DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Dikector Water-supply Paper 341 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA BY L. W. STEPHENSON AND J. 0. YEATCH AND A DISCUSSION OP THE QUALITY OF THE WATERS BY R. B. DOLE Prepared in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Georgia WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1915 Class C^lliZK Book ,G\^.. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/undergroundwaterOOstep DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director It'.-.''': Wateb-Supply Paper 341 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA BY L. W. STEPHENSON AND J. 0. VEATCH AND A DISCUSSION OF THE QUALITY OF THE WATERS BY R. B. DOLE Prepared in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Georgia WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1915 / \tftZ> .&* £* LIBRARY OF 'CONGRESS JUN1-1921 DOCUivj^ivjT^ ... ^lON -— — r.r^ ,.;r -_■ ■ '\.^_ iv^j CONTENTS. _ _ Page. Introduction 25 Physiography 26 Cumberland Plateau 26 Appalachian Valley 27 Appalachian Mountains 27 Piedmont Plateau 27 Coastal Plain 28 General features 28 Physiographic subdivisions 29 Fall-line hills 29 Dougherty plain 31 Altamaha upland 32 Southern limesink region 34 Okefenokee plain 35 Satilla coastal lowland 36 Minor features . 38 Terraces 38 Streams 38 Lakes and ponds 39 Fresh-water swamps , 40 Upland-plain swamps 40 Fluviatile swamps 42 Springs 43 Elevations 44 Geology 52 Geologic provinces 52 Deposits of the Coastal Plain 52 Stratigraphic succession 52 Structure , 56 Dip and strike 56 Local displacements 57 Chattahoochee anticline 57 Withlacoochee anticline 59 Monocline in eastern Georgia 59 Cretaceous system 60 Lower Cretaceous series 60 Areal distribution 60 Stratigraphic position 60 Lithologic character 61 Strike, dip, and thickness 62 Upper Cretaceous series. 62 Eutaw formation 62 Areal distribution .• 62 Stratigraphic position 62 Lithologic character 62 Strike, dip, and thickness 64 3 4 CONTENTS. Geology — Continued. Cretaceous system — Continued. Upper Cretaceous series — Continued. Page. Ripley formation 64 Areal distribution 64 Stratigraphic position 64 Lithologic character 64 Strike, dip, and thickness 66 Tertiary system 67 Eocene series 67 Midway formation 67 Areal distribution 67 Stratigraphic position 67 Lithologic character 68 Thickness 69 Paleontologic character 69 Physiographic expression 69 Structure 70 Wilcox formation 70 Areal distribution 70 Stratigraphic position 70 Lithologic character 71 Thickness 71 Paleontologic character 72 Physiographic expression 72 Structure 72 Claiborne group 73 Subdivisions 73 McBean formation 73 Areal distribution 73 Stratigraphic position 74 Lithologic character 74 Thickness 75 Paleontologic character 76 Physiographic expression 76 Structure 77 Congaree clay member 77 Barnwell sand 79 Areal distribution 79 Stratigraphic position 79 Lithologic character 80 Thickness 80 Paleontologic character 80 Physiographic expression 80 Structure 80 Jackson formation 80 Areal distribution 80 Stratigraphic position 81 Lithologic character and thickness 82 Paleontologic character 82 Physiographic expression 83 Structure 83 Oligocene series 83 Yicksburg formation 83 Areal distribution. ,,..,.,.,.,.,.„.,...,.......,...,.,,..,. 83 CONTENTS. 5 Geology — Continued. Tertiary system— Continued. Oligocene series — Continued. Page. Vicksburg formation — Continued. Stratigraphic position 83 Lithologic character 84 Thickness 85 Paleontologic character 86 Physiographic expression 86 Structure 86 Apalachicola group 86 Chattahoochee formation 86 Areal distribution 86 Stratigraphic position 87 Lithologic character 88 Thickness 88 Paleontologic character 88 Physiographic expression. 89 Structure 89 Alum Bluff formation 89 Areal distribution 89 Stratigraphic position 91 Lithologic character 92 Thickness 93 Paleontologic character 93 Physiographic expression 93 Structure 94 Undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive 94 Miocene series 97 General features 97 Marks Head marl 98 Areal distribution and structure 98 Stratigraphic position 98 Lithologic character and thickness 98 Paleontologic character 99 Duplin marl 99 Areal distribution and structure 99 Stratigraphic position 99 Lithologic character 99 Paleontologic character 100 Pliocene (?) series 100 Distribution 100 Charlton formation 101 Quaternary system 102 Pleistocene series 102 Subdivisions 102 Columbia group 103 Okefenokee formation 103 Distribution and character 103 Coastal terrace deposits 104 Fluviatile terrace deposits 105 Satilla formation 107 Deposition 107 Coastal terrace deposits 107 Fluviatile terrace deposits 110 G CONTENTS. G eology — Continued . Quaternary system— Continued. Page. Recent series Ill Surflcial gray sands of the upland 112 Water supply 115 Source and amount 115 Disposition 11G Run-off 116 Evaporation 117 Vegetation 117 Chemical absorption 117 Underground water storage 118 Surface waters 118 Streams 118 Lakes and ponds : 118 Underground waters 119 Water table 119 Quality of water .' 119 Artesian waters. 120 Definition 120 Importance 120 Controlling conditions 120 Conditions in the Coastal Plain of Georgia 121 Nonartesian waters 122 Use of underground waters in the Coastal Plain of Georgia 123 Springs 123 Shallow wells 123 Artesian wells 123 Stratigraphic distribution of underground waters 124 Water in Cretaceous system 124 Lower Cretaceous series 124 Upper Cretaceous series 125 Eutaw formation 125 Ripley formation 125 Water in Tertiary system 127 Eocene series 127 Midway formation 127 Wilcox formation 127 Claiborne group 127 Jackson formation 129 Oligocene series 129 Vicksburg formation 129 Chattahoochee formation 130 Alum Bluff formation 130 Miocene series 131 Pliocene (?) series 132 Undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive 132 Water in Quaternary system 132 Pleistocene series 132 County descriptions 133 Appling County 133 General features 133 Topography 133 Geology 134 CONTENTS. 7 County descriptions — Continued. Appling County — Continued. Page. Water resources 134 Distribution and character 134 Local supplies 134 Baxley 134 New Lacey 135 Baker County 135 General features 135 Topography 135 Geology , 136 Water resources. 136 Distribution and character 136 Local supplies 137 Newton 137 Elmodel , 137 Mimmsville 138 Baldwin County 138 General features 138 Topography 138 Geology 138 Water resources 139 Distribution and character 139 Local supplies 139 Milledgeville 139 Stevens Pottery 140 Ben Hill County. 140 General features 140 Topography 140 Geology 140 Water resources 140 Distribution and character 140 Local supplies 141 Fitzgerald 141 Bowens Mill 142 Berrien County 142 General features 142 Topography 142 Geology , 143 Water resources 143 Distribution and character 143 Local supplies 144 Adel 144 Sparks 144 Nashville 144 Milltown 144 Heartsease 145 Bibb County 146 General features 146 Topography 146 Geology 146 Water resources 147 Distribution and character 147 8 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued . Bibb County — Continued. Water resources — Continued. Page. Local supplies 148 Macon 148 Walden 148 Seven miles south of Macon 149 White Elk Spring 149 Tufts Springs 150 Bleckley County 151 Brooks County 152 General features 152 Topography 152 Geology 152 Water resources 153 Distribution and character 153 Local supplies 154 Quitman 154 Barwick 155 Morven 155 Bryan County 156 General features , 156 Topography 156 Geology 157 Water resources 157 Distribution and character , 157 Local supplies 158 Ways 158 Keller 158 Fort McAllister 159 Pembroke 159 Clyde 160 Boding 160 Ossabaw Island 160 Belfast 160 Bulloch County 162 General features 162 Topography 162 Geology 162 Water resources 163 Distribution and character 163 Local supplies 163 Statesboro 163 Burke County 164 General features 164 Topography 165 Geology 165 Water resources 166 Distribution and character 166 Local supplies 166 Waynesboro 166 Midville 16S Greens Cut 168 Gough 169 Girard 169 CONTENTS. 9 County descriptions — Continued. Page. Calhoun County 170 General features 170 Topography 170 Geology 171 Water resources 171 Distribution and character 171 Local supplies 171 Arlington 171 Leary 172 Edison 173 Morgan. .' 173 Cordray Mill 173 Camden County 175 General features 175 Topography 176 Geology 176 Water resources 177 Distribution and character 177 Local supplies 177 St. Marys 177 Kingsland 178 Tarboro 178 Charlton County 181 General features 181 Topography 181 Geology 181 Water resources 182 Distribution and character 182 Local supplies 182 Folkston 182 Burnt Fort 182 Chatham County 183 General features 183 Topography 183 Geology 184 Water resources 185 Distribution and character 185 Local supplies 185 Savannah 185 Tybee Island 189 Pooler 189 Montgomery 190 Burroughs 190 Chattahoochee County 192 General features 192 Topography 192 Geology 192 Water resources 193 Distribution and character 193 Local supplies 194 Cusseta 194 Rural supplies 194 10 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued. Page. Clay County 196 General features 196 Topography 196 Geology 196 Water resources 197 Distribution and character 197 Local supplies 197 Fort Gaines 197 Henry County, Ala 199 Bluff ton 199 Clinch County 200 General features 200 Topography 200 Geology- 201 Water resources 201 Coffee County 202 General features 202 Topography 202 Geology 203 Water resources 203 Distribution and character 203 Local supplies 204 Douglas , 204 Broxton 204 Willacoochee 204 Colquitt County 205 General features 205 Topography 205 Geology 206 Water resources 206 Distribution and character 206 Local supplies 206 Moultrie 206 Doerun 207 Norman Park 207 Columbia County 208 General features 208 Topography 208 Geology ". 209 Water resources 209 Crawford County. 209 General features 209 Topography 209 Geology 210 Water resources 210 Crisp County 212 General features 212 Topography 213 Geology 213 Water resources 214 Distribution and character 214 Local supplies 214 Cordele 214 Coney and vicinity 215 CONTENTS. 11 County descriptions — Continued. Page. Decatur County 218 General features 218 Topography 218 Geology 219 Water resources 219 Distribution and character 219 Local supplies 220 Bainbridge : 220 Donaldson ville 221 Iron City 221 Lela 221 Dodge County 224 General features 224 Topography 224 Geology 224 Water resources . 225 Distribution and character 225 Local supplies 225 Eastman 225 Chester 225 Chauncey 226 Jay Bird Spring 226 Wild Rose Mineral Spring 226 Rhine 226 Dooly County 228 General features 228 Topography 228 Geology.' 228 Water resources 229 Distribution and character 229 Local supplies 229 Vienna 229 Unadilla 230 Byrom ville 230 Pinehurst 231 Richwood 231 Dooling 232 Dougherty County 233 General features 233 Topography 233 Geology 234 Water resources 235 Distribution and character 235 Local supplies 235 Albany 235 Kioka Place 239 Ducker station 240 Putney 240 Pretoria 240 Blue Spring 240 Early County 243 General features 243 Topography 243 12 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued. Early County — Continued. p age . Geology 243 Water resources 244 Distribution and character 244 Local supplies 245 Blakely 245 Damascus 245 Cowarts station 246 Other localities 246 Echols County 248 General features 248 Topography 248 Geology 248 Water resources 249 Effingham County 249 General features 249 Topography 249 Geology 250 Water resources 250 Distribution and character 250 Local supplies 251 Springfield 251 Eden 251 Egypt 251 Guyton 251 Meldrim 252 Emanuel County 253 General features '. 253 Topography 253 Geology 253 Water resources 254 Distribution and character 254 Local supplies 255 Swainsboro 255 Stillmore 255 Adrian 255 Garfield 255 Glascock County 256 General features 256 Topography 256 Geology 257 Water resources 257 Distribution and character 257 Local supplies 257 Gibson 257 Glynn County 258 General features 258 Topography 258 Geology 258 Water resources 259 Distribution and character 259 Local supplies 260 Brunswick 260 Thalman 261 CONTENTS. 13 County descriptions — Continued. Glynn County — Continued. Water resources — Continued. Local supplies — Continued. Page. Jointer Island 261 St. Simons Island 261 Bladen 263 Everett City 263 Crispin 263 Evelyn 264 Jeykl Island 264 Grady County. 267 General features 267 Topography 267 Geology 268 Water resources 268 Distribution and character 268 Local supplies 268 Cairo 268 Whigham 269 Calvary 269 Beachton 269 Hancock County 270 General features 270 Topography 270 Geology 270 Water resources 271 Houston County 271 General features 271 Topography 271 Geology 272 Water resources 273 Distribution and character 273 Local supplies 274 Fort Valley 274 Perry 276 Other localities 277 Irwin County 279 General features 279 Topography 279 Geology 279 Water resources 280 Distribution and character 280 Local supplies 280 Ocilla : 280 Jeff Davis County 281 General features 281 Topography 281 Geology 281 Water resources 282 Distribution and character 282 Local supplies 282 Hazelharst 282 Goldsmith 283 14 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued. p age- Jefferson County 284 General features 284 Topography 284 Geology 285 Water resources 285 Distribution and character 285 Local supplies 286 Louisville 286 Wadley 288 Bartow 288 Spread 289 Wrens 289 Jenkins County 291 General features 291 Topography 291 Geology 291 Water resources 292 Distribution and character 292 Local supplies 293 Millen 293 Perkins 293 Herndon 293 Rogers 294 Scarboro 294 Johnson County 296 General features 296 Topography 296 Geology 296 Water resources 297 Distribution and character 297 Local supplies 297 Wrightsville , 297 Idylwild 298 Kite 298 Jones County 299 General features 299 Topography 299 Geology 300 Water resources 300 Ijaurens County 301 General features 301 Topography 301 Geology 302 Water resources 302 Distribution and character 302 Local supplies. . 303 Dublin.. 303 Dexter 303 Tingle 303 Rentz 303 Limestone springs 304 Lee County 305 General features 305 Topography 305 CONTENTS. 15 County descriptions — Continued. Lee County — Continued. Page. Geology 306 Water resources 306 Distribution and character 306 Local supplies 306 Leesburg 306 Smithville 307 Armena 308 Adams 308 Philema. 308 Liberty County 310 General features : 310 Topography 310 Geology.. 311 Water resources 312 Distribution and character 312 Local supplies 312 Ludowici 312 Donald 313 Allenhurst 314 Flemington 314 St. Catherines Island 314 Other localities 315 Lowndes County 316 General features 316 Topography 316 Geology 317 Water resources 317 Distribution and character 317 Local supplies 318 Valdosta 318 McDuffie County 321 General features 321 Topography 321 Geology 321 Water resources 321 Mcintosh County 322 General features 322 Topography 323 Geology 323 Water resources 323 Distribution and character 323 Local supplies 324 Darien 324 Valona 325 Sapelo light station .- 325 Barrington 326 Wolf Island 326 Creighton Island 326 Doboy 326 Macon County 328 General features 328 Topography - 328 Geology 328 16 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued . Macon County — Continued. p age . Water resources 329 Distribution and character 329 Local supplies 330 Oglethorpe 330 Montezuma 330 Six miles north of Montezuma 332 Marshallville 332 Miona Springs 332 Marion County 334 General features 334 Topography 334 Geology 334 Water resources 335 Distribution and character 335 Local supplies 336 Buena Vista. - 336 Doyle 337 Spring near Tazewell 337 Spring near Putnam 338 Miller County 338 General features 338 Topography 338 Geology 338 Water resources 339 Distribution and character. 339 Local supplies 339 Colquitt 339 Babcock 340 Mitchell County 341 General features 341 Topography 341 . Geology 341 Water resources 342 Distribution and character 342 Local supplies 343 Camilla 343 Pelham 343 Flint 344 Montgomery County 344 General features , 344 Topography 345 Geology 345 Water resources 345 Distribution and character 345 Local supplies 346 Mount Vernon 346 McArthur plantation 346 Higgston 346 Ochwalkee 347 Soperton 347 McRae 347 Kibbee 347 CONTENTS. 17 County descriptions — Continued. p ag e. Muscogee County 348 General features 348 Topography 348 Geology 349 Water resources 350 Distribution and character 350 Local supplies 350 Columbus 350 Pierce County 355 General features. . , 355 Topography 355 Geology 355 Water resources 356 Distribution and character 356 Local supplies 356 Blackshear 356 Offerman. 357 Ice 358 Pulaski County 359 General features 359 Topography 359 Geology 359 Water resources 360 Distribution and character 360 Local supplies 360 Hawkinsville 360 Cochran 361 Quitman County , 362 General features 362 Topography 362 Geology 362 Water resources . 363 Distribution and character 363 Local supplies 364 Well of J. F. Hogan 364 Eufaula, Ala 364 Randolph County 365 General features 365 Topography 365 Geology 365 Water resources 366 Distribution and character 366 Local supplies 367 Cuthbert. . . , 367 Shellman 367 Richmond County i . . .■ . 369 General features 369 Topography 369 Geology 369 Water resources - 370 Distribution and character 370 Local supplies 371 Augusta 371 Somerville 372 38418°— wsp 341—15 2 18 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued. Richmond County — Continued. Water resources — Continued. Local supplies — Continued. Page. Gracewood 372 Windsor Spring 373 chley County 375 General features 375 Topography 375 Geology 375 Water resources 376 Distribution and character 376 Local supplies 376 Ellaville 376 Screven County 377 General features 377 Topography 377 Geology 377 Water resources 378 Distribution and character 378 Local supplies 379 Sylvania 379 Rockyford 380 Dover 380 Millhaven 380 Mears 380 Hershman 381 Stewart County 383 General features 383 Topography 384 Geology 384 Water resources 385 Distribution and character 385 Local supplies 386 Lumpkin 386 Richland 386 Omaha 387 Coffinton 387 Other localities 387 Sumter County 391 General features 391 Topography 391 Geology 391 Water resources 392 Distribution and character 392 Local supplies 393 Americus 393 Plains 397 Magnolia Spring 397 Sumter 398 Huguenin 398 Andersonville 398 Old Danville 398 Leslie 398 CONTENTS. 19 County descriptions — Continued. Page. Talbot County 401 General features 401 Topography 401 Geology 401 Water resources 401 Tattnall County 402 General features 402 Topography 402 Geology 402 Water resources 403 Distribution and character 403 Local supplies 403 Reidsville 403 Claxton , 404 Collins 405 Other localities 405 Taylor County 406 General features 406 Topography 406 Geology 407 Water resources 407 Distribution and character 407 Local supplies 408 Reynolds 408 Other localities 409 Telfair County 411 General features 411 Topography 411 Geology 411 Water resources 412 Distribution and character 412 Local supplies 412 Helena 412 McRae 413 Scotland 413 Towns 413 Lumber City 413 Shamrock Springs 414 Terrell County 415 General features 415 Topography 416 Geology 416 Water resources 417 Distribution and character 417 Local supplies 417 Dawson 417 Parrott 418 Graves station 418 Sasser 418 Thomas County 420 General features 420 Topography 420 Geology 420 20 - CONTENTS. County descriptions— Continued . Thomas County — Continued. Page. Water resources 421 Distribution and character 421 Local supplies 422 Thomasville 422 Boston 422 Pavo 423 Tift County 424 General features 424 Topography 425 Geology 425 Water resources 425 Distribution and character 425 Local supplies 426 Tifton 426 Toombs County 428 General features 428 Topography 428 Geology 429 Water resources 429 Distribution and character 429 Local supplies 430 Lyons 430 Vidalia 430 Turner County 432 General features 432 Topography 432 Geology 432 Water resources 433 Distribution and character 433 Local supplies 433 Ashburn 433 Worth 433 Twiggs County '. 