Print this page Groundwater Engineering for Water Supplies - The Floridan Aquifer System
Conrad G. Leszkiewicz, PhD, PE, PG
Course Outline
The dominant application of groundwater engineering is the provision of water supplies for municipalities, agriculture, and industries. Sufficient groundwater supplies are essential for the health and economic well-being of the United States. With increasing demands for water from growing world populations, agriculture, and industry, as well as growing intermittent, if not long-term shortages of surface water due to droughts, groundwater is becoming an even more important source of fresh water for society.
The Floridan Aquifer System is the fifth largest principal water supply aquifer system in the United States. It supplies water for agriculture and municipalities throughout Florida and a large part of Georgia. This aquifer system is unique in that it is a carbonate rock aquifer that is experiencing land subsidence in the form of sink holes and saltwater intrusion due, in part, to groundwater withdrawals. This 5-hour course will provide an overview and familiarization of this vital and important aquifer system. It will document concerns for this resource due to usage and future concerns due to development.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to
enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student would have achieved an understanding of the following:
- The importance of the Floridan Aquifer System;
- The areal extent and physiological setting of the aquifer;
- The major hydrologic units of the aquifer system;
- The interactions of recharge, groundwater, and streams;
- Overview of groundwater development and usage;
- The concern for saltwater intrusion due to groundwater withdrawals;
- The development of subsidence and collapse sinkholes; and
- The potential effects from future climate trends.
This course is intended for civil-environmental engineers, geohydrologists, municipal planners, manufacturers and other professionals concerned with groundwater resources.
Benefit to Attendees
The subject matter of this course will be of benefit to professionals involved in water resource development and management including civil-environmental engineers, geohydrologists, municipal planners, agricultural entities, manufacturers and others concerned with groundwater resources. It will also be of benefit to others concerned with protecting these valuable water resources. The course provides a broad understanding of the importance of groundwater resources to society.
Course Introduction
In this course you will learn about the fifth largest principal aquifer system in the United States, the Floridan Aquifer system, and the challenges facing users of that aquifer system.
Course Content
In this lesson, you are required to download and study the following documents: USGS Presentation: Groundwater Availability Study of the Floridan Aquifer System, A.M. O’Reilly and E. Kuniansky, 2013; USGS Groundwater Atlas of the United States: HA-730-G, The Floridan Aquifer System section (including Figures 48 to 68); James A. Miller, 1990; Updated (2010-2012) USGS Potentiometric, Transmissivity, and Drawdown-Confinement Maps; and USGS Circular 1278, 2005: Water Withdrawals and Trends from the Floridan Aquifer System in the Southeastern United States 1950 to 2000, R.L. Marella and M.P. Berndt.
http://fl.water.usgs.gov/FASWAM/files/OReillyKunianskyNGWAexpo_FINAL_no_animation.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/ha/ha730/ch_g/G-text6.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3182/pdf/sim3182.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3204/pdf/USGS_SIM-3204_Kuniansky_Web.pdf
http://www.gwri.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/files/docs/2011/3.1.2_Williams_48.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2005/1278/pdf/cir1278.pdf
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.
Course Summary
The information provided in this course will details the special importance of the fifth largest groundwater resource in the United States and concerns for its future.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
