THE ARTESIAN WATER SUPPLY OF EASTERN FLORIDA. 
123 
At Key West two wells have been drilled to the Vicksburg 
which is reached at that locality at a depth of about 700 feet. 
The first of these wells, drilled in 1895, is reported to have 
reached a depth of 2000 feet. The well was non-flowing and the 
water salty. No adequate record of this well was kept, and it is 
not known to what depth the well was cased, nor whether or not 
there was any attempt made to drill beyond and case off the salty 
water. The second well was drilled in 1909-10 by S. O. Johnson 
and reached a total depth of 1010 feet. This well is cased about 
150 feet. It is non-flowing and salty. Two samples of water from 
this well have been received from Mr. Johnson. One is said to have 
been taken from the water near the top of the well; the other from 
near the bottom of the well. The first of these samples contains 
chlorine 2340 parts per million parts water. The sample said to 
have come from the bottom of the well contains 1358 parts chlo¬ 
rine per million parts water. 
The investigations of the flowing area of the Southern Gulf 
Coast have not been completed, and it is possible to indicate only 
approximately the limits of this area. Flowing wells have been 
obtained in areas of low elevation at Tampa, St. Petersburg and 
elsewhere along the coast for some distance north of St. Peters¬ 
burg. It is only near the sea level in this northward* extent of 
the area that a flow is to be expected. In Manatee County along 
the Manatee River strong flowing wells have been obtained some 
of them having a pressure of eight or more pounds. The wells in 
this county are used extensively for irrigation. In De Soto Coun¬ 
ty flowing wells occur at Punta Gorda and along Peace Creek 
into Polk County. Some of the wells at Punta Gorda have a 
head of about fifty feet. In Lee County flowing wells have been 
obtained at Ft. Myers, along the Caloosahatchee River to Labelle, 
and in the interior southeast of Ft Myers. In the well of A. P. 
Miller of Ft. Myers, having a depth of 535 feet the water was 
found to be under a pressure of 17 pounds, giving it a head of 39 
feet above the surface. The southward extent of this flowing 
area has not been determined. Approaching the southern limit 
the amount of salt in the water increases, certain of the wells 
toward the southern part of Lee County becoming too salty for 
use. The Vicksburg Limestone is probably the water bearing for¬ 
mation in southern as in eastern Florida. While the northern lim¬ 
it of the Southern Gulf Coast area has been given as the Pinellas 
Peninsula, from recent well records it seems probable that a 
flow may be obtained north of this limit and possibly entirely 
around the Gulf coast. Two wells have reached this deeper flow, 
one at Crystal River in Citrus County and one at Perry in Taylor 
