.. . : ' 1 ';■ V - ' - 
WATER SUPPLY OF WEST FLORIDA. 113 
WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
LOCATION AND SURFACE FEATURES. 
Washington county is bounded on the north by Walton, Holmes 
and Jackson counties, on the east by Jackson and Calhoun counties, 
on the south by the Gulf of Mexico and the western projection of 
Calhoun county, and on the west by Walton and Holmes counties. 
The total area is 1425 square miles or 912,000 acres. 
The surface features of the county are quite diversified. The 
Vicksburg Limestone lies at or close to the surface over the northern 
part of the county and its influence on the topography is very evi¬ 
dent. Near Duncan this limestone is quarried and presents a good 
exposure of the formation. The rock is used for building chimneys, 
and although soft when first quarried, it hardens on exposure. Sink 
holes are very common throughout this area. The best known of 
the sinks is Falling Water, about five miles south of Chipley, into 
which a small stream empties. 
Upon leaving Duncan and traveling southward to Vernon a 
change is noted in the topography as well as in the character of 
soil and vegetation. The red hill section with its many lime sinks 
and exposures gives way more or less gradually to a gently undulat¬ 
ing open pine woods type of country with broad or saucer-shaped 
valleys. These valleys are almost devoid of undergrowth except 
for tall grasses, and at times, in seasons of heavy rainfall, are no 
doubt covered with water for a short period. Long leaf pine grows 
in abundance on the uplands and along the valley slopes. Cypress 
is seen in the valley bottoms. No exposures of limestone or lime 
sinks were seen between Duncan and Vernon, and the drainage in 
this territory is apparently through open surface streams emptying 
into Holmes Creek on the west. 
In the central part of the county is found a plateau of high pine 
land. The plateau is highest near its northern border and has a 
very gradual and scarcely perceptible slope to the south. It is a 
sandy long leaf pine region with little or no undergrowth other 
than wire grass. Occasional circular lakes occur which represents 
the first steps in the degradation of the plateau by underground 
solution. To the south the plateau passes gradually into the flat 
woods bordering the coast. 
Intermediate between the plateau and the lower lands to the 
north and west is an extremely interesting section of country known 
as Holmes Valley. This area is from one to three miles wide and 
extends in a northeast to southwest direction, a distance of from 
8—G R 
