Surficial aquifer system in eastern Lee County, Florida

Water-Resources Investigations Report 85-4161
Prepared in cooperation with Lee County and the South Florida Water Management District
By:  and 

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Abstract

The surficial aquifer system in eastern Lee County consists of an upper water bearing unit, which is generally unconfined, and a lower water bearing unit, which is confined and is the major source tapped by most wells. The top of the lower unit, which is of primary interest in this report, ranges in depth from 40 to 60 ft below land surface in the east-central part of the county to more than 120 ft in the southern part. In the extreme southern part of the county, a middle water bearing unit also contains water under artesian pressure. Recharge to the lower unit occurs primarily by leakage from the overlying saturated section through the confining beds. Water levels in the lower unit fluctuate similarly to those in the upper (unconfined) unit. Groundwater in the lower unit moves from areas of highest water level in the south part of Lehigh acres, northward toward the Caloosahatchee River, and toward the coast. The lower unit contains freshwater throughout much of its extent and is the source of public water supply at Lehigh Acres and Green Meadows where an average of about 3 mil gal/day was withdrawn in 1980. In several areas, the concentrations of chlorides and dissolved solids exceed drinking water standards. Yields of wells that tap the lower unit range from 10 to 1,100 gal/min. Transmissivities ranging from about 17,700 to 7,750 sq ft/day were determined for different areas of the unit. Storage coefficients range from 0.0001 to 0.0003. (Author 's abstract)

Suggested Citation

Surficial aquifer system in eastern Lee County, Florida; 1986; WRI; 85-4161; Boggess, D. H.; Watkins, F. A.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Surficial aquifer system in eastern Lee County, Florida
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 85-4161
DOI 10.3133/wri854161
Year Published 1986
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center
Description iv, 59 p.
Country United States
State Florida
County Lee County
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