Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality of Highlands ... - USGS

NORTH
FEET
200
NGVD 29
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800
1,000
1,200
1,400
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C C ′
ROMP 43xx
Section A-A’
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W-2859
MIDDLE
CONFINING UNIT II
ROMP 29A
LOWER
FLORIDAN AQUIFER
Vertical scale greatly exaggerated
Figure 17. Generalized hydrogeologic section C–C’. Section line shown in figure 15.
The surficial aquifer is thickest along the Lake Wales Ridge,
especially near the southernmost part of the county. At well
ROMP 14, located near Hicoria, the surficial aquifer is about
350 ft thick (Clayton, 1998).
The hydraulic properties of the surficial aquifer vary
considerably and are largely dependent upon aquifer thickness,
physical characteristics (such as grain-size and sorting), and
the types of material that compose the aquifer. Few data are
available on the hydraulic characteristics of the surficial aquifer
in Highlands County. Transmissivity estimates from four
wells in the county range from 2,400 to 16,300 ft 2/d (Clayton,
1998; DeWitt, 1998; Baldini and Ruppuhn, 1999; Southwest
Florida Water Management District, 2000; and Mallams and
Lee, 2005) (fig. 19). However, all four wells are located on
the Lake Wales Ridge where the aquifer is thick and transmissivities
are generally high. Transmissivity values range from 8
to 2,400 ft 2/d in Polk County (Spechler and Kroening, 2007)
and from 14 to 5,300 ft 2/d in Hardee and DeSoto Counties
(Seaburn and Robertson, 1979; Southwest Florida Water
Management District, 2000; LaRoche, 2007). Horizontal
hydraulic conductivity values from three ROMP (Regional
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SURFICIAL
Estimated thickness
of upper
permeable zone
Estimated thickness
of Avon Park
permeable zone
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ROMP 28
AQUIFER
ROMP 28x
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AQUIFER
ROMP 14
Section B-B’
INTERMEDIATE AQUIFER SYSTEM / INTERMEDIATE CONFINING UNIT
UPPER
FLORIDAN
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MIDDLE CONFINING UNIT II OR VI?
0
0
Hydrogeology 23
Observation and Monitoring-Well Program) wells in Highlands
County range from 35 to 58 ft/d (Clayton, 1998; DeWitt, 1998;
Mallams and Lee, 2005). Horizontal hydraulic conductivities
determined for 20 wells along the Kissimmee River in
both Highlands and Okeechobee Counties range from 0.8 to
27 ft/d (Jose Valdes, South Florida Water Management District,
written commun., 2007). Horizontal hydraulic conductivity
values from six wells in Polk County range from 0.3 to 55 ft/d
(Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000).
Additional horizontal hydraulic conductivity values reported
for wells in adjacent Hardee and DeSoto Counties range from
about 1 to 102 ft/d (Southwest Florida Water Management
District, 2000; LaRoche, 2007).
The altitude of the water levels in wells open to the
surficial aquifer represents the water-table level. The water
table is not a flat surface, but instead, a sloping surface
that may resemble hills and valleys similar to land surface.
The depth below land surface to the water table in the surficial
aquifer varies from one physiographic region to another.
In upland areas, the water table generally is a subdued reflection
of land-surface topography. Depths ranging from 10 to 40 ft
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W-5132
5 MILES
5 KILOMETERS
SOUTH
FEET
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NGVD 29
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2,000