Lower West Coast Hydrogeologic Unit Absences 2015

Please note that while the aquifer units and their thicknesses were explicitly mapped, the thicknesses of the confining units were not. The confining unit isopach maps were derived by subtracting the top of an aquifer from the base of the overlying aquifer. Due to this approach, confining units were defined solely on the basis of the aquifer they overlie (i.e., the Tamiami confining unit overlies the Lower Tamiami aquifer, Upper Hawthorn confining unit overlies the Sandstone aquifer, etc.). Therefore, where an aquifer was absent, its associated confining unit was undefined (and therefore absent as well). Areas where a confining unit was undefined (because the underlying aquifer was absent or insignificant) have been delineated separately from areas where the confining unit was absent or insignificant (although the underlying aquifer was present).The objectives of this study were to create regional hydrogeologic maps including contour maps showing unit surfaces and thicknesses, and cross-sections representative of both the surficial aquifer system (SAS) and intermediate aquifer system (IAS). The maps, source data, and metadata used to generate these products will be archived in a manner suitable for model implementation and regulatory use in a publically accessible format. The results will be incorporated into the forthcoming Lower West Coast Surficial Aquifer System and Intermediate Aquifer System Model (LWCSIM), which will evaluate the potential impact of existing and projected groundwater withdrawals in all SAS and IAS aquifers within the region over the next several decades.For full documentation, please see Technical Publication WS-35, "Hydrogeologic Unit Mapping Update for the Lower West Coast Water Supply Planning Area," dated August 2015 by Elizabeth Geddes, Emily Richardson P.G., and Anne Dodd P.G. , Water Supply Bureau, Water Resources Division, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, Florida. https://www.sfwmd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ws-35_lwc_hydrogeologic_mapping_083115.pdf