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Alafia River Minimum Flows and Levels - Southwest Florida Water ...

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activities. In the Polk County area of the <strong>Alafia</strong> <strong>River</strong> watershed, this disturbed soil<br />

type dominates the entire area except for small remnants of flatwoods (Myakka<br />

association) near the watershed divide with river systems to the north <strong>and</strong> east.<br />

2.1.4 Hydrogeology<br />

In general, the geology of the <strong>Alafia</strong> <strong>River</strong>/Lithia Springs area consists of a thin layer<br />

of late Tertiary <strong>and</strong> Quaternary clastic sediments, overlying a thick sequence of<br />

Tertiary Period carbonate rocks. There are three recognized aquifer systems<br />

present in the area. In descending order (from youngest to oldest) they are the<br />

unconfined surficial aquifer system (SAS), the confined intermediate aquifer system<br />

(IAS) <strong>and</strong> the confined <strong>Florida</strong>n aquifer system. The <strong>Florida</strong>n aquifer is further subdivided<br />

into the Upper (UFA) <strong>and</strong> Lower (LFA) <strong>Florida</strong>n by a middle confining unit<br />

comprised of low-permeability evaporites. A conceptual hydrogeologic cross section<br />

through the major geologic features of the area is presented in Figure 2-3 (modified<br />

from SDI 2002)<br />

In areas south of the river, the potential for sinkhole development is diminished by<br />

the presence of thick clay layers of the intermediate aquifer system that impede<br />

surface water from moving downward into the limestone layers. In areas north of the<br />

river, these clay units become thinner <strong>and</strong> discontinuous, allowing surface water to<br />

move vertically. This in turn has resulted in large-scale dissolution of the underlying<br />

limestone.<br />

Potentiometric maps of the UFA <strong>and</strong> hydrochemical analyses indicate that<br />

groundwater recharge to the <strong>Alafia</strong> <strong>River</strong> <strong>and</strong> its springs are derived primarily from<br />

the local surficial aquifer <strong>and</strong> from nearby recharge in the Br<strong>and</strong>on Karst Terrain<br />

(BKT) located north of the river. <strong>Water</strong> from the southern portion of the BKT is the<br />

dominant source of water for both Lithia <strong>and</strong> Buckhorn Springs while the surficial<br />

aquifer is the main water source for Green <strong>and</strong> Boyette Springs (Jones & Upchurch<br />

1993). Fracture trace analyses also indicate the potential presence of direct conduit<br />

pathways from the BKT to the springs (Doreen Chan, SWFWMD, personal<br />

communication).<br />

2.1.4.1 Surficial Aquifer<br />

The surficial aquifer system (SAS), or water table, is the uppermost unconfined<br />

aquifer, composed primarily of unconsolidated sediments deposited during the<br />

Holocene <strong>and</strong> Pleistocene Epochs. Based on available geologic well log<br />

descriptions for the area, the surficial aquifer consists mainly of fine- to mediumgrained<br />

quartz s<strong>and</strong>s grading to clayey s<strong>and</strong> with depth. The thickness of the<br />

aquifer varies from being absent in areas to approximately 50 feet. Aquifer<br />

thickness in the study area averages 20 to 25 feet.<br />

2-5

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