6 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
WELL-FIELD
FACILITIES
The Venice well field in July 1962 consisted of 42 wells (fig. 3), excluding the wells at the water plant. Eighteen of these wells are dual-that is, one pump draws water from two wells. The single wells are equipped with centrifugal pumps; the dual wells are equipped with piston pumps. Well 5, however, is not equipped with a pump because the well reportedly will produce only a small amount of water. Well 10 is 6 inches in diameter; the rest are either 2 or 4 inches in diameter. Except for well 25, the wells range in depth from 33 to 144 feet. Well 25 was drilled to a depth of 185 feet but was later plugged back to 140 feet. Eleven of the wells are open to the first artesian aquifer, four are open to the second artesian aquifer, and 27 are open to both the first and second artesian aquifers.
Four wells are at the water plant (fig. 3). Water plant well 4 was not found and may have been destroyed. The other three wells range in depth from 304 to 458 feet and are used for emergency supplies. Well 706-226-5, just east of the Venice water plant, is privately owned. Data on these wells are given in table 2.
PUMPAGE
The monthly pumpage from the Venice well field as metered at the water plant and the monthly rainfall at Venice are shown graphically in fig. 2. The graph shows that between 1952 and 1955 the pumpage averaged between 5 and 6 million gallons per month. The pumpage rose sharply from an average of 7 million gallons per month in 1958 to more than 13 million gallons per month in 1961. The greatest pumpage for any month during the period January 1952 to June 1962 was 17.4 million in March 1962. The pumpage is usually the greatest in the winter, a period when the rainfall ordinarily is the least.
GROUND WATER
HYDROLOGIC UNITS
Ground water at the Venice well field occurs in a water-table (non-artesian or unconfined) aquifer and at least three artesian (confined) aquifers---the first artesian aquifer, the second artesian