Book Description

The hypothesis suggests that there may be vertical fractures and solution channels throughout the Floridan Aquifer System (FAS) that cause ground water from the upper and lower Floridan aquifers to interact with one another. The FAS is separated into three different hydrostratigraphic units, the upper Floridan aquifer, middle-confining unit, and the lower Floridan aquifer. This paper summarizes the hydrogeologic framework of the FAS underlying southwest Florida. Stable isotopes (2H, 18O) and uncorrected Radiocarbon (14C) data were used to define two different water types within the FAS and the possible interaction between the two aquifers. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) collected 42 samples from the Floridan aquifer at 16 sites. Plots of 2H and 18O were used to define the two different groundwaters that make up the FAS and to discover if there is any evidence of interaction between the two aquifers. Uncorrected 14C data were used to verify the different groundwaters within the FAS by dating them and to show a generalized direction of flow in each hydrostratigraphic unit.