434 General features 434 Topography 434 Geology 434 Water resources 435 Ware County 435 General features 435 Topography 435 Geology 436 Water resources 436 Distribution and character 436 Local supplies 437 Waycross 437 Beach 439 Warren County 441 General features 441 Topography 441 Geology 441 Water resources 441 Washington County 442 General features 442 CONTENTS. 21 County descriptions — Continued. Washington County — Continued. Page. Topography 442 Geology 442 Water resources 443 Distribution and character 443 Local supplies 444 Sandersville 444 Tennille 445 Oconee 445 Chalker 446 Davisboro 446 Mineral Spring 446 Wayne County 448 General features 448 Topography .- 448 Geology 449 Water resources 449 Distribution and character 449 Local supplies 450 Jesup 450 Mount Pleasant 451 Doctortown 452 Webster County 455 General features 455 Topography 455 Geology 455 Water resources 456 Distribution and character 456 Local supplies 456 Preston 456 Wheeler County 457 Wilcox County 457 General features 457 Topography 457 Geology 457 Water resources - 458 Distribution and character 458 Local supplies 458 Abbeville 458 Rochelle 459 Pineview 460 Pitts . 460 Poor Robin Spring 460 Wilkinson County 461 General features 461 Topography 461 Geology 462 Water resources 462 Distribution and character 462 Local supplies 463 Irwinton 463 Toomsboro 463 Gordon 464 22 CONTENTS. County descriptions — Continued. Page. Worth County 464 General features 464 Topography 464 Geology 465 Water resources 466 Distribution and character 466 Local supplies : 466 Sylvester 466 Poulan 466 Warwick 467 Doles 467 Oakfield 467 Chemical character of waters of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, by R. B. Dole 470 Standards for classification 470 Mineral constituents of water 470 Uses of water 471 Water for boiler use 471 Formation of scale 471 Corrosion 472 Foaming 473 Remedies for boiler troubles 473 Boiler compounds 474 Numerical standards 475 Water for miscellaneous industrial uses 478 General requisites 478 Effects of dissolved and suspended materials 479 Free acids 479 Suspended matter 480 Color 480 Iron 480 Calcium and magnesium 481 Carbonates 482 Sulphates 482 Chlorides 482 Organic matter 483 Hydrogen sulphide 483 Miscellaneous substances 483 Water for domestic use 483 Physical qualities 483 Bacteriologic qualities 484 Chemical qualities 485 Mineral matter and potability 486 Water for medicinal use 487 Purification of water 489 General requirements 489 Methods of purification 490 Slow sand filtration 491 Rapid sand filtration ." 493 Cold-water softening 494 Feed-water heating 495 Chemical composition of surface waters 497 Chemical composition of the ground waters 505 Analytical results 505 ILLUSTRATIONS. 23 Chemical character of waters of the Coastal Plain of Georgia — Continued. Chemical composition of the ground waters — Continued. Page. Relation of quality to water-bearing stratum 507 Principal water-bearing strata 507 Lower Cretaceous series 508 Upper Cretaceous series 510 Eocene series 514 Midway formation 514 Claiborne group 515 Jackson formation 517 Miscellaneous strata 518 Oligocene series 520 Vicksburg formation 520 Chattahoochee formation 523 Alum Bluff formation 524 Miscellaneous strata 525 Undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive 526 Summary 528 Quality in relation to geographic position 530 Relation of quality to depth 530 Economic value of the waters 531 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Plate I. A, "Sand stream" 1 mile north of Tazewell, Marion County; B, Sink in limestone of the Chattahoochee formation near Recovery, Decatur County 34 II. A, Satilla terrace plain immediately west of New Savannah Bluff, Savannah River, Richmond County; B, Satilla terrace plain bordering St. Marys River (Florida side), opposite Traders Hill, Charlton County 35 III. Geologic map of the Coastal Plain of Georgia 52 IV. A-A, Section from Columbus, Ga., to the Florida State line south of Thomasville, Ga. ; B-B, Section from a locality near Macon, Ga. , to the mouth of St. Marys River 52 V. A, Thomas Bluff, Chattahoochee River, showing Lower Cretaceous strata; B, Cut on Columbus-Macon road, showing indurated layer of Lower Cretaceous arkose 60 VI. A, Bank of Chattahoochee River at Broken Arrow Bend, showing concretions in the Eutaw formation; B, Bluff below Banks Landing, Chattahoochee River, showing sands and clays in Tombigbee sand member of the Eutaw formation 62 VII. A, Slick Bluff, Chattahoochee River, showing clay of the Eutaw formation; B, Cut on Columbus-Lumpkin road, showing unconsolidated sand of the Eutaw formation 63 VIII. A, Narrows of Pataula Creek, showing calcareous marine sand of the Ripley formation containing indurated layers; B, Waterfall at upper end of narrows of Pataula Creek 64 24 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Plate IX. A, Cut on Seaboard Air Line Railway at Manta station, showing Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation; B, Gully 10£ miles northeast of Georgetown, showing Providence sand member of the Ripley formation 65 X. A, McBean formation (of the Claiborne group) on an island at the mouth of Omusee Creek; B, Ostrea georgiana from the McBean formation at Shell Bluff, Savannah River 74 XI. A, Cut on Macon. Dublin & Savannah Railroad at Pikes Peak sta- tion, showing the Congaree clay member of the McBean formation; B, Flint and limestone of the Vicksburg forma- tion just above De Witt Ferry, Flint River 78 XII. A, Limestone of Chattahoochee formation on Withlacoochee River at New Bridge (or Horn Bridge); B, Alum Bluff formation, Altamaha River 86 XIII. Alum Bluff formation, Marks Head marl, and Duplin marl, Porters Landing, Savannah River 90 XIV. A, Quartzite of the Alum Bluff formation; B, Lower Sisters Bluff, Altamaha River, showing sands and clays of the Alum Bluff formation 91 XV. A, Greenish-gray argillaceous feldspathic sandstone of the Alum Bluff formation; B, Weathered phase of late Oligocene beds west of Cairo, showing characteristic mottling 94 XVI. A, Charlton formation, St. Marys River (Florida side); B, Beards Bluff, Altamaha River, showing prominent clay layer in the Satilla formation 100 XVII. A, Pleistocene terrace gravel (Okefenokee formation) in Columbus- Lumpkin road; B, Sand used in the manufacture of glass (probably Okefenokee formation) 106 XVIII. Map of the underground water resources of the Coastal Plain of Georgia 122 XIX. A, Wade Spring, 7 miles east of Quitman; B, Rice and lumber mill at Tarboro 152 XX. A, Stream flowing from Blue Spring, 4 miles south of Albany; B, Public fountain at Americus 240 XXI. A, Public flowing well at Oglethorpe; B, Flowing well owned by E. J. Wilson, Montezuma 330 Figure 1. Sketch map showing physiographic divisions of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. 29 2. Sketch map of the Coastal Plain of Georgia showing the relation of the drainage to the geologic structure 58 3 . Section illustrating the more important conditions governing artesian pressure in the Coastal Plain of Georgia 122 4. Sketch map showing distribution of test wells near Columbus 353 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. By L. W. Stephenson and J. O. Veatch. INTRODUCTION. This report embodies the results of studies of the geology and underground-water resources of the Coastal Plain of Georgia made in accordance with an agreement entered into in 1908 between the Geological Survey of Georgia and the United States Geological Survey. The object of the investigations was to determine so far as possible with the appropriations available the composition, structure, and stratigraphic relations of the deposits of the Coastal Plain and the geologic position, quality, quantity, and economic adaptability of the waters they contain. S. W. McCallie, State geologist, assigned J. O. Veatch, assistant State geologist, to conduct the investigations on the part of the State Survey, and T. Wayland Vaughan, of the United States Geological Survey, assigned L. W. Stephenson to carry on the work for the Federal Survey. It was also arranged that B,. B. Dole, chemist, United States Geological Survey, should discuss the chemistry of the under- ground waters with especial reference to their economic value. According to the agreement with the State Survey the results of the investigations were to be published in two volumes, one treating of the geology of the area, to be issued by the State Survey, and the other treating of the underground- water resources, to be issued by the Federal Survey. The former was published in 1912 as Bulletin 26 of the Geological Survey of Georgia. It was originally intended that Mr. Veatch should be the senior author of the present report, but owing to his resignation from the State Survey before the manuscript was completed the larger part of the work was done by Mr. Stephen- son, who therefore becomes the senior author. The data upon which the present volume is based were collected in part during the progress of the field studies, in part by correspondence with postmasters, municipal authorities, well and spring owners, and well drillers, and in part by laboratory studies which consisted chiefly in making analyses of underground waters. Most of the analyses were performed by Edgar Everhart, State chemist of Georgia. 25 26 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. In the preparation of the report Stephenson gave his attention especially to the underground waters contained in the Cretaceous deposits, which outcrop in a relatively small area in the northern and northwestern parts of the Coastal Plain, and Veatch gave his atten- tion to the Tertiary and Quaternary deposits, which outcrop over much the greater portion of the area. The two reports were combined by Stephenson, who incorporated with them an appreciable amount of new data subsequently obtained by correspondence. The report is necessarily largely a compilation of data collected from many sources. The account of the physiography and geology of the area is mainly that given in Bulletin 26 of the State Survey, slightly modified by later information. The account of the water resources includes, in addition to the data obtained during the progress of the investigations, all the more important available published information, particularly that contained in bulletins of the State Survey and chiefly in Bulletin 15, published in 1908, of which S. W. McCallie is the author. The authors express their thanks to T. W. Vaughan, of the United States Geological Survey, and S. W. McCallie, of the State Survey. The correlation. of the fossiliferous marine Tertiary and Quaternary formations and the interpretation of their stratigraphic relations are based largely upon the paleontologic studies of Mr. Vaughan, who also has had active supervision of the field and office work. Prof. McCallie has been persistent in his endeavors to furnish data from all possible sources. It is manifestly impossible to mention here the names of all those who have contributed to the material used in the report. The authors, however, have endeavored throughout the report to indicate the source of the data presented, and in this way they have acknowl- edged many individual contributions. Besides making these indi- vidual acknowledgments, they desire to express their great apprecia- tion of the public-spirited manner in which many other persons have responded, to their requests for information. PHYSIOGRAPHY. 1 The major physiographic divisions of Georgia are the Cumberland Plateau, the Appalachian Valley, the Appalachian Mountains, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. The Cumberland Plateau is made up of flat-topped mountains or table-lands of Carboniferous strata. It is represented in Georgia by Lookout, Pigeon, and Sand or Raccoon mountains, which occupy 1 Reprinted with some modifications and revisions from the description by Mr. Veatch in Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 26, pp. 25-50, 1911. PHYSIOGEAPHY. 27 a small area in Dade and Walker counties, 1,500 to 2,300 feet above sea level. These mountains rise 700 to 1,400 feet above the valleys and are characterized by comparatively flat tops and steep, pre- cipitous sides. They owe their form to the resistant character and synclinal structure of the rocks capping them. APPALACHIAN VALLEY. The Appalachian Valley lies between the Cumberland Plateau on the west and the Appalachian Mountains on the east. Considered as a whole it is a valley, but within itself it is a region of parallel ridges and corresponding subordinate valleys. It is 40 to 50 miles wide and extends from the Tennessee line to the southern part of Polk County and across the State line into Alabama. It is limited on the east by an abrupt scarp of semicrystalline schists of the Appalachian Mountain area, the Cartersville fault line. Geologically, it lies within the Paleozoic area and is a region of intensely folded limestones, sandstones, and shales. The ridges run north and south, are generally steepsided, and owe their existence both to their struc- ture and to the resistant character of the rocks composing them. The valleys have been eroded from the softer strata. The ridges are 1,000 to 1,800 feet and the valleys 600 to 900 feet above sea level. APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. The Appalachian Mountain area comprises mainly the Blue Ridge, but includes lesser mountain groups both to the east and west. It occupies the northeast and north-central parts of the State, including practically all of Rabun, Towns, Union, and Fannin counties, and parts of Habersham, White, Lumpkin, Dawson, Pickens, Gilmer, and Murray counties. The Blue Ridge enters the State in Rabun and Towns counties and loses its distinctively mountainous character in Pickens County. The region is vastly more complex geologically than either the Appalachian Valley or the Cumberland Plateau, being composed of igneous rocks and highly metamorphosed sediments that have been subjected to great orogenic movements, intense folding and faulting, and erosion since early geologic time. The topography is more rugged and more varied and shows greater irregularity in drainage and less dependence upon the strike of the rock. The highest elevation above sea level is about 5,000 feet, and a large number of the "balds" or knobs rise above 4,000 feet. PIEDMONT PLATEAU. The Piedmont Plateau lies between the Appalachian Mountains and the Coastal Plain. The general surface of the plateau inclines slightly seaward from elevations of 1,600 to 1,800 feet above sea level in the north to a slow as 400 feet in places in the south. The 28 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. plateau surface, according to an oral statement of Mr. Arthur Keith, is divisible into at least two plains. The higher plain lies immediately south of the Appalachian Mountains in portions of Stephens, Haber- sham, Banks, Hall, White, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Lumpkin, Dawson, Cherokee, Pickens, Bartow, Gordon, and Gilmer counties, at eleva- tions of 1,200 to 1,800 feet above sea level. The lower plain includes the remainder of the plateau southward to the border of the Coastal Plain and is separated from the higher plain by an escarpment 100 to 200 feet high, which in most places is well defined. The plateau, like the Appalachian Mountain area, is a region of great rock com- plexity, but the beds, though subjected to intense folding and faulting, have been planated by erosion, and with the exception of a few con- spicuous monadnocks the land presents an even sky line. The streams, which commonly conform to the slope of the plain, have deeply trenched their courses, so that, although the general upland is at an approximately concordant level, the surface in detail is broken or hilly, in places approaching mountain ruggedness. COASTAL PLAIN. GENERAL FEATURES. The Coastal Plain of Georgia includes practically all the State lying south of a line passing through Augusta, Macon, and Columbus, an area of approximately 35,000 square miles. It forms a part of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain of the eastern United States. Physiographically, the region is a low plain having a gentle south- ward slope. In comparison with the other physiographic divisions of the State this plain has been subjected to erosion for only a short time, and its topography over the greater part of the area may be described as youthful. On the whole the Coastal Plain is level, although it comprises some hilly and broken areas in the northern part near the fall line, where in places it is dissected and appears somewhat more mature. None of the hills, however, rise above a general level, and their tops present an even sky line. The rocks are mainly unconsolidated sands, clays, and marls of simple structure, and the region consequently lacks the pronounced topography due to resistant varieties of rock and the folding of beds that characterize the Appalachian Valley and Appalachian Mountains. The plain reaches a maximum elevation above sea level of 650 to 700 feet between Macon and Columbus, and of 500 to 600 feet between Macon and Augusta, and thence slopes gradually 3 to 4 feet per mile to sea level. About one-half of the plain is less than 300 feet, and a large area near the Atlantic coast, about one-seventh of the total, is less than 100 feet above sea level. Here the streams have not cut as deep courses as in the older divisions; tributary streams are fewer PHYSIOGRAPHY. 29 and large, flat, undrained or poorly drained areas abound, particu- larly in the southeastern part. PHYSIOGRAPHIC SUBDIVISIONS. Although the Coastal Plain may be described, in comparison with the Appalachian Valley, Appalachian Mountains, and Piedmont Plateau, as a plain, it is not entirely featureless, and within itself it presents topographic contrasts. It may be divided into six physio- graphic divisions^ — the fall-line hills, Dougherty plain, Altamaha up- land, southern lime-sink region, Okefenokee plain, and Satilla coastal lowland. (See fig. 1.) 100 Miles Figure 1.— Sketch map showing physiographic divisions of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. FALL-LINE HILLS. The fall-line hills, as is indicated by their name, occupy the upper portion of the Coastal Plain, their northern boundary being that of the sediments of the Coastal Plain or approximately the fall line, south of which the division forms a belt 40 to 50 miles wide across the State. This belt, however, is not sharply defined, for on the north it merges into the Piedmont Plateau and on the south into the level and less broken land of the Dougherty plain and the Altamaha upland. In the fall-line hills, more than in any other division, the 30 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. topographic features are due to surface erosion. Stream erosion is more active on account of the greater altitude and has been in progress for a greater period of time. The region is characterized by flat- topped hills or ridges and deep gullies or "washes." The larger streams have cut courses 200 to 350 feet below the level of the upland plain, and the northern portion of the belt is as broken as the adjacent Piedmont Plateau. The region is underlain mainly by sands and clays of Cretaceous and Eocene age and their softness has favored rapid erosion. In elevation above sea level the higher land west of Ocmulgee River varies from approximately 350 to 700 feet; that east of the Ocmulgee from 300 to 600 feet. The elevations of low water at Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, and Augusta are, respectively, 190, 279, 241, and 98 feet. Two types of hills are commonly recognized, the sand hills and the red hills. The sand hills are best developed in the more northerly part of the belt and are conspicuous in Richmond, Crawford, Taylor, Talbot, Marion, and other counties, and are really no more than flat ridges which have a notable covering of gray or brownish sand. This sand is almost pure quartz, incoherent or loose, and varies in thickness from 3 to 30 feet, though its average thickness is perhaps not more than 5 to 6 feet. This sand is probably residual from the underlying Cretaceous and Eocene formations. The soil is poorly productive, and the tree growth is mainly stunted oak and scattered long-leaf pine. The more southerly part of the fall-line belt consists mainly of red hills, in which the gray sand is less widely distributed. The soil of the hills is a bright-red sand or red sandy loam, which is residual from the underlying geologic formations, chiefly the Eocene. The red hills are conspicuous in Wilkinson, Twiggs, Houston, Macon, Sumter, Terrell, Randolph, and Stewart counties. The deep gullies, also known as "washes" and "caves," which appear in places in this region, are worthy of note. The softness of the strata, together with the high altitudes of the plain above the rivers, the removal of the timber, and the cultivation of the land, have especially favored rapid erosion, and some of the deepest gullies, 100 to 175 feet, are known to have formed since the settlement of the country. The largest and most picturesque are located west and north of Lumpkin, Stewart County. The gullies at Providence, 8 miles west of Lumpkin, are 100 to 175 feet in depth and from 200 yards to one-fourth mile in length. Their greatest width is at the head, where a number of smaller gullies unite, so that in plan they are roughly bottle shaped or pear shaped. In transverse profile they are V-shaped, and in longitudinal profile roughly L-shaped, the horizontal leg being, of course, much longer than the vertical — that is, the PHYSIOGEAPHY. 