WATER SUPPLY OF WEST FLORIDA. 
153 
Driven wells are also in use in this part of the county. These 
are usually two inches in diameter and average about 50 feet in 
depth. Limestone is encountered in the drilling or driving of these 
wells at a depth of from 18 to 25 feet below the surface. The water 
rises to within about 10 feet of the surface. 
LAFAYETTE COUNTY. 
LOCATION AND SURFACE FEATURES. 
Lafayette county lies immediately west of the Suwannee River, 
this river forming the entire eastern boundary and separating it 
from the counties of Suwannee, Alachua and Levy. The Gulf of 
Mexico bounds it on the south and Taylor county on the west. The 
Steinhatchee River forms a part of the western boundary line. 
Madison and Suwannee counties bound it on the north. The total 
area is 1202 square miles or 769,280 acres. 
The surface of the county is in general level. The extreme 
northern part is slightly rolling. A good growth of pine is found 
over most of the county. Large hammocks exist particularly in 
the central and southern portions. Limestone lies comparatively 
near the surface over the entire county, and toward the south the 
surface materials thin down frequently exposing the rock in the 
different streams and sinks. 
ELEVATIONS. 
Mayo, the county seat, in the northern part of the county is 69 
feet above sea, Media, a few miles southwest of Mayo, is 68 feet 
above sea. These levels were made by the Florida Railway. 
DRAINAGE. 
The surface drainage of the county is largely carried off by two 
rivers, the Suwannee on the east and the Steinhatchee on the west. 
Other streams of smaller size are found throughout the county 
some emptying directly into the Gulf of Mexico on the south. The 
eastern and southern parts are dotted with many sinks through 
which the surface waters pass into the underlying limestones. The 
so-called natural wells are also of common occurrence. These are 
solution cavities in the limestone which are open and furnish a 
limestone water. 
