OCCURRENCE OF GROUND WATER IN SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA
Ground water in southeastern Florida occurs in two principal ways:
(1) under pressure, in confined and deeply buried formations and, (2) under unconfined conditions with a free upper surface (the water table) in the shallower formations.
Artesian Water.--In the first instance cited above water exists
under artesian pressure. Wells drilled through the confining rocks will release this water and it will flow at the surface if the ground elevation is less than 40 feet above mean sea level. However, none of the artesian wells in southeastern Florida yield potable water, nor with the present state of knowledge can the water be used for industrial, commercial, or agricultural purposes. The water is hard, brackish to salty, sulfurous, and corrosive. Industrial plants have found it more expensive to use this artesian water that flows of its own pressure than to use municipal supply. This is because of the original high cost of the artesian well and the corrosive action of the artesian water that make it necessary frequently to replace pipes and plumbing fixtures with which the water comes in contact.
The artesian aquifers are deeply buried in southeastern Florida and require a well at least 800 feet deep to tap them sufficiently to obtain a good flow. The wells are very expensive to make and produce unusable water, so as a source of public or private supply they must be discounted.
Unconfined Ground Water.--In the second instance cited above ground
water occurs in a huge underground reservoir in the pores and fissures of the rocks that overlie the confining layers which cap the artesian aquifers. The water in this reservoir is constantly being added to by the rains or by canal flow from runoff in more distant areas, and is likewise constantly