31 head of the gully is precipitous, and the gradient of the floor is so low- that the load of sand which is washed down is not carried far away but is spread out in deltas and sand streams. (See PI. I, A.) The strata in which the gullies are formed are unconsolidated sands con- taining soft clay layers and hence are easily eroded. The recession of the gullies has been very rapid, the deepest being known to have worked back 300 feet in about 30 years and to have washed out 10 or 15 acres. Single caves or slumps 5 to 10 feet wide have taken place after very heavy rainstorms. These gullies are the most pic- turesque features of the Coastal Plain, presenting curious erosion forms, pinnacles, "islands" or blocks, and sharp serrated ridges, cut off from the adjacent upland, the whole rendered the more striking by the vivid color contrast of the bright-red and white sands with the dark- green pine tops. Similar deep washes or gullies appear in Quitman, Webster, Marion, Crawford, Houston, Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Wash- ington counties. The deep washes on the south side of Rich Hill, Crawford County, are, next to the Providence gullies, perhaps the most picturesque. The famous gullies 4 miles west of Milledgeville are properly within this area, although they are cut entirely in residual clay derived from granite, only a few remnants of sediments of the Coastal Plain appearing at this locality. These gullies, which are about 50 feet deep, were visited by Lyell in 1842 and were described by him in his Travels in North America. DOUGHERTY PLAIN. The Dougherty plain occupies a large area in the western part of the Coastal Plain, extending from the Chattahoochee to a few miles east of Flint River and including the greater part or all of the counties of Decatur, Miller, Mitchell, Early, Baker, Calhoun, Dougherty, Ran- dolph, Terrell, Lee, and Sumter. A small strip extends eastward from the Flint to the Oconee, including parts of Dooly, Houston, Pulaski, and Laurens counties. The plain is characterized by very level tracts, containing few elevations that can properly be termed hills. Small streams and branches are comparatively few, and surface erosion is consequently slight, the drainage being in large measure subterranean. The surface is further characterized by numerous lime sinks, which form shallow depressions in otherwise level tracts. The Dougherty plain includes most of the area underlain by the limestones of the Vicksburg formation. It is rather sharply differen- tiated from the Altamaha upland on the east and south but merges into the fall-line hills on the north. The elevation above sea level of the Dougherty plain varies from approximately 125 feet in Decatur County to 450 feet in the southern part of Houston County, much the greater portion being less than 300 feet. 32 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The sinks vary in size from small shallow depressions not more than 100 to 200 feet in diameter to hollows occupying several hundred acres and to chains of sinks several miles in length. The sinks usually contain shallow ponds or lakes, and the smaller ones generally support a thick growth of cypress and other trees. The amount of water in the ponds and lakes varies with the seasons, and during droughts the smaller ones become dry. A recent desiccation of the sinks is partly attributed to the removal of timber, which permits increased evapo- ration and oxidation of organic matter. Sinks are also known to have been suddenly drained through subterranean passages. The scarcity of small tributary creeks and branches is due not so much to the newness of the land surface as to the fact that much of the drainage is through subterranean streams. Most of the large creeks flow sluggishly through wide swampy valleys, and few of them have any considerable bluffs along their courses. Chattahoochee, Flint, and Ocmulgee rivers have cut deep terraced valleys 75 to 200 feet below the plain but have comparatively few tributary streams. The main topographic features of the Dougherty plain have resulted from the relatively rapid removal in solution of the calcareous materials that form so large a part of the Vicksburg and the overlying Chat- tahoochee formation. ALTAMAHA UPLAND. The Altamaha upland constitutes the largest physiographic division of the Coastal Plain. Its northern boundary runs irregularly between Waynesboro, Tennille, Dublin, Cochran, and Vienna, and its western edge lies parallel to and a few miles east of Flint River for as far south as Decatur County. On the southeast, in Effingham, Liberty, Wayne, Pierce, Ware, and Clinch counties, it merges into the sandy pine flats of the Okefenokee plain. The division embraces most, of the region popularly known as the wire-grass country and is underlain by the Alum Bluff formation and by the weathered residual products of that formation or by younger material of similar lithology. The geology, topography, and flora of this region are of peculiar scientific interest and have been the subject of numerous papers and articles. 1 The region can be called an upland only in comparison with the low coastal plain on the southeast and the adjacent Dougherty plain on the west; on the whole it is lower than the fall-line hills to the north. It varies in elevation above sea level from about 470 feet in the north and west to about 125 feet in the southeast, there being a gradual slope to the southeast. An ascent or escarpment prominent enough to be 1 Loughridge, R. H., Cotton production of the State of Georgia: Tenth Census, vol. 6, Georgia, pp. 15 and 49, 1884. Dall, W. H., U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 84, p. 81, 1891. Harper, B. M., Phytogeographical sketch of the Altamaha grit region of Georgia: Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci., vol. 17, pt. 1, 1906. McCallie, S. W., Underground waters of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 31-32, 1908. Veatch, Otto, Altamaha formation of the Coastal Plain of Georgia: Science, vol. 27, pp. 71-74, 1908. PHYSIOGRAPHY. 33 distinguished by the observant traveler without the aid of topographic maps separates the upland from the Dougherty plain on the west. Tli* rise from Camilla to Pelham, Mitchell County, over the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad is 185 feet in 8 miles, and the rise from Bainbridge east to Climax is 1 75 feet. Arabi, in Crisp County, Sylvester, in Worth County, Pelham, hi Mitchell County, and Climax, in Decatur Countj^, may be considered as marking approximately the crest of the escarp- ment, from which the elevation gradually decreases to the southeast. Characteristic of the topography are low rolling-hills with smooth or softened outlines, which, except along the large rivers, do not rise more than 40 or 50 feet above the valleys. None of the features suggest ruggedness, yet at the same time the region is not monotonously level or flat. The soil is generally sandy and the country in places is thickly mantled with loose gray sand. The area was originally covered with a wonderful forest of long-leaf pine. A characteristic growth is the long, round-bladed, stiff wire grass, Aristida stricta, which grows in tufts 6 to 8 inches high. Streams are much more numerous than on the Dougherty plain and the coastal flats. Altamaha, Ocmulgee, and Oconee rivers have cut valleys 100 to 150 feet deep, bordered in a few places by precipitous bluffs, but except for these the valleys are shallow. Those of the small streams have low breastlike slopes and may be described as dish shaped. The creeks flow through broad swampy bottoms, are generally sluggish, and are characterized by clear water, free from sediment, in contrast to the muddy waters of the Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Altamaha. Many of the creeks and branches have their sources in flat, moist, densely wooded areas locally known as bays. The name "bay" is generally applied to upland, flat, swampy tracts due to imperfect drainage and dense vegetation which conserves the rainfall. These areas are really swamps but are not alluvial in character. duffs Bay, about 7 miles west of Waycross, is an example. The name is also applied to arms of creek and river swamps which form entrants into the dry land and which are characterized by a dense growth of bay trees. The bays contain water, but have no well-defined stream channels or runs, the water being furnished directly by rainfall and by seepage from the surrounding higher land. In the southeastern part of the Altamaha upland the land is more level and finally merges into the moist pine flats of the Okefenokee plain. Throughout this part small cypress ponds are numerous, the valleys of the small streams are more swampy, and the streams them- selves have banks not more than a foot or two high. The ponds appear to be the result of irregularities left in the land surface after the last retreat of the sea. 38418°— wsp 341—15 3 34 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Along the northern and western edges of the Altamaha upland in Screven, Wilcox, Crisp, Turner, Worth, and Decatur counties, sinks, due to the underground solution of limestone, most probably that of the Chattahoochee formation, were noted. Among the most interesting features of the Altamaha upland are the sand hills which border many of the creeks and rivers. These hills slope toward the streams, but many of them are only very slightly or not at all higher than the upland back from the stream. They are made up of gray, yellow, or light-brown, unconsolidated, structureless quartz sand, which in places reaches a thickness of 30 feet. Some of the sand belts are 2 or 3 miles wide. They run parallel to the streams, generally on the east or left side. These sand hills seem to stand at higher elevations than the loose sand on the first and second Pleistocene terraces of the large rivers. The most prominent are those on the east side of Ohoopee River, in Tattnall County, near Reidsville; along the east side of Canoochee River; on Little Ocmulgee River near Helena; along Satilla River from Way- cross westward; and on the east and north sides of Pendleton Creek, in Emanuel and Toombs counties. At the foot of some of these hills are densely wooded, moist sand beds known as hammocks and in places shallow depressions, so-called sand-hill ponds, which contain water during rainy periods. The origin of these sands is not yet well understood. They may have been formed during the Pleistocene epoch and may be of fluviatile origin, but they have since been in part shifted by wind. In comparison with the Dougherty plain, the Altamaha upland has a rolling topography, more numerous streams, and fewer lime sinks. It is not so entirely featureless as the swampy tracts along the coast and is better drained. In contrast to the fall-line hills it lacks ruggedness, its valleys are shallower, and its flora is notably different. 1 SOUTHERN LIME-SINK REGION. The southern lime-sink region occupies a small area in the southern part of the State, embracing the southeastern part of Decatur County, the southern halves of Grady, Thomas, Brooks, and Lowndes coun- ties, and adjacent areas in Florida. The topography is hilly and is characterized by lime sinks, lakes, and ponds. The surface varies from 150 to 275 feet above sea level, and the hills rise 50 to 75 feet and in a few places 100 feet above the valleys. The topography is more rugged than that of the adjacent Altamaha upland and the Dougherty plain, this difference and other charac- teristics of the division being due mainly to the differences in the underlying geologic formations. The lime sinks are due to the under- 1 Ecological studies in this region have been made by Dr. R. M. Harper. See Annals New York Acad. Sci., vol. 17, pt. 1,1906. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE I A. "SAND STREAM" 1 MILE NORTH OF TAZEWELL, MARION COUNTY. The sand has been transported by torrents from gullies in the Cusseta sand member. ■Pri-*-' % B. SINK IN LIMESTONE OF THE CHATTAHOOCHEE FORMATION NEAR RECOVERY, DECATUR COUNTY. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE II A. SATILLA TERRACE PLAIN IMMEDIATELY WEST OF NEW SAVANNAH BLUFF, RICHMOND COUNTY. An escarpment bounding the plain on the west appears in the distance. .LA TERRACE PLAIN BORDERING ST. MARYS RIVER (FLORIDA SIDE), OPPOSITE TRADERS HILL, CHARLTON COUNTY. The escarpment separates the terrace from the Okefenokee terrace plain. PHYSIOGRAPHY. 3 5 ground solution of an upper Oligocene limestone, the Chattahoochee formation, which except in small areas is not the surface formation but which is overlain by 50 to 100 feet of sand and clay, whose soft and easily eroded character probably accounts for its greater rugged- ness as compared with the western lime-sink region (Dougherty plain). The lakes and ponds occupy depressions caused by the col- lapse of underground solution caverns in limestones. (See PL I, B.) Some of the lakes cover areas of several hundred acres and are free from timber growth, but the smaller and shallower ponds support a thick growth of cypress. Ocean Pond, in the southern part of Lowndes County, is one of the largest, having an area of about 6 square miles. The water in these sinks varies with the seasons but has been known suddenly to disappear or to rise, owing probably to the opening or closing of underground passages. The drainage, as in the Dougherty plain, is to some extent subter- ranean and small streams are not numerous. The rivers of the region, the Ochlockonee, the Withlacoochee, and other smaller streams, flow canal-like through broad sand-covered terrace plains. The water of the streams is not muddy but is dark on account of dis- solved and suspended organic matter; that of the lakes is clear. The soil is in many places red sandy clay. Superficial gray sand such as characterizes the Altamaha upland is not so widely dis- tributed. The tree growth differs somewhat from that of the wire- grass region to the north, some oak and hickory being associated with the long-leaf pine. OKEFENOKEE PLAIN. The Okefenokee plain forms a north-south belt 20 to 40 miles wide in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain, including parts of Effingham, Bryan, Liberty, Wayne, Pierce, Camden, Ware, Charlton, Clinch, and Echols counties. On the west it is bounded approxi- mately by a line extending from the northeast corner of Effingham County southwestward nearly to Groveland, Bryan County, thence to a point a few miles south of Glenville, thence nearly to Jesup and Waycross, and thence along the western boundary of the Okefenokee Swamp. The escarpment separating the plain from the Altamaha upland is poorly defined, and in places the two seem to merge. On the east the plain is separated from a lower coastal terrace by an abrupt descent or escarpment. (See p. 36.) The Okefenokee plain is essentially a featureless sandy flat, in which there are few streams and many cypress and gum ponds and swamps, whose areas range from a few acres or a few square miles to the immense expanse of the Okefenokee Swamp. (See pp. 39-42.) It thus presents a contrast to the rolling topography and dendritic drainage of the Altamaha upland. The Okefenokee plain varies in 36 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. elevation above sea level from about 60 to perhaps 125 feet, sloping eastward about 2 feet to the mile. The drainage is poor, at least 25 per cent of the area being swampy, and the few creeks and branches flow through broad swampy flats only slightly lower than the general level. At only a few places are the bluffs as high as 30 or 40 feet. The flatness of the plain and its swampy condition are due to the newness of the land surface, the retreat of the sea having taken place in comparatively recent geologic time, to the low altitude, and to the fact that the surface formation is a thick, loose, porous sand which absorbs the rainfall and hence lessens surface erosion. The streams are sluggish, and their waters, except those of the Altamaha and Savannah, are black or coffee-colored from organic matter. The region is characterized by moist long-leaf pine and saw-palmetto flats, cypress ponds, gallberry flats, and swamps supporting thick growths of gum and bay. SATILLA COASTAL LOWLAND. The Satilla coastal lowland or Satilla plain is a low marine terrace 20 to 35 miles wide that borders the Atlantic Ocean and includes part or all of the counties of Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, Mcintosh, Glynn, and Camden. (See fig. 1, p. 29.) The western edge of the plain is marked by a rise of 20 to 40 feet, probably a Pleistocene shore line, which is prominent' at Walthourville, Mount Pleasant, and Waynesville, and a short distance east of Folkston. The greater part of the plain is 15 to 25 feet above sea level, but in a few places it reaches an elevation of about 40 feet. It has a slight eastward slope, somewhat difficult to estimate but generally less than a foot to the mile. Although the plain is low, flat, and poorly drained, it presents several different topographic aspects. It differs from the Okefenokee plain chiefly in its lower altitude, in its greater area of swamp and inundated land, and in its topographic forms, which are incident to low coast land. The western part of the belt is on the whole a sandy flat plain con- taining an open growth of long-leaf pine. In the spring and summer grass and flowers are luxuriant in the open meadows or " savannas." 1 The surface is dotted with small cypress ponds and contains large swamp areas, in this respect resembling the higher Okefenokee plain. Near the coast the plain presents a different aspect. Owing to recent submergence the coast line is irregular, and a network of sea islands, tidal rivers, sounds, estuaries, and marshes has been formed. The land terminates as beach on the sea islands, as sand bluffs not more than 10 or 15 feet above low tide, and as marshes at the mouths of the rivers. The islands are sand covered, and some 1 An excellent description is given by R. H. Loughridge, Cotton production of the State of Georgia: Tenth Census, vol. 6, Georgia, p. 51, 1884. PHYSIOGRAPHY. 