2 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The River and Harbor Act, approved by the U. S. Congress in 1945, provided for the construction of a section of the Intracoastal Waterway in southwestern Florida. The act authorized the route through Venice, Florida, close to and approximately parallel to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. The authorization included provisions that local interests furnish the necessary lands to construct the waterway through Venice. To meet the requirements of this provision, the State, by legislative act in 1947, created a special taxing district, known as the West Coast Inland Navigation District. By 1951, the property development along the route in the vicinity of Venice had increased so much that the route as initially planned was abandoned.
An alternate route near Venice, known as Alternate Route C-1, trends landward through Roberts Bay and parallels the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and then trends gulfward to rejoin the original route. The route encircles a large part of the city of Venice and approximately parallels, within a few hundred feet, the west line of wells of the Venice well field.
The proximity of Alternate Route C-1 to the well field threatens the Venice water supply by bringing salt water nearer the well field. The Florida Geological Survey, recognizing the threat, began an investigation to determine the effect of the construction of the waterway upon the well field and requested the assistance of the U. S. Geological Survey in the study. The investigation led to this report, which describes the hydrologic conditions at the well field and relates these conditions to the proposed waterway.
The field work for the investigation, which was done in June and July 1962, included: an inventory of the existing wells in the Venice well field and at the Venice water plant; running electric logs in 32 wells; studying well cuttings; collecting and analyzing water samples; and running pumping tests.
The investigation was made under the general supervision of Clyde S. Conover, district engineer, Ground Water Branch, U. S. Geological Survey.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks are especially due members of the Florida Geological Survey, who did a major part of the field work. In particular, thanks are due Dr. R. O. Vernon, state geologist, who arranged