Files
Abstract
This work models the depth of the freshwater-saltwater interface in the Floridan aquifer system to determine its relationship to springs in the Suwannee River Basin using the SEAWAT model. During drought conditions with large withdrawals, spring water quality displays elevated dissolved constituents derived from limestone. Due to lack of data, previous investigations in the study area utilized the Ghyben-Herzberg Principle and do not model the full depth of the aquifer and associated higher dissolved constituents at lower depths. Using a variable-density, finite difference, transient, groundwater model, this work simulates the aquifer within range of drought and normal flow conditions. Results show that most of the interface is below the base of the Floridan aquifer system, the middle confining unit controls the position of the interface through differences in velocity, and springs are the only surficial feature that influence how dissolved constituents move vertically.