37 of them exhibit sand dunes, which, however, nowhere reach great magnitude. Their total area is perhaps 500 to 600 square miles. The largest are Cumberland, Jekyl, St. Simon, Sapelo, St. Catherine, Skidaway, and Tybee. They are of considerable historical interest and some of them are noted as resorts. The tree growth of the coast land is characterized by the cabbage palmetto and live oaks, which are more abundant than farther west. There are two classes of swamp land, upland and tidal. Swamps of the upland class, of which Buffalo Swamp, in the western part of Glynn County, is representative, probably occupy the sites of former shallow sounds or coastal lagoons and marshes which have become land through uplift and the retreat of the sea and which have not been inundated as a result of the later subsidence indicated by drowned-river courses. Other upland swamps are apparently once more becoming lagoons, for the subsidence seems' to be still going on and the sea to be slowly encroaching on the land. The best proof of this is the presence of tree stumps and even dead standing trees in brackish-water marshes. The second class, the tidal swamps, occur in considerable areas along Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla, and St. Marys rivers. They differ from salt marshes chiefly in that at high tide they are partly covered by the backing up of the fresh river water instead of directly by the sea. They extend up the rivers 10 to 20 miles beyond the salt marshes, and rice growing is still carried on in these swamps, but to a much less extent than formerly. The salt marshes reach their greatest extent at the mouths of the rivers, but probably do not aggregate more than 150 or 200 square miles. 1 They are probably due in the main to submergence of the coast, although the silting up of shallow water-covered areas by sediment carried down by streams has also doubtless been a factor. The Satilla plain is poorly drained, owing to the newness of the land surface and its low altitude. The few streams are sluggish, and with the exception of Savannah and Altamaha rivers, whose waters are yellow from suspended sediment, are so-called clear-water streams, whose waters are, however, dark or even black from organic matter. Most of the streams flow eastward or southeastward, their courses having been determined by the general slope of the plain. Satilla and St. Marys rivers, however, in parts of their courses flow parallel to the coast — that is, at right angles to the terrace slope. Slight submergence has drowned the streams, converting the mouths of the large rivers into estuaries navigable for sea-going vessels for 10 to 20 miles, and changing small streams, mere branches or creeks,, so far as their lengths are concerned, into estuaries and 1 No survey of the marshland of the State has yet been made, hence accurate figures can not be given. 38 LXDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. so-called rivers. Among the latter are Crooked, Turtle, and Sapelo rivers. A network of serpentine waterways on the sea islands are termed creeks and, perhaps inappropriately, rivers. MINOR FEATURES. TERRACES. The terraces constitute an interesting physiographic feature of the Coastal Plain. They are intimately connected with the Pleistocene geology of the region, and their nature, origin, and detailed extent are problems which demand further study with the aid of detailed topographic maps. Two broad terrace plains, the Okefenokee and the Satilla (see pp. 35, 36), parallel the coast and are easily recognized. Not improbably a third higher terrace plain exists, but sufficient proof of its existence has not been obtained to warrant positive statements. Fluviatile terraces, believed to be equivalent in age to the two coastal terrace plains, border the larger rivers. They are best devel- oped in the upper part of the Coastal Plain along the Chattahoochee, Ocmulgee, and Savannah, and are conspicuous at Columbus, Macon, and Augusta. The lower or younger terrace, also known as "second bottoms," lies 15 to 50 feet above the rivers and is a smooth plain from half a mile to 4 miles in width. (See PL II, A and B.) The upper or older terrace, which lies 50 to 100 feet above the rivers, has been partly destroyed by the erosion that formed the iower terrace. The interstream uplands lie 125 to 300 feet or more above the rivers. STREAMS. The drainage of the Coastal Plain discharges into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The main drainage basins are those of Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla and St. Marys, Suwannee, Ochlockonee, and Apalachicola rivers, the last named being drained, in the State, by Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. The first four basins, which drain into the Atlantic, cover much the larger portion of the Coastal Plain of Georgia; the last three drain into the Gulf of Mexico. On the basis of origin the rivers of the Coastal Plain fall into two classes, those originating in the Piedmont Plateau and Appalachian Mountains and thence traversing the Coastal Plain, and those indige- nous to or having their source within the Coastal Plain. To the first class belong the Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Altamaha, Savannah, and Ogeechee. To the second class, whose streams are smaller and more numerous, belong the Little Ocmulgee, Ohoopee, Canoochee, Satilla, St. Marys, Suwannee, Alapaha, With- lacoochee, and Ochlockonee. Throughout the greater part of its PHYSIOGEAPHY. 39 course Ogeechee River has much the aspect of a stream of the second class. (See fig. 2, p. 58.) The rivers of the first class have greater drainage areas, carry a greater volume of water, have greater lengths, and have cut deeper and wider valleys. Their waters, except those of the Ogeechee, are always more or less muddy, whereas the waters of the streams of the second class are clear; and this fact furnishes a popular distinction — "clear-water" 1 and "muddy-water" streams. The Ocmulgee, Oco- nee, Altamaha, and Savannah are bordered by lowlands or swamps reaching maximum widths of 5 or 6 miles, in which a large part of the sediment is clay, whereas the smaller Coastal Plain rivers of the second class have sandy banks and are bordered by low terraces composed almost entirely of sand. The explanation is that streams of the first class have brought down a large amount of sediment derived from the red-clay hills of the Piedmont Plateau, whereas those of the second class flow wholly through areas where the geo- logic formations are predominantly sand and where erosion is less active, many of the smaller streams not having cut through even the superficial sands. The rivers crossing the Coastal Plain probably assumed their present courses on a comparatively level plain as the sea retreated from the land. As geologic time proceeded each successive uplift of the land caused the river courses to extend farther southeastward to the new coast line. The age of the Ocmulgee at the fall line, for instance, is much greater than that of the Altamaha, which receives its waters and which, in the lower 20 or 30 miles of its course, flows across the later Pleistocene plain. The directions of the streams, which, with certain exceptions, flow south, southeast, and east, are due to the initial slope of the new land surfaces across which they flowed. LAKES AND PONDS. The lakes and ponds of the Coastal Plain are of three types — those due to lime sinks, those caused by original shallow depressions in the land surfaces after the retreat of the sea, and those formed on river flood plains. Lime-sink lakes and ponds are confined mainly to the western and southwestern parts of the Coastal Plain — the Dougherty plain and the southern lime-sink region; some, however, are found in Screven County, in the southern parts of Burke, Jefferson, and Washington counties, and along the western edge of the Altamaha upland. The depressions which lakes and ponds of this type occupy result from 1 Though the indigenous streams of the Coastal Plain are termed "clear,," the water is clear only in that it is comparatively free from suspended silt and clay. It does not possess the transparency of clear mountain streams but is pale brownish or even black from organic matter held in solution and suspension. The water of Suwannee and St. Marys rivers, near their source, the Okefenokee Swamp, is almost inky. 40 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIX OF GEORGIA. the collapse of underground solution caverns in limestone; the process is still in operation and some of the sinks have formed since the settlement of these areas. These bodies of water vary in size from ponds 100 feet across to lakes 6 square miles in. area. The shallow ponds often become dry and the water level in the larger and deeper ones varies considerably with the seasons. Some attain considerable depth and are connected by open passages with under, ground channels; for instance, a sink 90 feet deep, known as Forest Falls or the Limesink, 8 miles north of Whigham, Grady County, receives a small stream, which disappears through an opening in the bottom. Of the larger lakes the most notable are Ocean Pond and Long Pond in Lowndes County; Original Pond, 3 miles west of Met- calf ; and Rock Pond, near Camilla, Mitchell County. The ponds, many of them small and shallow, which occupy original depressions in level sandy plains, depend for their existence on seepage from the surrounding sands, and most of them become dry in times of severe drought. They are numerous in the south- eastern part of the Altamaha upland, are typically developed on the Okefenokee plain, and are present on the Satilla marine-terrace plain 20 to 40 feet above sea level. Most of them support a growth of cypress and gum. Some rather large untimbered expanses of water in the Okefenokee Swamp, termed "lakes," also belong to this type. Bodies of water which occupy abandoned channels in the flood plains of streams are of the type of the numerous lakes that occur along the lower course of the Mississippi. Most^of them are long and curved, taking the form of oxbows and crescents. Many of them receive the flood waters of the streams and are therefore generally less clear than those of the lime-sink lakes and ponds. Some of them, as Hershman Lake in Screven County and Black Lake in Wilkinson County, maintain their connection with the parent stream. FRESH-WATER SWAMPS. The fresh-water swamps of the Coastal Plain may be included in two main classes, upland plain and fluviatile. Upland-plain swamps. — The upland-plain swamps lie on the Okefenokee and Satilla plains and owe their existence to the flatness and consequent imperfect drainage of the land surface. They are upland in that they lie at higher levels than the river swamps, tide swamps, and salt marshes, although some of them are not more than 20 feet above sea level. Okefenokee Swamp, the largest of this class in Georgia, is perhaps the greatest natural wonder in the State. It lies in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain, in Ware, Charlton, and Clinch counties, and extends to the Florida line. It has a length of about 40 miles, a width of 30 miles, and an area of 700 to 800 square miles. The PHYSIOGRAPHY. 41 swamp has been fully explored by hunters and lumbermen, but no very extended descriptions of it have been published. The following excellent short description is that of R. H. Loughridge, 1 who was one of a party that made a partial survey of Okefenokee Swamp in 1875: This swamp has a width of 30 and a length of 40 miles, covering an area of about 500,000 acres. It is in reality an upland swamp, having an altitude of 120 feet above tidewater on St. Mary's River, 4 miles distant. A sand ridge (part of the water divide of the State) 30 feet above the swamp extends along its eastern border to the south, becoming lower as it reaches the southern horseshoe bend of St. Marys River. The swamp is highest on the northeast, and falls irregularly to the south and southwest from 126J to 111J feet at Ellicott's mound and on the southwestern corner. The eastern part, 12 miles in width, is an open "prairie" or marsh, largely covered with water, in which are long rushes and water lilies. Under its surface is a dense body of moss from 4 to 6 feet thick, the great mass of which is decayed, forming muck and peat. It is so dense that it will readily bear up a man's weight, merely sinking a little and rising for many feet around; hence the name of Okefenokee — "trembling earth." Small islands, covered with clumps of cypress, bay, and cassino, frequently occur. The western part of the swamp is mostly covered by cypress trees and a dense growth similar to that of the small swamps outside, so tied together by bamboo briers and vines as to be impenetrable except by slow and tedious cutting away with bush knives. Small open marshes, and also a number of large islands, are found throughout this region. These islands are quite level but are slightly elevated above the swamp lands and have a sandy soil, with an open timber growth of long-leaf pine and a very low undergrowth of saw palmetto, and are similar in every respect to the mainland. Their dimensions are 3 or 4 miles by from 1 to 2, and they are bordered by a low hum- mock land, on which there is a growth of magnolia, oak, etc. Hunters find deer and bear on these islands. The soil or bottom of the swamp proper seems to be but little else than white sand. R. M. Harper 2 has recently published a description, illustrated from photographs, in which the literature, history of exploration, geography, vegetation, and other characteristics of the swamp are briefly set forth. The swamp dates from middle Pleistocene time. It lies upon a terrace plain, which is correlative with a lower terrace plain lying from 15 to 40 feet above sea level and extending to the present coast. The western edge of the lower plain is marked by an escarpment which is prominent at Waynesville, Mount Pleasant, and Walthour- ville, and probably represents the shore line of the latest Pleistocene sea. The next higher plain, the Okefenokee, parallels the lower plain, extending 20 to 40 miles westward from the escarpment. It is believed to be a wave-cut plain similar to the lower one and to have been covered by the sea during middle Pleistocene time. Its western border, or the shore of the sea covering it, is not plainly marked, although a good topographic map would probably reveal it; but it is believed to have extended approximately from Clyo, in Effingham i Cotton Production of the State of Georgia: Georgia, Tenth Census, vol. 6, p. 51, 1884. 2 Pop. Sci. Monthly, June, 1909. 42 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. County, southward to a few miles above Plinesville, thence via Jesup, Offerman, and Waycross to the northern and western borders of Okefenokee Swamp. It consists of a deposit of sand, laid down along the coast of the sea and shaped into slightly irregular deposits by wave currents and wind. The plain itself retains the slightly uneven floor left by the retreating sea, on which low ridges and heaps of sand had been piled up as bars at the mouths of bays or as beach accumulations. One such sand ridge, extending along the east side of the swamp, acted as a dam to the drainage from the west and caused the waters to spread out over a broad area which vegetation rapidly converted into the Okefenokee Swamp. Big Pond, 7 miles north of Baxley, Appling County, belongs to the upland, nonalluvial class of swamps and is probably somewhat similar in origin to Okefenokee Swamp and to the smaller cypress and gum ponds which are so numerous in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain. Although locally termed "pond," it is more properly a swamp. Its only open water is a small lake in its interior, reported to be not more than 100 yards long, the area as a whole being thickly covered with cypress, gum, pine, and an undergrowth of small trees and bushes. Big Pond lies upon a flat, sandy, pine-covered plain, about 200 feet above sea level. Its area, including a small swamp known as Second Pond, is about 8 square miles. The two "ponds" are connected by a narrow swamp known as Tiger Bay. On the east side of the swamps is a low ridge covered with superficial gray sand reaching a thickness of about 10 feet. Tenmile Creek, a small tribu- tary of Altamaha River, flows sluggishly from the southern end of Big Pond. Some swamps lying on the lower coastal terrace plain 15 to 25 feet above sea level appear to be the survivors of ancient lagoons or shallow sounds. Buffalo Swamp, in the western part of Glynn County, is an example. This swamp extends from Altamaha River south- ward to Turtle River and has a much greater length than width. It contains clay and is slightly lower than the sandy pine and palmetto land on both sides. Oyster shells in the clay bear evidence of its marine origin. Cabbage palmetto trees near Bladen and Everett are possibly survivors from the period when this area was a sound or marsh. The area is often entirely covered with water during the rainy season but becomes almost dry in times of drought. Should the present coast be elevated 20 or 30 feet the waterways and marsh between St. Simon Island and the mainland would probably become such an area as Buffalo Swamp. Fluviatile swamps. — The fluviatile swamps occur on the flood plains of the streams. Nearly all the streams of the Coastal Plain, even the small branches, are bordered by swamps, the most extensive lying along the large rivers The swamp lands lie only a few feet PHYSI0GRAP1I V. 43 above the rivers and the frequent overflows and poor drainage main- tain them in a swampy condition. Along the lower part of Savannah River the swamp reaches a width of 5 to 6 miles, the greater part being on the South Carolina side of the river. It supports a dense growth of oak, ash, cypress, gum, and pine. Other broad areas of swamp land lie along the Ogeechee, Altamaha, Oconee, Ocmulgee, and the upper part of the Flint. Chattahoochee River forms an exception to the general rule, having scarcely any land along its course in Georgia which can be termed "swamp." The small branches, creeks, and rivers flow through broad, densely wooded lowlands, the water often spreading out among the trees until it is difficult to determine just where the channel proper is located. On many roads crossing the valleys of such streams it is necessary to construct a succession of low bridges a quarter of a mile to a mile long, alternating with stretches of earth embankment. Swamps of this character are notable along Ogeechee River; Williamson Swamp creek, in Jefferson County; Commissioner Creek, in Wilkinson County; and along the headwaters of Little and Alapaha rivers, in Tift, Irwin, and Berrien counties. The area of fluviatile, or river and creek, flood-plain swamp in the Georgia Coastal Plain is perhaps 1,000 square miles 1 most of which lies 2 to 8 feet above the water level of the streams. SPRINGS. A few large springs are of physiographic and geologic interest. These springs are in limestone areas and seem to be connected with subterranean streams. Their water is clear and very transparent, though faintly bluish in color, is but little affected by rains, and prob- ably comes from considerable depths. At Blue Spring, 4 miles south of Albany, the water rises under pressure through a roughly circular opening in limestone and has an enormous flow. Discharge meas- urements by B. M. and M. R. Hall 2 varied from 26.4 second-feet to 135 second-feet, or approximately 18,000,000 to 87,000,000 gallons in 24 hours. The spring is the largest in the State. Similar springs are Blue or Wade Spring, 7 miles east of Quitman; Mclntyre Spring, on the Withlacoochee near the Florida line; Blue or Russell Spring, in Decatur County; Well, Wilkes, and Rock springs, in Laurens County; and Magnolia Spring, in Jenkins County. These are all large springs rising through limestone caverns. Small springs, both permanent and intermittent, of minor impor- tance, are numerous except along the coastal lowlands. i No complete survey of the swamp lands of Georgia has been made, and the figures are only a rough estimate based on a knowledge of the approximate widths of the swamps along the largest rivers and creeks. 