The shallow aquifer : a prime freshwater resource in eastern Palm Beach County, Florida

The shallow aquifer underlies all of Palm Beach County and is the source of almost all fresh-water supplies in the eastern part of the county. It consists of mixtures of sand, shell sandstone, and limestone. In this area the concentration of dissolved solids in the ground water usually does not exceed 500 milligrams per litre.

A section of cavity-riddled limestone and other permeable rocks is located several miles inland and extends north to south almost the entire length of the county. This section yields up to 2,000 gallons per minute (130 litres per second) of water to large wells and offers an excellent potential for the development of future ground-water supplies.

Sea-water intrusion into the shallow aquifer is a potential threat to several coastal well fields. The wells nearest the coast are most vulnerable.