Stretching beneath most of Florida the Floridan aquifer is the largest and deepest in the state, and reaches into parts of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. It is an 82,000-square-mile reservoir that holds billions of gallons of freshwater —some of it perhaps 26,000 years old.
How many gallons of water are in the Floridan aquifer?
| Magnitude Flow (ft3/s, gal/min, pint/min) Flow (L/s) | 4th magnitude 100 US gal/min to 1 ft3/s (448 US gal/min) 6.3 to 28 L/s |
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Is the Floridan aquifer freshwater?
The Floridan aquifer averages 1,000 feet thick, and freshwater can extend to a depth of 2,000 feet below land surface . Freshwater is thickest in the central portions of the state and rapidly thins toward the coast and the south.
How much area does the Floridan aquifer cover?
The Floridan aquifer system is one of the most productive aquifers in the world. This aquifer system underlies an area of about 100,000 square miles in southern Alabama, southeastern Georgia, southern South Carolina, and all of Florida (fig. 48).
How much water is in underground aquifers?
The groundwater contained in aquifers is one of the most important sources of water on Earth: About 30 percent of our liquid freshwater is groundwater, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The rest is found at the surface in streams, lakes, rivers and wetlands.
Is aquifer water safe to drink?
Most of the time, U.S. groundwater is safe to use . However, groundwater sources can become contaminated with germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, and chemicals, such as those used in fertilizers and pesticides. Contaminated groundwater can make people sick.
Are we running out of water?
While our planet as a whole may never run out of water , it’s important to remember that clean freshwater is not always available where and when humans need it. ... More than a billion people live without enough safe, clean water. Also, every drop of water that we use continues through the water cycle.
What is the biggest threat to the Floridan Aquifer?
Despite its positive role in Florida’s economy, the phosphate industry is a major threat for the Floridan Aquifer.
How many people use the Floridan Aquifer?
USGS releases overview of water quality in the Upper Floridan aquifer. About 10 million people rely on groundwater from the Upper Floridan and surficial aquifers for drinking water.
Is there water under Florida?
The aquifer systems under Florida provide the majority of the state s water. There are two major aquifers in Florida: the Floridan (the whole state), and the Biscayne (south Florida). The Floridan aquifer is the largest and deepest in the state. It holds ground water like a sponge.
Where do aquifers get their water from?
An aquifer is a body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater . Groundwater enters an aquifer as precipitation seeps through the soil.
Does water in an aquifer stay there forever?
Once the water has joined the aquifer, it doesn’t stop there . The groundwater slowly moves through the spaces and cracks between the soil particles on its journey to lower elevations. This movement of water underground is called groundwater flow.
How long does it take for rain to underground aquifers?
The rainfall that seeps into the ground on your property moves through the soil at a rate of only 10 feet per year. Since aquifers (where your well gets its water supply) are hundreds of feet below ground, it might take more than a decade for that rain to reach an aquifer or water-bearing strata!
What is the cleanest water?
- DENMARK. Denmark has better tap water than bottled water. ...
- ICELAND. Iceland has stringent quality control, ensuring that they have a consistently high quality of water. ...
- GREENLAND. ...
- FINLAND. ...
- COLOMBIA. ...
- SINGAPORE. ...
- NEW ZEALAND. ...
- SWEDEN.
Is groundwater the cleanest water?
Unlike surface water collected in rivers and lakes, groundwater is often clean and ready to drink . This is because the soil actually filters the water. The soil can hold onto pollutants—such as living organisms, harmful chemicals and minerals—and only let the clean water through.
How close can 2 water wells be to each other?
Any contamination in your neighbor’s well can travel into your well. Some activities legally require more than a 50-foot zone of protection. As a general guidance, personal drinking water wells should have a minimum horizontal distance of at least 10 feet and preferably 25 feet from such boundaries.