2 U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 197, p. 236, 1907. 44 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. ELEVATIONS. 1 The Columbus, Talbotton, and Milleclgeville quadrangles of the United States Geological Survey cover small areas along the northern border of the Coastal Plain in Georgia. The remainder of the Coastal Plain in this State has not been mapped topographically. The ele- vations given below will therefore be of interest and of practical value to those engaged in working out geologic problems and in studying the underground waters of the State. The list has been compiled for the most part from published data, though several of the eleva- tions given are merely rough estimates based on other elevations and on knowledge of the topography, supported in a few instances by aneroid barometer readings. Some may be several feet in error. Elevations in Georgia. 2 The abbreviations used are: A. B. & A., Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad; A. C. L., Atlantic Coast Line Railroad; C. of Ga., Central of Georgia Railway; Ga. R. R., Georgia Railroad; G. S. & F., Georgia Southern & Florida Railway; L. & N., Louisville & Nashville Railroad; M. D. & S., Macon, Dublin '& Savannah Railroad; S. A. L., Seaboard Air Line Railway; IT. S. A. Eng., United States Army Engineers; TJ. S. G. S., United States Geological Survey. Abbeville Rough estimate 225 ? Abbeville (low water, railroad bridge) U.S.A. Eng 169. 33 Achord U. S . G . S 274 Acree, Dougherty County A. C. L 205 Adams Park U. S. G. S 259 Adel G. S. & F : 246 Adrian, Emanuel County Rough estimate 290 ? Albany C. of Ga 184 Albany (Flint River level) A. C. L 127 Alapaha A. C. L 293 Alexanderville A. C. L 153 Allentown M. D. & S 411 ? Ambrose, Coffee County A. B. & A -. 395 Americus C. of Ga 360 Andersonville C. of Ga 394 Arabi G. S. & F 460 Argyle A. C. L 161 Arlington Rough estimate 275 Armena S. A. L 275 ? Ashburn G. S. & F 450 Augusta (Union Station) City engineer 143 Augusta (river gage) Weather Bureau 100 Baconton A. C. L 160 Bainbridge A. C. L 110 Bainbridge (river level) Rough estimate 80 Bartow C. of Ga 237 ? Bath, Richmond County. Rough estimate 400 1 Reprinted, with a few additions, from the work of Mr. Veatch published in Geol. Survey Georgia Bull. 26, pp. 50-57, 1908. 2 Compiled chiefly from Dictionary of altitudes in the United States, by Henry Gannett, U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 274, 1908; from the list of elevations in Water powers of Georgia, Geol. Survey Georgia Bull. 3-A; from surveys by the U. S. Corps of Engineers of Ocmulgee, Oconee, Altamaha, and Savannah rivers; and from the Columbus, Talbotton, and Milledgeville topographic sheets of the U. S. Geological Survey. ELEVATIONS. 45 Baxley U. S. G. S 206 Belair : Ga. R. R 295 Berzelia Ga. R. R 488 Blackshear A. C. L. . . , 106 Bladen ...S. A. L 22 Blakely Rough estimate 275 Blakely Weather Bureau 300 Bloomingdale C. of Ga 24 Bonaire G. S. & F 354 Boston A. C. L.. 194 Bostwick (Paschal) C. of Ga 669 Boulogne, Fla A. C. L 70 Box Springs IT. S . G . S 364 Braganza A. C. L 144 Brentwood - U. S. G. S 167 Brewer (Tusculum post office) C. of Ga 134 Brookfield.. A. C. L 332 Brooklyn - S . A . L 691 Brinson A. C. L 104 Brunswick -. Southern Ry 13 Brunswick (city hall) U. S. G. S r 11 Buena Vista Rough estimate 590 Bullards U.S. G. S r ... s 259 Burroughs . A. C. L 19 Bushnell I A. B. & A 385 ? Butler : C. of Ga 650 Byromville A. B. & A 365 ? Byron C. of Ga 515 Cairo A. C. L 237 Camak Ga. R. R 578 Cameron C. of Ga 103 Camilla A. C. L 167 Carrs station U. S. G. S 500 Cecil G. S-. &F 250 Chauncey U. S. G. S . 300 Chula G. S. &F 395 Claxton S. A. L 194 ? Clifton . . . . C . of Ga 22 Climax. A. C. L 277 Clyo : S. A. L 74 Cochran U. S. G. S 342 Coldbrook, Effingham County Brinson R. R 65 Coleman C. of Ga 391 Coley Southern Ry 303 Collins , S. A. L 238 Colon G.S. &F , 137 Colquitt Rough estimate 175 Columbus (Union Station) C. of Ga 260 Columbus (river level) U. S. G. S 200 Cordele G.S. &F 336 Crescent Rough estimate 18 Culverton. . . , • Ga. R. R 549 Cusseta S. A. L 540 Cuthbert C. of Ga 446 46 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Cutler G. S. & F 78 Cuyler S. A. L 37 ? Cycloneter G. S. & F 410 Dakota G. S. & F 410 Darien Rough estimate 15 Dasher G. S. & F 185 Davis A . C. L 238 Davisboro C. of Ga 302 Dawson C. of Ga 352 Dearing Ga. R. R 464 Devereux ' U. S. G. S 577 Dewitt Butt's map 175 Dixie A. C. L 130 Dock Junction U. S. G. S 25 Doctortown A. C. L 74 Doctortown (low-water level) U. S. A. Eng 31. 72 Donaldsonville A. C. L 139 Douglas A. B. & A 388 ? Doublerun A. B. & A 363 ? Dover C. of Ga 104 Dry Branch ;M. D. & S 368 ? Dublin M. D. &S. * 231 ? Dublin (low-water level) U. S. A. Eng 160. 6 Dudley M. D. & S 325 ? Dupont A. C. L 180 East Albany A. C. L 186 Eastman U. S. G. S 357 Eden C. of Ga 34 Egypt C. of Ga 132 Eldorado G. S. & F 340 Elko G. S. & F 443 Ellabelle S. A. L 93 ? Ellaville J. W. Spencer 591 Empire, U. S. G. S 382 Enigma A. C. L 309 Esquiline U. S. G. S 300 Eufaula, Ala C. of Ga 211 ? Everett City U. S. G. S 16 Everett station, Crawford County C. of Ga 362 Everett station (Flint River railroad bridge) . C. of Ga 337 Exeter . . . A. C. L 94 Exley S. A. L 63 Faceville A. C. L 296 Fargo G. S. & F 116 Fitzgerald A. B. & A 388 ? Fitzpatrick M. D. & S 541 ? Fleming A. C. L 22 Flint A. C. L 168 Folkston A. C. L 80 Fort Gaines = C. of Ga 163 Fort Gaines (river level, low water) 100 ? 1 Elevations on the M. D. & S. R. R. are taken from the list given in Water-powers of Georgia: Geol. Survey Georgia Bull. 3-A, pp. 9S-100. Rough corrections were made according to the bench mark estab- lished on Oconee River at Dublin by U. S. Army Engineers. ELEVATIONS. 47 Fort Mudge A. C. L 134 Fort Valley. C. of Ga 522 Fowltown A. C. L 289 Gallemore (Willis post office) M. D. & S 394 ? Gardi U. S. G. S 62 Geneva (station) U. S. G. S 581 Georgetown C. of Ga 189 Georgetown (low water, Chattahoochee River) Rough estimate Ill ? Glenmore A . C . L 151 Godwinville U. S. G. S 312 Gordon C. of Ga 348 Gordon, Ala _ A. G L 160 Graham Southern Ry 240 Graves C. of Ga 350 Greens Cut C. of Ga \ 284 Griswold C. of Ga 447 Grovania : G. S. & F 444 Groveland S. A. L 162 ? Grovetown Ga. R. R . 495 Guyton C . of Ga 81 Hagan S. A. L 186 ? Hahira. G. S. & F 230 Halcyondale C. of Ga 110 Halloca U. S. G. S 323 Hardaway A. C. L 183 Hardeeville, S. C A. C. L 21 Harlem Ga. R. R 548 Harrison, Washington County Weather Bureau 245 Hatcher C. of Ga 289 ? Hawkinsville Weather Bureau 235 Hawkinsville ( low- water level) U. S. A. Eng 200.2 Haylow G. S. & F 167 Hazlehurst U. S. G. S 256 Helena U. S. G. S 247 Hephzibah Weather Bureau 402 Herndon C. of Ga 179 Homerville A. C. L 176 Howard C. of Ga 666 ? Howell G. S. & F 169 Inaha G. S. & F 415 Irwinton Rough estimate 460 ? Isabella (Sylvester) A. C. L 370 Jasper, Fla A. C. L 152 Jeffersonville M. D. & S 526 Jennings, Fla G. S. & F 150 Jesup IT. S. G. S 100 Johnsonville, Jeff Davis County Southern Ry 240 Juniper station -.IT, S. G. S 422 Kathleen G. S. & F 330 Kildare, Effingham County Brinson R. R 133 Kingsland. S. A. L 41 Kirkland A. C. L 200 Eoioxville, „,„,,, J. E. Thomas 640 48 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Lake Park G. S. & F 160 Lawton C. of Ga 225 Leary D. L. Wardroper 210 Leesburg Rough estimate 300 ? Lenox G. S. & F 300 Lewiston C. of Ga 385 Lily A. B. & A 364 ? Longstreet U. S. G. S 302 Louisville Weather Bureau 259 Ludowici A. C. L 71 Lulaton Rough estimate 50 Lumber City U. S. G. S 146 Lumber City (river level, low water) U. S. A. Eng 84. 7 Lumpkin (station) Rough estimate 500 Lumpkin Weather Bureau 650 Lyons S. A. L 254 McBean Station C . of Ga 134 ? McClenny, Florida , S. A. L : 125 McDonald A. C. L 167 McGriff U. S. G. S 259 Mcintosh A. C. L 22 McRae U. S. G. S 230 Mclntyre C. of Ga 261 Macon (Union Station) G. S. & F 334 Macon (near Southern Ry. station) U. S. G. S 311 Macon (low-water level) U. S. A. Eng 279. 02 Macon Junction C. of Ga 350 Manassas S. A. L 217 Marshallville C. of Ga 500 Marlow C. of Ga 72 Mayday G. S. & F 140 Mayfield Ga. R. R 417. 5 Meigs A. C. L 341 Meinhard S . A. L 19 Meldrim C. of Ga '. 28 Melrose G. S. & F 154 Metcalf '. A. C. L 170 Midville C. of Ga 186 Milledgeville Ga. R. R 276 Milledgeville (low-water level) U. S. A. Eng 241. 29 Millen C. of Ga 156 Millwood A. C. L 160 Mineola G. S. & F 220 Moniac G. S. & F 114 Monteith A. C. L 16 Montezuma C. of Ga 300 Montrose M. D. & S 391 Morgan Weather Bureau 337 Morris ,.C. of Ga 242 Mount Pleasant Southern Ry 59 Munnerlyn C. of Ga 264 ? Muscogee U. S. G. S 245 Myers, Effingham County S. A. L 45 Navlor A. C. L 192 ELEVATIONS. 49 Nicholls A. B. & A 306 ? Norwood Ga. R. R 588 Ockillee : U. S. G. S 273 Ochlockonee A. C. L 263 Ockwalkee (low water, Oconee River) U. S. A. Eng 114. 4 Oconee C. of Ga 223 Odum U. S. G. S 155 Offerman A. C. L '. . . . 106 Ogeechee C. of Ga Ill Oglethorpe . C. of Ga 299 Ohoopee S. A. L 187 Oli rer C. of Ga 140 Omaha (station) Rough estimate 240 Ousley A. C. L 148 Paramore Hill C. of Ga 235 Parrott S . A. L 482 Paschal 0. of Ga 669 Patterson A. C. L 104 Pearson A. C. L 205 Pelham A. C. L 355 Pembroke S. A. L 101 Pendarvis IT. S. G. S 85 Pennick U. S. G. S 18 Perkins - .-.C. of Ga 252 ? Pikes Peak (station; M. D. & S . . 534 Pinegrove IT. S. G. S 229 Pinehurst .G. S. & F 390 Pineora C. of Ga 78 Piscola, Brooks County Weather Bureau. 190 Pooler C. of Ga - 23 Poulan A. C. L 345 Powersville C. of Ga 385 Quitman A. C. L 173 Racepond A. C. L 148 Rebecca A. B. & A 373 ? Recovery A. C. L 189 Register Rough estimate 225 ? Renfroes S. A. L 601 ? Reynolds C. of Ga 433 Riceboro Rough estimate 15 Richland S. A. L 600 Richwood G. S . & F 358 Rincon S. A. L 75 River Junction, Fla L. & N 84 Roberta Rough estimate 620 Roberts station Ga. R. R 557 Rockyf ord C . of Ga 130 Rogers C. of Ga 159 Saffold A. 0. L 105 Saffold (level of Chattahoochee River) Rough estimate 65 St. George G. S. & F 78 St. Marys , • _ I Rough estimate 12 Sandersville Rough estimate 470 3S41S°— wsp 341—15 4 50 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Satilla A. C. L 96 Satilla (river level) A. C. L 71 Savannah A. C. L 21 Scarboro C. of Ga 147 Schlatterville A. C. L 133 Scotland IT. S . G . S 142 Screven A. C. L 124 Shell Bluff Landing, Burke County U. S. A. Eng. (low water) 87 Shell Bluff Landing, Burke County U. S. A. Eng. (highest point). . 237 Shellman C. of Ga 379 ? Sibley G. S. & F 440 Sisters Ferry (Savannah River), Effingham County U.S.A. Eng. (low water) 20. 03 Smithville C. of Ga 332 Sofkee G. S. & F 370 Soperton Rough estimate 290 Sparks G. S. & F 241 Sparta Ga. R. R 557 Springfield ". Rough estimate 100 Statesboro Rough estimate 175 to 200 Sterling U. S. G. S 21 Stillmore (highest land) Rough estimate 300 Stillwell, Effingham County S. A. L 69 Stockton A. C. L 187 Sulphur Springs . U. S. G. S 300 Sumner A. C. L 373 Sunhill C. of Ga 362 Surrency ...U. S. G. S 187 Swift Creek M. D. & S 324 ? Sycamore G. S. & F 415 Sylvania Rough estimate 200 Sylvester A. C. L 370 ? Talbotton . U. S. G. S : 726 Tarrytown Rough estimate 290 ? Tennille C. of Ga 469 Thalman Rough estimate 20 Thelnia G. S. & F 158 Thomas C. of Ga 285 Thomasville A. C. L 250 Thomson Ga. R. R 503 Tif ton A . C , L 370 Tivola G. S. &F 300 Toomsboro C. of Ga 227 Towns U. S. G. S 128 Tusculum -C. of Ga 134 Tyty A. C. L 332 Unadilla G. S. & F 412 Upatoi U. S. G. S 418 Uptonville A. C. L 83 Valambrosa M. D. & S 258 ? Valdosta A. C. L 215 Valona, Mcintosh County Weather Bureau 10 Vidalia S . A . L 257 ? Vienna- --,--, ..,.....". G. S . & F 350 ELEVATIONS. 51 Wadley C. of Ga 234 Wainwright ( Upton ville station) A. C. L 83 Walden C. of Ga 390 Walthourville A. C. L 95 Waresboro A. C. L 121 Warrenton Ga. R. R 500 Waverly S. A. L 17 "Waycross A. C. L 140 Waynesboro C. of Ga 286 Waynesville A. C. L 55 Ways A. C. L 18 Wellston : G. S . & F 315 Wenona .G. S. & F 348 Westlake U. S. G. S 235 Weston S. A. L 528 Wheaton, Appling County U. S. G. S , 201 Whigham A. C. L 265 Whiteoak S. A. L , 19 Willis (Gallemore) M. D. & S 394 ? Weston S. A. L 528 Wilcox Southern Ry 116 Willacoochee A. C. L 247 Willingham A. C. L 319 Winchester C. of Ga 463 Woodbine .S. A. L 20 Worth G. S. &F 415 Wray A. B. & A... 392 ? 52 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. GEOLOGY. GEOLOGIC PROVINCES. 1 Georgia may be divided into three major geologic provinces: (1) The Paleozoic area; (2) the crystalline area; (3) the Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain, the largest of the three, covers approximately 35,000 square miles. The rocks of the Paleozoic area are limestones, shales, and sand- stones, which have been subjected to great dynamic movements and have been strongly folded and faulted. They range in age from Lower Cambrian to Pennsylvanian. The rocks of the crystalline area, which includes the Piedmont Plateau and the Blue Ridge, are of igneous or metamorphic origin and include granites, gneisses, schists, basic eruptives, and highly meta- morphosed shales, sandstones, and limestones. They constitute the oldest rocks of the State and are probably in the main of pre-Cambrian age. They have been subjected to great orogenic movements, have been folded, faulted, and otherwise profoundly altered. The rocks of the Coastal Plain are sands, clays, marls, and, subor- dinate^, limestones and sandstones. They are largely unconsolidated and are comparatively little altered from their original condition. Pronounced folding and faulting are entirely absent. The sediments of the Coastal Plain are the youngest beds in the State. They range in age from Lower Cretaceous to Recent and lie upon the upturned, planated rocks of the ancient crystalline complex. They are mainly marine deposits, the component materials of which were derived from the crystalline rocks to the north, their bulk representing the erosion of a vertical thickness of 2,000 feet or more. The boundary between these two major provinces, the Coastal Plain and the crystalline area, is known as the fall line. DEPOSITS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN. STRAT1GRAPHIC SUCCESSION. The deposits of the Coastal Plain underlie an immense area and have an estimated maximum thickness of 4,500 to 5,000 feet, the aggregate of separate strata which vary lithologically and faunally. A table of the subdivisions recognized in Georgia is given on pages 53-55, the areal distribution of the formations is shown on the map (PL III), and the general structure and relations of the deposits are shown in two sections (PI. IV). 1 The text of this report from pages 52 to 59, inclusive, with the addition of the sections shown on PI. IV and some minor changes, is essentially a reprint from the report of Mr. Veatch in Georgia Geol. Sur- vey Bull. 26, pp. 58-65, 1908. ! Wm 5131 Satlllaand Okefonokee b- | f orni Mil 11 Murks Head marl Undifferentiated Olis t'lulHn! '!im' I'.icni:i1i>»i Jackson Eormntio llarmwll -;tnil ninL McBean formation Irkoaic and . mntlj days, mid puro win"' clay* IGNEOUS ROCKS < ■■ s U. S. Geological s S. Geological Survey .»pol tht United State* GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA in l WAYLAND VAOGHAN, I, W. 8TEHHENSO> AND OTTO VEATOH T. Wayland Vaughan. geologist In charge o' Cental Pla.n inv«ib'gl0DH- Cretaceous and : ■ m and Otto %»teh- Tertiary and Qusternjiy .-eu'ogy bv f. Wovland Vaughan, Otto Yaiicfc. ■ phenion, peration with the Geological Survey of Georgia. / \ . -'/ ' N ^ x / ' ' » J ' ' Chattahoochee formation -' ' ■■" Vicksburg formation Probably includes Miocene, Qligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous strata, consisting ) of sands, clays, marls, and limestones. Contains numerous water-bearing beds ? — TO THE Al By L. W Approximate EHGPAVEDAND PRINTED B\ THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY is exaggerated, be B-B . SECTION FROM POINT NEAR MACON TO THE ATLANTIC COAST AT THE MOUTH OF ST. MARYS RIVER By L. W. Stephenson i . 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The great geologic periods Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary are based on the life forms preserved in the rocks and on the great physical or climatic changes that have taken place on the earth. The broader subdivisions, such as Lower Cretaceous, Upper Creta- ceous, Eocene, and Oligocene, are based mainly on the forms preserved in the rocks and are also of world-wide application. Further subdi- visions are provincial, and still further minor subdivisions are local and are based upon fossils, peculiar lithologic characters, stratigraphic continuity, surface configuration, or physiography, or a combination of some or all of these. To attempt to recognize mappable minor subdivisions of the strata either by their fossils or their lithology leads to confusion. The fossils are studied because of their value in correlating deposits of widely separated localities, the identity of which it is not possible to prove by stratigraphic continuity or actual tracing. Sections in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida have been taken as standards of comparison for the formations of Georgia for the reason that stratigraphic studies were first prosecuted in those localities. For the sake of uniformity and to avoid confusion the accepted geo- logic names employed to designate the formations and groups which extend from the States mentioned into Georgia are adopted in this report. The general lithologic character and thickness of the subdivisions are shown in the table on pages 53-55. Their aggregate thickness is 4,500 to 5,000 feet, of which 2,000 to 2,500 is Cretaceous, approxi- mately as much more is Tertiary, and probably not more than 100 feet is Quaternary. Precise measurements of thickness can not be given, chiefly because of the inconstancy of the strata both along the strike and dip, the merging of strata faunally and lithologically, the paucity of fossil remains, and the paucity of natural exposures. STRUCTURE. Dip and strike. — The strata of the Coastal Plain dip southeastward and southward and the older formations strike northeastward. The dip of the Oligocene and Eocene strata and probably that of the Cretaceous strata also becomes flatter toward the south and south- east. (See PL IV.) A little to the north of the Florida line the strata become horizontal, and at the Florida line they appear to be slightly reversed and to be inclined to the north or northwest. The general slope of the surface, independent of the dip of the geologic formations, from the fall line to sea level, is about 3 feet to the mile. The slope of the crystalline floor at the fall line is 30 to 75 feet to the mile, but whether this slope is constant as far as the GEOLOGY. 