Ground water is a vital resource throughout most of Florida. Nearly all of the drinking water for the residents of Florida is withdrawn from ground-water supplies, such as the Floridan aquifer system. Furthermore, ground water is important to the environment and ecology of Florida, as ground water discharges into lakes, springs, streams, and estuaries. Florida’s aquifers are recharged by rain, most of which evaporates or flows into streams before it can migrate underground. As a result, ground-water supplies can be depleted from overuse. Understanding the availability of ground-water resources is critical to sound management of the supplies. Scientists at ZFI have two decades of experience conducting hydrogeologic investigations.  ZFI scientists are experts at understanding the complex hydrogeology of the karst regions that underlie most of Florida. Our scientists have been involved in studies of the hydraulic conductivity of the surficial aquifer system, the susceptibility of springs to surface contamination, and the decline of water levels in aquifers as a result of ground-water withdrawals. We offer a variety of services related to our in-depth knowledge of hydrogeology.

• Design and implementation of data-collection networks for continuous and periodic monitoring of ground-water levels
• Installation of monitoring and observation wells
• Compilation and QA/QC of existing hydrogeologic data sets
• In-depth statistical analysis of hydrogeologic data
• Conduct trend analysis on long-term data including water levels in wells and discharge of springs
• Interpret lithologic cuttings and borehole geophysics
• Conduct aquifer and slug tests to determine hydraulic properties
• Construct hydrogeologic maps and cross sections
• Construct potentiometric-surface maps
• Determine local and regional ground-water flow and movement
• Salt-water intrusion studies