Hydrogeologic and Hydraulic Characterization of the Surficial Aquifer System, and Origin of High Salinity Groundwater, Palm Beach County, Florida

摘要

The purpose of this report is to delineate the hydrogeologic framework of the surficial aquifer system in Palm Beach County, based on a lithostratigraphic framework developed in the initial report for this study (Reese and Wacker, 2007), and to evaluate hydraulic properties and characteristics of units and permeable zones within this framework. Specifically, this report: (1) divides the surficial aquifer system into three main perme-able zones and delineates the configuration, thickness, and extent of these zones and the semiconfining units that separate them; (2) estimates and delineates the hydraulic properties of these zones (transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and characteristics of confinement); and (3) discusses water-quality data collected that relate to the origin of high salinity in the aquifer system in the central and southwestern parts of the county. Two hydrogeologic sections were constructed to show the relation of hydrostratigraphic units to the lithostratigraphic framework