the Elks Lodge. Pedestrian entrances are located at NW 16th Avenue near NW 20th Way and at the northeast corner of the Forest Ridge subdivision. While the spring itself is privately owned and fenced in, you can catch a glimpse of the pools from the bridge that spans the Glen Springs Run ravine - just look up to your right as you walk from the parking lot to the park over the bridge!