Welch Spring is located approximately 2 miles north of Akers on Highway K. The spring flows from the base of a wooded dolomite hill near the historic Welch Hospital, and then flows to the river over a rock impoundment The mean annual discharge of the spring (1923 to 1965) is 121 cfs or 78.2 mgd (Vineyard and Feder 1974). Using the mean annual discharge of the spring as a reference the recharge area is approximately 121 square miles (Aley and Aley 1987). The recharge area of the spring encompasses the land to the east and northeast under the Gladden Creek Valley. There are several sinkholes in the valley that pirate water to the spring, however; there has not been enough dye tracing done to determine the actual extent of the recharge area.
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