Hydrochemistry of the surficial and intermediate aquifer systems in Florida

Hydrochemistry of the surficial and intermediate aquifer systems in Florida reflects the lithology and mineralogy of units within each aquifer and sources of water to each aquifer. The surficial aquifer system consists of sand, sandstone, clay, limestone, and shell units that are recharged primarily by precipitation. Calcium bicarbonate was the major-ion water type for 53 percent of the surficial aquifer determinations; a mixed water type (no dominant ions) accounted for 37 percent of the determinations. The median dissolved-solids concentration for the surficial aquifer system was 341 milligrams per liter. The intermediate aquifer system consists of limestone, dolomite, sand, and sandstone, and sources of water include downward leakage from the surficial aquifer system and, in some areas, upward leakage from the Upper Floridan aquifer. In northeastern and panhandle areas of Florida, water from the intermediate aquifer system had major-ion and dissolved-solids concentrations similar to water from the surficial aquifer system. In southwestern Florida, the water type in 67 percent of analyses was mixed, and the median dissolved-solids concentration was 642 milligrams per liter. In a northern area of southwestern Florida, hydrochemistry in the limestone aquifer of the intermediate aquifer system is similar to downward leakage from the surficial aquifer system. In a southern area, downward leakage from the surficial aquifer system has calcium and bicarbonate concentrations five times higher than in the northern area, and upward leakage from the Upper Floridan aquifer contains sodium chloride type water from mixing with seawater. In southern southwest Florida, both the limestone aquifer and the overlying sandstone aquifer within the intermediate aquifer system had higher calcium, sodium, chloride, and bicarbonate concentrations than the limestone aquifer in northern southwest Florida.