57 present coast can only be a matter of speculation, for the full thickness of the sediments in the southern part of the Coastal Plain has not been determined. The oldest formations outcrop along the northern border of the Coastal Plain and dip southward, passing beneath the outcropping edges of successively younger formations. The maximum dip of the Cretaceous beds is probably 40 feet to the mile; their minimum dip is almost horizontal. The dip of the lower Eocene beds is from a few feet to probably 30 feet to the mile; and the dips of the succeeding formations up to the Alum Bluff are still natter, ranging from a few feet to perhaps 15 feet to the mile. The Alum Bluff formation dips verj' gently southeastward and southward and is probably almost horizontal near the Florida line. The Miocene beds, so far as known, are likewise almost horizontal. The Pleistocene deposits mantle the older formations and conform to the general inclination of the plain. Local displacements. — The strata of the Coastal Plain exhibit no great structural disturbances. Local disturbances of Cretaceous and Eocene beds have been noted along Chattahoochee River, and displacements of beds at other localities have been observed. None, however, are believed to be of magnitude, and all are probably the results of simple unimportant oscillations. These structural features can not be determined from the strike of the strata nor from the dips as seen in the outcrops, for those dips are in general so low that the strata appear almost horizontal. However, other lines of evidence are available. Chattahoochee anticline. — The nature of the drainage, together with certain geologic facts, suggests that Chattahoochee River occupies the crest of a southward pitching low anticline. The stream has held its course and cut its channel down through the rising strata and belongs, therefore, to the class of antecedent streams. (See fig. 2.) The course of the Chattahoochee is almost directly southward in contrast to the southeastward courses of the other major streams — the Altamaha, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, and Savannah. Flint River flows west of south and is apparently located in a broad shallow syncline complementary to the Chattahoochee anticline. From west of Cordele to its junction with the Chattahoochee, Flint River is clearly a subsequent stream. The river flows along the southeastern border of its valley at the foot of a bajada. The low relief of the valley has been produced, not by the synclinal depression, but mainly by the removal in solution of the materials composing the limestones of the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations. The drainage divides of Chattahoochee and Flint rivers are strikingly unequal. (See PL III.) The tributaries of the Flint are much longer, notwithstanding that the Chattahoochee is much the larger stream. The interpretation is that the Flint River tributaries have been 58 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. accentuated, at least in part, by the slope of the eastern limb of an anticline, whereas the Chattahoochee tributaries have developed under the adverse conditions present on the crest of an anticline. That there have been greater upward earth movements along the Chattahoochee than along the other rivers is indicated by the much greater depth of the Chattahoochee Valley and by the deep trench- like channels which the main river and its tributaries have cut in the latest Pleistocene plain. The depth of these channels is 40 to 60 iooMO.es Figure 2.— Sketch map of the Coastal Plain of Georgia showing the relation of the drainage to the geologic structure. feet on the Chattahoochee and not more than 15 to 40 feet on other large rivers. The Chattahoochee is now probably deepening its channel, for it has developed little or no flood plain along its course. Geologic evidence of an anticline is afforded by the greater erosion and consequent exposure of the geologic formations along the Chat- tahoochee. The river has been able to cut into the older formations, revealing them with greater perfection than along any other Coastal Plain stream, probably by reason of the upward earth movements which have accelerated downward cutting. For example, the in- tercept of the Chattahoochee water level with the Vicksburg formation is about 50 miles farther south than the intercept on the Flint. The Vicksburg formation, however, closely parallels the river as far north GEOLOGY. 59 as Fort Gaines, suggesting that a great width has been completely removed by erosion. Fort Gaines would probably have been near the intercept had the same strike of the formations prevailed in Georgia as in Alabama, and had there been no greater uplift along the Chattahoochee than along the Flint. Greater local disturbances of strata have been observed along the Chattahoochee than in other parts of the Coastal Plain, and this may be considered evidence of a general and greater earth movement. Withlacoocliee anticline. — -Physiographic and geologic evidence exists of a low fold or arch in the Oligocene strata in the area drained by Ochlockonee, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha rivers and extending along the Florida line from Decatur to Echols county and northward to Crisp and Wilcox counties. (See fig. 2, p. 58.) The limestones of the Chattahoochee formation appear in surface exposures in Lowndes, Brooks, Thomas, and Grady counties. This may be considered good evidence of an uplift, since, had the usual southeastward dip of the strata prevailed, the Chattahoochee formation would have been buried by later formations, as in the eastern part of the Coastal Plain. This arch is known as the Withlacoochee anticline. This broad arch or fold was formed subsequent to the deposition of the Alum Bluff formation, and may have been involved in the orogenic movement which produced the Chattahoochee anticline. In the area involved in this arching the rivers flow southward and appear to have had their courses determined by the original slope of the Coastal Plain, the normal direction of which is southward toward the Gulf of Mexico. In this respect these streams are in contrast to the streams of the Georgia Coastal Plain entering the Atlantic Ocean, nearly all of which have general southeasterly courses. Alapaha River, the most easterly of the streams traversing the Withlacoochee anticline, is almost devoid of tributaries on its east- ern side, and the divide separating its valley from the headwaters of Satilla River and the streams entering Okefenokee Swamp lies only a few miles east of the main river channel. To what extent this and other drainage peculiarities of the area have been produced by the arching has not been determined. Monocline in eastern Georgia. — The southeastward courses of the Satilla, Altamaha, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ohoopee, Ogeechee, Savannah, and other streams suggest that the eastern half of the Coastal Plain of Georgia is a monocline having a general southeastward pitch, and the dip and strike of the geologic formations afford conclusive proof of the existence of such a structure. 60 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. CRETACEOUS SYSTEM. The Cretaceous deposits of Georgia include representatives of both the Lower and Upper Cretaceous series, which, in this report, are divided as follows: Upper Cretaceous: Ripley formation: Providence sand member. (A shallow-water phase of the formation.) Marine beds. Cusseta sand member. (A shallow- water phase of the formation.) Eutaw formation: Tombigbee sand member. (Massive, glauconitic, and calcareous marine sands, forming the upper part of the formation.) Sands, clays, and marls, chiefly of marine origin. Unconformity. Lower Cretaceous. Arkosic sands and clays. Not differentiated. LOWER, CRETACEOUS SERIES. Areal distribution. — The Lower Cretaceous deposits appear in sur- face outcrops in Georgia in an extremely irregular belt, 2 to 30 miles in width, extending entirely across the State from Chattahoochee River, in the vicinity of Columbus, northeastward to Savannah River, in the vicinity of Augusta. The irregularities of the belt are due partly to the unevenness of the surface of the basement rocks upon which the deposits rest, partly to overlaps of younger formations, and partly to the deep erosion valleys which the streams have developed along the fall line and which cause the underlying basement rocks and the Lower Cretaceous deposits to appear successively much farther southward beneath the younger formations, than they would have appeared on the early uneroded surface. This irregularity is most strikingly developed in the region between Ocmulgee and Savannah rivers. (See geologic map, PL III.) The area in which Lower Creta- ceous strata appear includes parts of Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Tal- bot, Marion, Taylor, Crawford, Bibb, Twiggs, Jones, Wilkinson, Baldwin, Washington, Hancock, Warren, Glascock, Jefferson, McDuffie, Columbia, and Richmond counties. Stratigrapliic position. — The Lower Cretaceous deposits in Georgia rest unconformably upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks, which are believed to be of pre-Cambrian age. The unconformity represents an enormous time interval, including all Paleozoic time and the Triassic and Jurassic periods of Mesozoic time. The surface of the crystalline rocks is very uneven in detail but, in general, slopes south and southeast beneath the Lower Cretaceous deposits. Calcu- lations from well borings at several places have shown that the slope in the region of the fall line is 30 to 75 feet to the mile. In Jefferson County a slope of between 35 and 40 feet to the mile is maintained for nearly 40 miles from the border of the Piedmont Plateau. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE V A. THOMAS BLUFF, CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER, SHOWING LOWER CRETACEOUS STRATA. View taken 1 mile below the mouth of Bull Creek, Muscogee County. B. CUT ON THE COLUMBUS-MACON ROAD, 3| MILES NORTHEAST OF COLUMBUS, MUSCOGEE COUNTY, SHOWING INDURATED LAYER OF LOWER CRETACEOUS ARKOSE. GEOLOGY. 61 Between Chattahoochee and Ocmulgee rivers the Lower Creta- ceous deposits are unconformably overlain by Upper Cretaceous strata (Eutaw and Ripley formations) and by a very small outcrop of Eocene strata; between Ocmulgee and Savannah rivers they are unconformably overlain by Eocene strata. Where the belt is crossed by the larger streams the strata are overlain along the valley sides by thin terrace deposits of Pleistocene age. Lithologic diameter. — The Lower Cretaceous deposits consist pre- dominantly of arkosic sand (PI. V, A and B), with, however, a consid- erable amount of clay in the form of interbedded lenses and dissemi- nated grains and particles The sands are commonly coarse to very coarse in texture and are generally cross-bedded. They are composed largely of angular to subangular quartz grains but contain an impor- tant percentage of kaolin grains and fine kaolin particles, the latter in places filling the interstices between the sand grains. . They con- tain also subordinate amounts of undecomposed feldspar, mica, and various other minerals derived from the crystalline rocks of the adja- cent Piedmont Plateau. In places the sands have been indurated (see PI. V, B), and form friable sandstones. The lenses of clay vary widely in lithologic character, shape, and extent; in thickness they range from 1 inch or less to 40 feet, and in horizontal extent from a few square feet to many acres; lamination is rare. In general the clays are light drab or gray in color and are more or less sandy; locally, however, they are remarkably white and pure, approaching kaolin in composition, and are commercially valuable. For the most part the bedding of the deposits is very irregular, but in places a distinct banding of clay and sand is apparent, individual beds being traceable for considerable distances. Good examples of banding occur in the bluffs of Chattahoochee River below Columbus. (See PL V, A.) Lenses and layers of coarse gravel occur here and there, especially in the basal portions near the contact with the underlying crystalline rocks. Unconformities that have little or no time significance occur within the deposits. As the result of the shifting of the channels which produced these unconformities, interbedded lenses of clay have in places been torn to pieces and redeposited, as is shown by the large number of rolled clay balls and bowlders which locally are scattered through the sands. With the exception of faint, indeterminable impressions of leaves in white clays at Carrs station, Hancock County, no fossil remains have been discovered in these deposits in Georgia. The beds of coarse sand which predominantly compose the Lower Cretaceous strata are, with certain exceptions, of favorable texture for the storage and circulation of large quantities of water. (See pp. 124-125.) 62 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Strike, dip, and thickness. — The strike of the Lower Cretaceous strata in Georgia ranges from N. 65° E., northeast of Macon, to nearly due east on Chattahoochee River at Columbus. The dip is east of south or south at right angles to the strike. On account of irregu- larity of bedding and the smallness of the exposures the exact amount of dip can not readily be determined. It is greater, however, than the grade of the water surface in the streams and probably averages 25 to 30 feet to the mile. In the Chattahoochee region the estimated thickness of the Lower Cretaceous deposits where they pass beneath the overlying Eutaw formation is 375 feet. Calculations based on well data show that across the State along the line where the strata pass beneath the overlying Upper Cretaceous or Eocene formations, as the case may be, the total thickness of the deposits ranges from 350 to 600 feet, with perhaps local exceptions where the amount is less or greater. The Lower Cretaceous deposits extend coastward beneath the unconformably overlying younger formations for at least 10 miles and probably for many more; their limit in that direction is not known. UPPER CRETACEOUS SERIES. ETTTAW FORMATION. Areal distribution. — The Eutaw formation appears at the surface in a relatively small area in Georgia. Chattahoochee River cuts across the outcrop, exposing the beds from a point a short distance below the mouth of LTpatoi Creek, 9 miles below Columbus, to a point near Omaha, 2 or 3 miles below the Seaboard Air Line Railway bridge (see Pis. VI, A and B, and PI. VII, A\, a total distance of about 16 miles. To the northeast, away from the river, the area of outcrop becomes narrower, including approximately the northeastern two- thirds of Chattahoochee County, a small portion of southwestern Muscogee Count} 7 , a strip several miles wide in the northern part of Marion County, and a very small portion of west-central Taylor County, ending in the western part of Taylor County. Stratigraphic position. — The formation in Georgia rests unconform- ably upon strata of Lower Cretaceous age and is conformably overlain by the Ripley formation. In limited areas bordering Chattahoochee River and Upatoi Creek the formation is unconformably overlain by thin terrace deposits of Pleistocene age. Lithologic character.— -The materials composing the Eutaw forma- tion vary considerably in lithologic character, both vertically and horizontally. In the region of Chattahoochee River the immediate base of the formation consists of coarse, arkosic, micaceous sands bearing a close resemblance to the underlying Lower Cretaceous sands. Interbedded with these sands are subordinate lenses of drab U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE VI '*r- A. BANK OF CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT BROKEN ARROW BEND, 1 CH MILES BELOW COLUMBUS, SHOWING LAYERS OF NODULAR, CALCAREOUS CONCRETIONS IN THE BASAL MARINE BEDS OF THE EUTAW FORMATION. B. BLUFF BELOW BANKS LANDING, CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER, LEFT BANK, 26| MILES BELOW COLUMBUS, SHOWING GRAY CALCAREOUS SANDS AND SANDY CLAYS WITH INDURATED LAYERS BELONGING TO THE TOMBIGBEE SAND MEMBER OF THE EUTAW FORMATION. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE VII A. SLICK BLUFF, CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER, RIGHT BANK, 14 MILES BELOW COLUMBUS, SHOWING GREENISH- GRAY CLAY OF THE EUTAW FORMATION. ;UT ON COLUMBUS-LUMPKIN ROAD, 13 MILES SOUTH OF COLUMBUS, IN CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY, SHOWING UNCONSOLIDATED SAND OF THE EUTAW FORMATION. GEOLOGY. 63 to black laminated clay, in places bearing leaf remains and considera- ble though scattered quantities of lignite in the form of comminuted particles, twigs, branches, and logs. Immediately above the coarse basal sands are 50 feet or more of medium to fine, gray to dark-gray, more or less micaceous and. cal- careous sands and clays, indurated in some layers to nodular impure limestones. (See PL VI, A and B.) These materials are fossiliferous and in places contain large numbers of shells and shell prints. The character of the materials and the nature of the entombed organisms prove this portion of the formation to be of marine origin. The bluffs along the Euchee Rapids, Chattahoochee River, reveal 40 feet or more of greenish-gray, compact, marine clay, which lies closely above the marine sands and- clays just described. (See PL VII, A.) This clay is overlain by dark, laminated clays with thin, interbedded layers of sand. Above the laminated beds are coarse and fine sands locally indurated to ferruginous sandstones, examples of which may be seen at Moores, Betons, and Codys rocks, between Euchee Creek and Chimney Bluff. A massive bed of fine to medium grained unconsolidated sand that probably represents this portion of the formation in Chattahoochee County east of the river is shown in Plate VII, B. Dark lignitic clays and fight to white unconsolidated sands of shallow-water origin overlie the coarse sands, being best exhibited in the basal part of the exposure at Chimney Bluff, where the clays contain poorly preserved leaf remains. Above the lignitic beds and forming the upper 120 feet of the formation are beds of massive gray or greenish-gray calcareous and more or less argillaceous sand, with some interbedded layers of gray calcareous sandy clay. (See PL VI, B.) These sands are more or less glauconitic and micaceous, and iron pyrites is fairly common. Nodular layers of sandy limestone and calcareous sandstone appear at vertical intervals of several feet as prominent projecting ledges along the faces of the bluffs. Fossils are common and certain layers contain shells in great abundance, forming shell marls. These massive ma- rine sands and clays constitute the Tombigbee sand member of the Eutaw formation. Northeastward from Chattahoochee River, in Chattahoochee and Marion counties, the massive marine beds, including the Tombigbee sand member, eventually merge into much coarser and more irregularly bedded deposits which doubtless originated near shore in shallow water or even in sounds and estuaries. Here, on account of simi- larity of materials, the formation is separable with difficulty from the overlying "Ripley formation. The irregularly bedded loose sands of shallow-water origin, which make up a considerable part of the formation, are favorable in extent and in texture to the circulation and storage of fairly large quantities 64 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. of potable though somewhat mineralized waters. The availability of this formation as a source of water supply is discussed more fully on page 125. Strike, dip, and thickness. — On the Georgia side of Chattahoochee River the beds of this formation strike N. 60°-75° E.; on the Ala- bama side they strike nearly east and west. The Tombigbee member, which forms the upper part of the forma- tion, is regularly bedded and dips approximately 20 feet to the mile, as estimated from exposures along Chattahoochee River. The remainder of the formation, beneath the Tombigbee member, is irreg- ularly bedded, and it has not been possible to make reliable dip measurements; however, it is probably safe to infer that in no part of the formation does the dip exceed 40 feet to the mile. The total thickness of the formation has been estimated to be approximately 550 feet. RIPLEY FORMATION. Areal distribution. — The Ripley formation appears at low-water level in the bluffs of Chattahoochee River from a point about 40 miles below Columbus, near Florence, Ga., to a point, not accurately determined, near Othos Landing, about 15 miles below Eufaula, Ala. It extends northeastward from the river in a belt 8 to 15 miles wide that includes parts of Clay, Quitman, Stewart, Webster, Chatta- hoochee, Marion, Schley, Macon, Taylor, Crawford, Houston, and Twiggs counties. In Twiggs, Houston, southeastern Crawford, and eastern Macon counties the formation is concealed by a relatively thin blanket of overlapping Eocene strata, except where the latter have been removed by stream erosion. Stratigraphic position.