WATER SUPPLY OP PASTERN AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA. 145 
burg group of limestones. In some localities, however, forma¬ 
tions lying above the Vicksburg group supply a flow, although 
the flow from these more shallow formations is rarely ever so 
strong as from the deeper or Vicksburg limestones. 
DEPTH OF THE ARTESIAN WATER. 
The depth at which the artesian water is obtained is variable 
in different parts of the area. To find the depth for any particular 
locality, it will be necessary to refer to the subsequent chapters 
in which the several counties are treated individually. 
COST OF WELLS. 
It has been only within the past few years that artesian wells 
have begun to supplant shallow, open dug wells in the rural dis¬ 
tricts. One cause of the rapid increase of artesian wells in these 
districts is the necessity of irrigation in order to safeguard truck¬ 
ing and general crops against droughts. Again, from a health 
standpoint, the water from these deeper wells is less liable to 
contamination than is the water from the shallower or surface 
wells. 
The cost of an artesian well depends upon the depth to which 
it is necessary to drill, the size of the well desired, the amount of 
casing used and the character of the material that will probably 
be penetrated in drilling. With a knowledge of the nature of the 
underlying formations in a given area well drillers know approxi¬ 
mately the time and labor it will take to complete a certain size 
well. In such an instance it is frequently the case that a well is 
completed for a stipulated amount, regardless of the depth. It is 
more customary, however, to let a contract for a certain size well 
at a given price per foot. These prices vary in different sections 
of the State, but on the average two-inch wells are sunk for from 
$1.00 to $1.25 per foot; three- and four-inch wells from $1.50 to 
$2.00 per foot. The larger wells range in proportion, a ten-inch 
well costing about $3.50 per foot. The driller, at these prices, 
furnishes the casing. 
