FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY


 FLORIDAN AQUIFER
 In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties the Floridan aquifer is not
used extensively as a source of water. The sand-and-gravel aquifer is
shallower and supplies sufficient water of better chemical quality.
 The Floridan aquifer is used as a source of Water in two locations in
eastern Santa Rosa County, one location near the coast and one near the
Alabama State line. The westernmost water well, No. 028-715-2, (1,561
feet deep) in the upper limestone of the Floridan aquifer was drilled
north of Pensacola in 1957. This well was abandoned when the drill
stem test showed a chloride content of 1,495 ppm. A 950-foot well, No.
022-652-1, drilled at Navarre Beach in 1961, produced water of good
chemical quality. Eglin Air Force Base uses several Floridan aquifer
wells on Santa Rosa Island and many in other parts of Okaloosa County
for water supplies.
 In northern Santa Rosa County the well (059-658-1) at Camp Hender-
son Lookout Tower in the Blackwater River State Forest produces water
of good chemical quality from the lower limestone of the Floridan
aquifer.
 The Floridan aquifer dips to the southwest and is generally too deep
for practical use. The water downdip in the aquifer tends to become
high in chloride, making it unsuitable for most uses.


 USE OF WATER
 SURFACE WATER
 Only a small part of the surface water of the area is being used. Rec-
 reation, shipping, cooling, and waste disposal are the major uses at
 present (1962). These uses are nonconsumptive in that no water is
 permanently removed from the water body. Water used for cooling is
 removed from a stream and returned with only a slight rise in tempera-
 ture. There are no known major consumptive uses within the area, and
 the full potential of the surface waters is far from being realized.
 Most uses of surface water are within the southern half of the area.
 Principal among these are recreation and shipping. The 230 square miles
 of bays are excellent for boating, fishing, swimming, and other recrea-
 tional activities. The Intracoastal Waterway parallels the coast and
 allows shipping in protected waters to and from Pensacola harbor. The
 Chemstrand nylon plant and the Gulf Power plant use water from the
 lower Escambia River for cooling. During the three-year period, 1959-61,
 the Chemstrand nylon plant used river water for cooling at the rate of