- — In western Georgia the formation is con- formable with the underlying Eutaw formation. To the northeast, however, from the eastern part of Taylor County, through Crawford and Bibb counties to Ocmulgee River, the Eutaw formation, which in the Chattahoochee region intervenes between the Lower Cretaceous deposits and the Ripley formation, is believed to be absent, and the Ripley strata rest directly upon the Lower Cretaceous deposits. In Macon, Crawford, Houston, and Twiggs counties the formation is concealed over a considerable part of the area, in which it would otherwise appear at the surface, by a thin overlap of Eocene strata from the south; in Twiggs County, east of Ocmulgee River, the forma- tion passes finally beneath overlapping Eocene beds. Thin terrace deposits of Pleistocene age rest upon the beds of this formation in small areas bordering Chattahoochee, Flint, and Ocmul- gee rivers. Lithologic character. — The exposures of the Ripley formation in the bluffs of Chattahoochee River, except, possibly, those in the upper U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE VIM A. NARROWS OF PATAULA CREEK, 9 MILES NORTH OF FORT GAINES, SHOWING CALCAREOUS MARINE SAND OF THE RIPLEY FORMATION CONTAINING INDURATED LAYERS. B. WATERFALL AT UPPER END OF NARROWS OF PATAULA CREEK. Falls are produced by a hard calcareous layer. U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE IX A. CUT ON SEABOARD AIR LINE RAILWAY AT MANTA STATION, SHOWING CUSSETA SAND MEMBER OF THE RIPLEY FORMATION OVERLAIN BY TYPICAL MARINE BEDS OF THAT FORMATION. B. GULLY 10| MILES NORTHEAST OF GEORGETOWN, SHOWING COARSE, UNCONSOLIDATED SANDS OF THE PROVIDENCE SAND MEMBER OF THE RIPLEY FORMATION. GEOLOGY. 65 part of the high hill at Bluff town in Stewart County and the upper part of Stewarts Hill in Quitman County, all reveal materials of a strictly marine character. These are gray, calcareous, massive sands and clays of moderately deep-water, offshore origin, with interbedded darker clays and unconsolidated, yellowish, calcareous sands and shell marls of near-shore, shallow, marine origin. Typical marine strata of the formation are shown in Plate VIII, A and B. The shallow- water phases contain in places fragmentary bones of dinosaurs, mososaurs, crocodiles, and turtles, some reptile teeth, numerous sharks' teeth of several species, and a few other fish teeth. In the exposures at Woohidge Landing and vicinity these vertebrate remains are closely associated with an undescribed species of gigantic oyster and with a large number of other species of mollusks. Northeastward from Chattahoochee River the basal 200 or 300 feet of the formation merges along the strike into shallow water equivalents (the Cusseta sand member), which differ in their essen- tial lithologic characters from the typical beds. The uppermost 130 feet or more of the formation also merges along the strike, both to the northeast in Georgia and to the west in Alabama, into similar shallow-water equivalents (the Providence sand member) . The Cusseta sand member consists of irregularly bedded, uncon- solidated sands with subordinate lenses of clay, of shallow-water origin. (See PI. IX, A.) The member outcrops at the surface in a belt which includes parts of Stewart, Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, Taylor, Macon, Crawford, Houston, Bibb, and Twiggs coun- ties. In Stewart and Chattahoochee counties the sands vary from fine to coarse in texture and are somewhat arkosic. Farther north- east, in Marion County, the materials become coarser, although rather fine phases are not uncommon. This same predominance of coarse materials holds throughout the remainder of the outcrop, but, as in Marion County, finer sands occur locally. The clay lenses in these sands are commonly fight drab or even white, are massive, and in places resemble the clays of the Lower Cretaceous. Locally they are thinly laminated. At a few places carbonaceous clays, both massive and laminated, containing considerable amounts of com- minuted plant remains, have been noted, and fossil leaves have been collected at two localities. The similarity of the materials of the Cusseta sand member to the materials of the shallow-water phase of the Eutaw formation, in its eastern extension, renders the two for- mations separable with difficulty. The same is true of the Cusseta and the overlying Proviaence sand members in the region between Flint and Ocmulgee rivers. The Providence sand member consists predominantly of coarse, irregularly bedded sands with subordinate, light-colored clays in the 38418°— wsp 341—15 5 66 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. form of lenses and layers. (See PL IX, B.) In Georgia the member outcrops in a long, narrow belt lying along the southern border of the Cretaceous area in parts of Quitman, Stewart, Webster, Marion, Schley, Macon, Houston, and Twiggs counties. The sands are com- monly coarse but contain finer phases, especially toward the base of the member in the zone of transition from the underlying typical marine beds to the overlying coarser beds of the member. Rolled clay balls are numerous at many places in the sands. In Houston County the member contains notable lenses of white clay, which have been mined in a small way and which give promise of becoming of commercial importance in the future. The typical marine beds, the "Renfroes marl" of Veatch, which intervene between the Cusseta and Providence members, are trace- able in a narrow belt from the Chattahoochee region through Stewart, Chattahoochee, Marion, and Schley counties to Macon County, where they appear to pinch out, so far as can be determined from surface outcrops between the underlying and overlying shallow- water members. Beyond this point to the eastern limit of the sur- face occurrence of the formation the two members, each of which has gradually increased its thickness, are in conformable contact with each other and together appear to represent the whole thickness of the formation. However, there is evidence that buried representa- tives of the typical marine beds extend eastward at least as far as Marshallville, where calcareous beds have been penetrated in a well boring. Both the Cusseta and Providence sand members are favorable in texture and structure to the circulation and storage of large quanti- ties of potable waters. The typical marine beds are less favorable, although they too have yielded fair supplies at certain places. The availability of this formation as a source of water supply is discussed more fully on pages 125-126. Strike, dip, and thickness. — -The beds of the Ripley formation in the greater part of Georgia strike N. 60°-70° E., but in the area west of Chattahoochee River they strike nearly east. The estimated thickness of the formation, where it intercepts Chattahoochee River, is approx- imately 950 feet. No reliable measurements of thickness elsewhere in Georgia have been obtained, but there is reason to believe that a comparable thickness exists both to the northeast along the belt of outcrop and to the southeast in the buried extension of the formation. GEOLOGY. 67 TERTIARY SYSTEM. EOCENE SERIES. MIDWAY FORMATION. Areal distribution. — -The Midway formation outcrops in a relatively narrow northeast-southwest belt, extending from Fort Gaines on Chattahoochee River to Montezuma on Flint River and thence for a short distance into Houston County. On the Chattahoochee the for- mation has a width of about 8 miles, on the Flint a width of about 15 miles, and between the two rivers an average width of 8 to 10 miles. The formation appears at the surface over parts of Clay, Quitman, Stewart, Randolph, Marion, Schley, Webster, and Macon counties and extends eastward from Flint River probably as far as Myrtle on the Perry branch of the Central of Georgia Railway in Houston County. No occurrence is known east of Ocmulgee River, beyond which the formation is probably overlapped by higher Eocene formations. Stratigrapliic 'position. — -The Midway formation rests unconform- ably upon the Upper Cretaceous. Irregular contacts that appear to represent erosion unconformities between the two divisions have been noted, especially in the gullies north and west of Lumpkin, Stewart County. The strata of the basal Midway and of the Upper Creta- ceous seem to be lithologically similar, and on account of inadequate exposures considerable difficulty is experienced in determining the exact location and nature of the contact. A probable contact between the Cretaceous and the Eocene is exposed in the first railroad cut east of the depot at Lumpkin, where the base of the Eocene consists of 4 to 6 feet of iron-stained clay containing ferruginous sandy layers bearing poorly preserved fossils, resting upon light-colored sandy clay of probable Cretaceous age. The evidence of an unconformity is, however, slight. Another prob- able unconformity has been noted about 1^ miles south of Lumpkin on the Cuthbert public road, where a ferruginous sand is separated from a kaolinic sand by a line of pebbles and is nearly approached on the south by apparent Eocene strata. In Marion, Schley, and Macon counties the Midway formation lies in contact with the Upper Cretaceous, but the two closely resemble each other in lithologic character, and in mapping it is not possible to draw a sharp line between them. The Midway formation consists mainly of unconsolidated red, purplish, and white sands in which thin, siliceous limonitic layers and crusts and highly ferruginous sandstones are common. Thin beds of impure clay also occur, but neither the clays nor the ferruginous sandstones contain well-preserved fossils. 68 UNDERGROUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. A probable contact between the Upper Cretaceous and the Midway formation occurs in a cut of the Central of Georgia Railway, a mile east of Buena Vista, the two divisions being separated by thin limo- nitic layers embedded in a stained clay. The lower part of the section is white or light-colored sand and sandy clay (Cretaceous), and the upper part, probably representing the Eocene, is a bright-red fer- ruginous sand. At Underwood Ferry, on Flint River, 6 miles southwest of Mar- shallville, Macon County, the base of the bluff consists of gray or yel- low rather compact argillaceous sand containing poorly preserved fossils. From this locality a specimen of Venericardia planicosta was obtained and on the basis of this fossil the strata are classed as Eocene. This is evidently near the northern margin of the Eocene, but its relations to the Cretaceous in this vicinity are obscure. It is also not positively known whether this sand represents the Midway or the Wilcox formation. A gray and black laminated sandy clay bearing Venericardia plani- costa was also discovered at Barrows Mill in Houston County, 5 miles east of Marshallville, where a poorly exposed unconformity may represent a Cretaceous-Eocene contact. Venericardia plani- costa and. Turritella humerosa were obtained in a similar sandy clay on Robert Slappy's land, 4 miles east of Marshallville, but the fossils are inadequate for determining whether the exposure is Midway or Wilcox. No good physical evidence of an unconformity representing a con- siderable time interval between the Cretaceous and Midway has yet been discovered in Georgia, but there is paleontologic evidence that this interval is as great here as in adjoining States. At Fort Gaines the Midway is separated from the overlying Wilcox by a pronounced unconformity. Surficial gray and brownish sand is spread over the formation in places and Pleistocene terrace deposits overlie it along Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. Lithologic character. — The Midway is mainly a marine formation of sands, clays, marls, and limestones. Its lower part consists prin- cipally of sands and clays, and its upper part of marls, clays, and limestones, but the sediments are so varied in character that sharp division lines can not be drawn on the basis of lithology. Thin layers of flint interbedded with sands and clays have been noted in the lower part of the formation. The sands are varicolored, generally friable, and in several places contain lenticular, massive layers of white clay. In the lower part of the formation limonite is rather widely distrib- uted in the sands in the form of thin crusts and as hollow concretions having black, polished, and botryoidal exteriors. The limestones are fossiliferous — more abundantly so than other parts of the formation. GEOLOGY. 69 They are very hard and are generally highly arenaceous, though at a few places sufficiently pure for use in the manufacture of lime. They are conspicuous at several localities. Individual beds of limestone in natural exposures are thin, from 2 to 25 feet in thickness, and are interbedded with clays, marls, and sands. Friable marls made up of glauconite, quartz sand, clay, and shells occur, as do also laminated black clay and fuller's earth. Sands and clays make up by far the greater part of the deposits. The lithologic character and the char- acter of the fossils indicate a very shallow water deposition for the whole formation. Thickness. — The thickness of the Midway formation (referred by Langdon to the Clayton limestone of the Midway group, as used in Alabama) on Chattahoochee River was estimated by Langdon 1 to be 218 feet. The width of the outcrop on the Chattahoochee is about 8 miles, and it is believed that Langdon's estimate is nearly correct, though probably too large rather than too small. The thickness of the formation probably increases to the northeast and may reach 400 feet on Flint River, where the width of outcrop is about 15 miles. Paleontologic character. — The collections of fossils from the forma- tion are rather meager. This is due to a paucity „of fossils in the exposed beds of the formation rather than to insufficient field work, for all the best-known exposures have been visited. Ostrea crenuli- marginata seems to be a characteristic species, being found at nearly every outcrop of limestone and marl. The basal part of the forma- tion, which consists mainly of sands and clays, is very poor in fossils. Venericardia planicosta, Turritella, and other forms occur, but these are common to other Eocene formations. One of the characteristic fossils of the formation in Alabama, Enclimatoceras ulricJii, has not thus far been found in Georgia. The following is a complete list of the forms identified: Crassatellites. Venericardia planicosta Lamarck. Venericardia smithii Aldrich. Cardium sp. Protocardia sp. Cytherea ripleyana (Gabb). Turritella mortoni Conrad. Turritella humerosa Conrad. Mesalia alabamiensis (Whitfield). Area sp. Ostrea crenulimarginata Gabb. Ostrea pulaskensis Harris. Lithodomus gainesensis Harris. The determinations are by T. W. Vaughan from collections made by Veatch, McCallie, and Stephenson. Physiographic expression. — The topography of the area underlain by the Midway is broken and hilly, somewhat resembling the Creta- ceous area to the northward, and contrasting with the level topogra- phy of the areas to the south underlain by Claiborne, Jackson, and i Langdon, D. W., Geology of the Coastal Plain: Alabama Geol. Survey, p. 369, 1894. 70 TJNDEEGBOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. Oligocene strata. A few lime sinks occur in the vicinity of Fort Gaines and north of Cuthbert. Structure. — The Midway formation presents no notable structural features. It strikes about N. 60° E. and dips gently east of south in conformity with the inclination of the older formations of the Coastal Plain, but its inclination can not be determined accurately on account of the discontinuity of exposures of individual beds and the wide variations due to local disturbances. As a whole the dip is roughly estimated at 20 to 30 feet per mile. This rate, however, is probably not maintained southward under cover of later formations, for a fossil, apparently the Cretaceous Exogyra costata, was found in the borings of an artesian well at Albany at a depth of 500-510 feet. (See p. 236.) Local crumpling of clay beds and very high local angles of dip, especially in Stewart, Randolph, and Quitman counties, may be the results of the movements that produced the Chattahoochee anticline. WILCOX FORMATION. Area! distribution. — The Wilcox formation outcrops in a belt extending northeastward from the vicinity of Fort Gaines on Chatta- hoochee River probably to Flint River in the northeastern part of Sumter County; east of the Flint it has not been certainly recognized. The width of the outcrop is believed to average not more than 5 or 6 miles. The formation is to some extent overlapped and obscured by the McBean and Vicksburg formations. Stratigrapliic position. — The Wilcox formation includes the strata lying between the Midway formation and the Claiborne group. At Fort Gaines, on Chattahoochee River, the Wilcox and Midway forma- tions are separated by a pronounced erosion unconformity manifested by large holes, 20 feet or more deep, which have been worn in the white limestone of the Midway formation and filled by black sandy clay of the overlying formation. In the same locality paleontologic and lithologic differences also serve to separate the two formations. East of this locality, however, the paucity of the fossils, the fact that no unconformity could be discovered, and the unsatisfactory character of the evidence furnished by the lithologic composition, has rendered the discrimination of the two formations very difficult, and has made the mapping of the boundary line necessarily tentative. The contact of the Wilcox with the overlying Claiborne group, where observed, is marked by an undulating line of small pebbles or a stratum of coarse sand but shows no physical evidence of the lapse of any considerable time interval between the deposition of the two. An unconformity marking the contact between the Claiborne group and the Wilcox formation has been noted, questionably in the bluff at Fort Gaines, 50 to 55 feet above Chattahoochee River; in a cut of the Central of Georgia Railway 2\ miles west of Cuthbert; at Halls GEOLOGY. 