SOME FLORIDA LAKES AND LAKE BASINS. I35 



to four miles, and contains about twelve thousand acres. Low 

 divides scarcely exceeding ten feet in elevation separate this basin 

 from Kanapaha and other prairies on the west and from Levy, Led- 

 with, and numerous smaller lakes on the south, and from Newnans 

 Lake on the northeast. The total area embraced within these vari- 

 ous basins is not less than fifty square miles. For a map of this 

 section the reader may consult the Arredondo topographic sheet 

 of the U. S. Geological Survey. 



When dry or nearly so, this basin supports a dense growth of 

 grasses and weeds. On the more elevated and dryer parts dog- 

 fennel prevails, growing to a height of eight or ten feet, while on 

 the lower and wetter parts of the basin maiden cane abounds. 



The principal stream entering this basin is a creek flowing from 

 Newnan's Lake. This creek enters at the east side of the basin and 

 flows west and northwest to the sinks, of which there are two 

 located on the northeast border, the water from the lake enters the 

 Vicksburg Limestone. The sinks are partly surrounded by bluffs 

 rising to an elevation of thirty or forty feet above the general 

 level of the basin. Numerous sinks also occur along the border of 

 the lake showing enlargement of the lake basin in this direction. 

 The stream entering the more westerly of the two sinks was car- 

 rying water when examined in October, 1907, at an estimated 

 rate of 20,000 gallons per minute. At this time the water level in 

 tiie sink was only 2.01 feet above the general level of water in the 

 Vicksburg Limestone as shown by the Gainesville city well,* from 

 which it is evident that the opening at the bottom of the sink per- 

 mits the escape of water approximately at the rate of 20,000 gallons 

 per minute. It is probable, however, that the capacity of the sink 

 is little, if any, greater than this, as indicated by the fact that the 

 water in the sink stood two feet above the water level in the lime- 

 stone. 



In November, 1909, the water in the sink stood approximately 

 one and one-half feet above the level of the water in the surround- 

 ing limestone. 



During seasons of heavy rainfall the stream draining from 

 Newnan's Lake and other smaller streams carry water so rapid- 

 ly that the water is unable to escape through the sink as rapidly 

 as it flows in. Under these conditions the basin fills, becoming tem- 

 porarily a lake. It is probable also that the drainage sink be- 

 comes more or less completely clogged at times, retarding the escape 

 of water, and in this case the prairie may continue as a lake through 

 a succession of years. 



*Bull. No. I, Fla. Geol. Survey, p. 60, 1908. 



