Putnam County Artesian Well Earthcache EarthCache
Putnam County Artesian Well Earthcache
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The well you are visiting is a flowing artesian well at the corner of SR 310 (Rodman Rd.) and SR 315; 8 miles west of SR 19 and Cross Florida Barge Canal Bridge; 1 mile north of Kenwood.
There is plenty of parking nearby and you only have a few feet to walk to get to the well. Be sure to pull completely off the road.
Area of Artesian flow in Putnam County
Artesian wells are deep-drilled wells through which water is forced upward under pressure. The water in an artesian well flows from an aquifer, which is a layer of very porous rock or sediment, usually sandstone, capable of holding and transmitting large quantities of water.
Artesian Aquifer
The artesian aquifer is the principal source of water in Putnam County.
The artesian aquifer in Putnam County consists principally of beds of Eocene limestone but includes also a thin, discontinuous dense limestone of Miocene age. In parts of the county, thin, lenticular beds of sand and shell within the Miocene or Pliocene clay contain water under artesian pressure. These thin beds yield a relatively small amount of water, and are not widespread. The limestones are referred to collectively as the principal artesian aquifer. Water is confined under pressure in the principal artesian aquifer by beds of clay in the deposits of Miocene or Pliocene age.
Differences in static head, chloride content, and temperature of the water at different depths in some parts of the county suggest that impermeable beds within the principal artesian aquifer may separate it into several relatively thin aquifers.
A current meter is a device for measuring the velocity of flow of water through a well bore.
A deep-well current-meter traverse made in well 943-144-1, six miles northwest of Palatka, gave evidence of the presence of several aquifers within the principal artesian aquifer. The results show when, the well was completely closed in there was upward movement of water within the limestone aquifer in the zone between 500 and 430 feet and between 400 and 300 feet. This movement shows leakage within the aquifer from zones, of higher head to zones of lower head. The zones of different head are probably separated by relatively impermeable limestone beds within the aquifer.
Putnam County Aquifer Recharging Areas
In Putnam County the artesian aquifer is replenished by rain falling on recharge areas where many lakes and sinkholes penetrate the confining beds and allow water from the surface to reach the limestone formations that constitute the aquifer. The water in the artesian aquifer may also be replenished by water from the nonartesian aquifer in areas where the water table is higher than the piezometric surface.
From the recharge areas water moves laterally through pores and cavities in the limestone toward areas where discharge is occurring. Water is discharged from the artesian aquifer in Putnam County by springs and wells. It may also be discharged by upward percolation of water to the nonartesian aquifer in areas where the piezometric surface of the artesian aquifer is higher than the water table.
Logging Requirements
1. BRING A GALLON CONTAINER: Time how long it takes to fill the jug. Please send your answer in seconds. This is a pretty consistent flow, but does change a little.
2. ANSWER THE QUESTION: What do you think would have a bearing on the flow?
3. BRING A CAMERA (totally optional): Post a new photo of yourself at the well holding your GPSr, at the time you post your found it
You do NOT have to wait for confirmation from me before logging your find. Please do not make any reference to these answers in your log.
Special Thanks To: Geocaching.com for having EarthCache style caches.
Thanks to www.putnam-fl.com for the great info
Thanks to Wikipedia for the information on Artesian Wells.
Enjoy, Let's Go Geocaching!
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