71 Bridge on Kinchafoonee Creek, 7 miles southwest of Plains; doubt- fully in the public road at Blacks Mills 5 miles north of Plains; and 1| miles southeast of Anderson ville, on the south side of Sweetwater Creek, about a mile below Hodges Mill. Unfortunately, the strata are not fossiliferous, except at Fort Gaines, and the evidence that the unconformities are of stratigraphic importance is not entirely conclusive. Litliologic character. — On Chattahoochee River the formation is made up of sandy glauconitic shell marl, dark-colored laminated, largely lignitic sandy clay, in places consolidated into mudstone, and commonly dark or gray glauconitic and lignitic sand. The laminated clay exposed in the bluff at Fort Gaines can be traced northeastward, and in Randolph County north and west of Cuthbert has the nature of fuller's earth, in places glauconitic. At Greer Cave a considerable thickness of varicolored and kaolinic sand apparently lies between the clay of the Wilcox formation and the limestone of the Midway formation. Black and drab laminated glauconitic clay and sand were observed on Bear Creek northeast of Weston, Webster County. Gray and black argillaceous and glauconitic sand appears at Magnolia Spring, 2\ miles north of Plains; in the bed of a branch on the old Morgan plantation, 6 miles northeast of Plains; and at Halls Bridge, on Kinchafoonee Creek 7 miles southwest of Plains. Farther east in Schley and Macon counties and in the vicinity of Andersonville, the strata which might be referred to this formation on the basis of geographic position are mainly red and varicolored sands with massive beds of white clay, very pure and in the nature of sedimentary kaolin, bearing little resemblance to the strata on Chattahoochee River. Thickness. — Langdon 1 estimated the thickness of the formation on Chattahoochee River at 402 feet; but this is excessive, for at Fort Games the thickness is certainly not more than 60 or 75 feet. A natural exposure of the formation at Peterson Hill, 4| miles north- west of Cuthbert, reveals about 100 feet of strata. The following is the record 2 of a well at Shellman, Randolph County : Record of well at Shellman. Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Quicksand Blue marl Very hard limestone Water-bearing formation Feet. 18 130 152 100 10 Feet. 18 148 300 400 410 1 Langdon, D. W., loc. cit. 2 McCaUie, S. W., Underground waters of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 156, 1908. 72 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. If the limestone layer is the same as the limestone of the Midway- formation exposed at Greer Cave, about 16 miles to the northwest, the overlying 152 feet of "blue marl" may belong to the Wilcox formation. There is no positive proof that strata of Wilcox age outcrop on Flint Kiver, where the formation may be entirely overlapped by the Claiborne group, but if the strata between the Midway and the McBean or Vicksburg formations at Dripping Bluff, 9 miles south of Oglethorpe, are Wilcox, the thickness of the latter is perhaps 100 feet. The maximum thickness at any place in the area of outcrop probably does not exceed 150 or 200 feet. Paleontologic character. — The formation is poorly fossiliferous in Georgia. The following forms have been identified by T. W. Vaughan from collections made by Mr. Veatch east of Chattahoochee Kiver: Actseon. Turritella mortoni Conrad. Turritella prsecincta Conrad. * Ostrea thirsse (Gabb). Venericardia planicosta Lamarck. Cardium. Calyptrea aperta (Solander). Dentalium. Leda pbarcida Dall. Glycymeris. Protocardia. Cytherea. Cassidulus (?) sp. The following fossils were obtained 5 J miles south of Lumpkin: Nucula sp. Paracyathus? sp. Cucullsea macrodonta Whitfield. Cytherea sp. Endopachys maclurii (Lea). 1 Pyrula juvenis Whitfield? Turritella sp. Leda (apparently pharcida Dall). Cytherea nutalliopsis Heilprin? The species Ostrea thirsas, O. compressirostra, Ohlamys greggi, and Cucullsea macrodonta have been identified from beds near Fort Gaines. From beds 4J miles northeast of Preston and from a flint bed 1 mile south of Preston T. W. Vaughan has identified O. thirsse, a small oyster considered characteristic of the Wilcox formation. As the collections are small and the material in general poorly preserved, the stratigraphic deductions from the fossils can not be made with the same surety for Georgia as for States to the west, where fossils are more abundant and better preserved. Possibly these beds belong to the Midway. Physiographic expression. — The area underlain by the formation is small and presents no notable physiographic features. The topog- raphy of the area is rather broken and hilly, resembling that of the area to the north underlain by the Midway formation. Structure. — The Midway strata strike about N. 55° E. and dip southeastward at a rate that can not be accurately estimated but that is probably less than 30 feet to the mile over the area of outcrop i Endopachys maclurii suggests Claiborne, Cucullxa macrodonta is usually not later than Wilcox. — T. W. Vaughan. GEOLOGY. 73 and is perhaps less than half as much under cover of the later forma- tions to the south. No evidence of local deformation has been noted, although such deformation may have taken place in the area adjacent to Chattahoochee River, where slight disturbances have been noted in the Midway formation. CLAIBORNE GROUP. SUBDIVISIONS. The Claiborne group or, where the strata representing the group are not subdivided into constituent formations, the Claiborne forma- tion derives its name from the old town of Claiborne, on Alabama River, Ala. In Alabama the Claiborne group is subdivided, from the top down- ward, into the Gosport greensand, the Lisbon formation, and the Tallahatta buhrstone. Although in a general way the correlatives of these formations may be recognized in Georgia, the use of these terms in the latter State is inappropriate, for the Claiborne group is not naturally divisible into the same units as in Alabama. In Georgia the group is divided into two formations — the Barnwell sand at the top and the McBean formation at the base, the latter including a phase to which the name Congaree clay member has been given. It is, however, difficult to distinguish between the weathered phases of the McBean formation and the overlying Barnwell sand and no attempt has been made to map the two formations separately, the Claiborne group being given one color on the geologic map. MCBEAN FORMATION. Areal distribution. — The McBean formation outcrops in an extremely irregular belt, which varies in width from a few miles to 25 or more and extends entirely across the State. Between Savannah and Ocmulgee rivers this belt lies south of the Lower Cretaceous outcrops, and between Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers it lies south of the Midway and Wilcox outcrops. East of Flint River its exposures have been studied in Columbia, Richmond, Burke, McDuffie, Jefferson, Glascock, Washington, Baldwin, Wilkinson, Jones, Twiggs, Bibb, and Houston counties. Exposures occur also on Flint and Chattahoochee rivers. East of Ocmulgee River the group originally entirely concealed the Lower Cretaceous deposits and lapped over on the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau; but the region has since been extensively dissected by erosion and the crystalline rocks and Cretaceous strata are now exposed along the lower slopes and bottoms of the valleys; the northern boundary of the formation is therefore extremely irregular. South of the area of outcrop Claiborne group fossils, probably from the McBean forma- tion, have been obtained between the depths 347 and 364.5 feet from a well at Herndon, Jenkins County. (See section, p. 293.) 74 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Stratigraphic position. — East of Ocmulgee River the McBean formation rests unconformably upon strata of Lower Cretaceous age. The unconformity represents a long interval of time, for the two lower Eocene formations, the Wilcox and Midway, and all the Upper Cretaceous deposits, aggregating a thickness of 3,000 feet or more, are absent. Tongues of McBean strata extend northward on the divides across the Cretaceous rocks and in places lap over the crys- talline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau. The most notable overlaps arc at Roberts, Harlem, and Grovetown. Between Flint and Chattahoochee rivers the McBean formation rests upon the Wilcox formation. Along Chattahoochee River, in the vicinity of Fort Gaines, an erosion unconformity, probably of minor time importance, seems to separate the Wilcox and the McBean formations. The formation in eastern Georgia is overlain by the Barnwell sand, which in this region constitutes the upper formation of the Claiborne group. The relations between the two formations are somewhat obscure. Along its northern areal margin the Barnwell sand is apparently separated from the McBean formation by an unconformity of slight time importance, but farther southward it seems to rest conformably upon the McBean. It seems probable that near the end of the deposition of the McBean formation an uplift brought the northern margin of the area of Claiborne deposition above sea level, permitting erosion to take place in the emerged area, while deposition continued in the area which remained under water. The uplift was of short duration, however, the emerged tract soon being submerged again, allowing deposition to continue over the whole belt. The Barnwell sand is believed to be present west of Flint River, where its relations to the underlying McBean formation are doubtless the same as in the area east of the river. Lithologic character. — -The formation consists mainly of shell marls, sandy limestones, calcareous, glauconitic sands and clays in the nature of fuller's earth. The marls are for the most part massive bedded and friable, but hard, compact, and even partly silicified beds have been noted on Savannah River. In places layers of marl or calcareous sand alternate with laminated clays. The greatest thick- ness of the marl beds is in the Savannah River bluffs at Shell Bluff, where a thickness of over 100 feet is exposed. (See PI. X, B.) The marls of the McBean formation reach their greatest develop- ment on Savannah River; they extend southward from Shell Bluff about 11 miles in a direct line to a point 1^ miles below Griffins Land- ing where they appear in the bluff 50 feet above the water level. Westward from Savannah River marls are exposed near McBean, Louisville, Tennille, Sandersville, and elsewhere. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE X A. EXPOSURE OF THE McBEAN FORMATION (CLAIBORNE GROUP) ON AN ISLAND AT THE MOUTH OF OMUSEE CREEK, CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER, 2 MILES BELOW COLUMBIA, HOUSTON COUNTY, ALA. PORTION OF OSTREA GEORGIANA BED OF THE McBEAN FORMATION DISPLACED BY LANDSLIDE AT SHELL BLUFF, SAVANNAH RIVER, BURKE COUNTY. GEOLOGY. 75 The strata between Flint and Chattahoochee rivers present a close general lithologic similarity to those of the eastern area. Along the northern margin of the formation, red, rather coarse sands at the surface overlie laminated or thin-bedded clays, while southward or seaward the beds are calcareous, and sandy marls, very similar to those along Savannah River, interbedded with clay, are overlain by red sand similar to the Barnwell sand. Flint is apparently absent, but there are some thin layers of sandstone or quartzite in the sand. Clay or fuller's earth is less extensively developed, but this phase is represented by drab, laminated, fossiliferous clays, such as occur at the base of the formation at Fort Gaines. The Flint River exposures are friable calcareous sands, sandy limestones, marls, and sandstones. On Chattahoochee River Lang- don recognized a lower buhrstone member and an upper calcareous member. Here as elsewhere the formation presents a variety of lithologic phases, including gray glauconitic limestones, marls resem- bling those on Savannah River, calcareous clays and claystones, and red and varicolored unconsolidated sands. (See PI. X, J..) Exposures of the formation are of small areal extent, and the marls and other materials have had but little effect on the soils of the region underlain by them. The marls are commonly replete with fossils, the casts and shells of mollusca being the most common. Vertebrate remains (fish teeth and fragments of bones), Bryozoa, and corals have been collected. A portion of the McBean formation consists principally of fuller's earth and drab or greenish sandy clays. This is a depositional phase of the terrane, and is best exposed along the northern margin of the formation, from Grovetown, Columbia County, to near Macon. This phase has. been named the Congaree clay member of the McBean formation. (See p. 77.) The McBean formation as a whole is marine in aspect and was doubtless deposited near shore in shallow water. Thickness. — The thickness of the McBean formation east of Ocmul- gee River is estimated to be 300 to 400 feet. The maximum exposed thickness occurs at Shell Bluff, Savannah River, where 115 feet of strata was measured. The thickness of the Claiborne group near Louisville, Jefferson County, estimated from the record of an oil- prospecting well, is 350 feet, the greater part of which is referable to this formation; however, the upper 68 feet may belong to the Barn- well sand. The lithologic character of borings obtained from a well at Waynesboro indicates that at that place the maximum thickness of the Claiborne group is not over 500 feet and may be less; all except about 100 feet of this is referable to the McBean formation. In parts of the area over which the McBean is the surface formation, the thick- ness will vary from 50 feet or less to 150 feet. The thickness along 76 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers is certainly much less than that along Savannah River, a fact suggesting the existence of a structural basin in the Savannah area during the Claiborne epoch. Between Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers, where the Barnwell sand lias not been certainly identified, the thickness of the Claiborne group seems to be less than in Burke County. On Chattahoochee River the estimated thickness of the Claiborne group is 150 or 200 feet. On the Flint, judging from the width of the outcrop, the thickness is not greater than that on the Chattahoochee and is probably less. The thickness between these two rivers, as shown by natural exposures, is not greater than 150 or 200 feet. Paleontologic character. — The most extensive collection from any single locality in the area underlain by this formation was made by Earle Sloan at Sloans Scarp on McBean Creek, between McBean station and Savannah River. Sloan submitted his fossils to T. W. Vaughan, who contributes the following notes: In Georgia the McBean formation includes two paleontologic horizons. The lower one is especially characterized by Pleurotoma nodocarinata Gabb, Turritella nasuta Gabb, Turritella nasuta var. houstonia Harris, Ostrea sellxformis Conrad, Pteropsis lapidosa Conrad, and Corbula fossata Meyer and Aldrich. A higher horizon is represented especially well along Savannah River between Shell Bluff upstream and Griffins Landing downstream. Along this stretch of the river a prominent ledge, largely composed of Ostrea georgiana Conrad, forms the top of the McBean formation. Although this formation could be subdivided along Savannah River it was found impracticable to extend the subdivision westward, for which reason the Ostrea georgiana bed is considered as constituting its upper portion. Between Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers exposures of strata belonging to the Claiborne group have been examined 4| miles south of Perry, Houston County; along Flint River at several localities, notably at the old Danville Ferry and at Penny Bluff; and along Chattahoochee River for a considerable distance below Fort Gaines. Fair collections of fossils, obtained from a number of exposures, render it safe to state that the McBean formation extends uninter- ruptedly from the Savannah to the Chattahooche. However, the formation is masked at many places by later deposits ranging in age from Jackson and Vicksburg to perhaps Pleistocene. The red, rather coarse sands that underlie the Vicksburg and overlie the recognizable McBean may be the westward continuation of the Barn- well sand, but as no fossils have been obtained from the sands be- tween Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers positive correlation with the Barnwell sand of the Savannah drainage can not be made. Physiographic expression. — Over practically the whole area of its occurrence east of Ocmulgee River the McBean formation is overlain by the Barnwell sand, appearing at the surface only in the stream bluffs and on the lower slopes and in the bottoms of the valleys. On account of the compactness of the materials composing it the for- GEOLOGY. 77 mation has been effective in places in preventing the rapid reduction of the valley sides from steep to gentle slopes, but otherwise it has had only a subordinate part in determining the topographic aspect of the region. Structure. — The McBean formation as a whole has a low dip east of south, perhaps not more than 10 or 15 feet to the mile. The dip of individual beds is so slight that they appear horizontal in natural exposures. No pronounced folding or faulting has been observed. Langdon 1 noted low flexures along Chattahoochee Kiver; but only purely local disturbances, such as might be due to land slips or weather- ing and solution of calcareous strata, were noted in the Ocmulgee- Savannah area. The thick beds of clay and fuller's earth show minute jointing. Clay laminae show slight crumpling at a few locali- ties, but this is of doubtful regional significance. An exposure of the McBean formation occurs 4 J miles south of Perry, Houston County, at an elevation higher than Jackson outcrops lying to the north. The structural relations are unexplained, but are probably due to folding or faulting. Congaree clay member. — The Congaree clay member consists princi- pally of fuller's earth and drab or greenish sandy clays. Its name is adopted from South Carolina, where Sloan 2 states its distribution as follows : The Congaree phase is abundantly exhibited in the western Tertiary division along a curved line extending by Aiken, Sandy Run (on the Congaree), Wedgefield, and thence down the eastern side of Santee River; it is also characteristically exhibited along the belt extending from Wedgefield toward the eastern division north of the Carolinian ridge. East of the latter the Congaree phase is probably exhibited in thin shales interlaminated with sands along the western bluffs of Peedee River. The Congaree phase exhibits its littoral line along Hollow Creek near Savannah River and proceeds with occasional tongues extended in conformity with the shore line indicated for the Tertiary. The main line proceeds from McBean Creek valley, Ga., by Beech Island, Aiken, Perry, Horseys Bridge, and Gaston, to the vicinity of Congaree Bluff. The Congaree clay member of the McBean formation in Georgia lies at the base of the Claiborne group, resting directly upon the Lower Cretaceous, from which it is separated by a conspicuous erosion unconformity of regional extent. Striking differences in lithologic character and the character of the fossils in the Congaree clay afford an easy means of distinguishing it from the underlying beds. Faunally, the Congaree clay member does not seem to differ from the lower faunal horizon of the marl of the McBean formation. It seems probable that the clays represent a shoreward phase, or that the Congaree clay member becomes more calcareous southward and gradually merges into the marl. In most of the sections studied the 1 Langdon, D. W., Report on the Coastal Plain: Alabama Geol. Survey, p. 389, 1894. 2 Catalogue of mineral localities of South Carolina: South Carolina Geol. Survey, pp. 454, 455, 1908. 78 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. clay and fuller's earth seem to pass by gradation upward into the Barnwell sand. Some unconformities and some abrupt changes in the character of the strata may be only such as are natural in shallow- water deposits. The fuller's earth contained in the Congaree clay member is drab or gray (often olive-green when moist), fine grained, thinly bedded, and minutely jointed. (See PI. XI, A.) Where pure it is soft, unctuous, and breaks with a smooth conchoidal fracture, but it is generally sandy and contains small sand lenses and pockets and thin micaceous sand partings. It is low in specific gravity and peculiar in physical properties, being highly porous, adhering strongly to the tongue, and, in thin pieces, being light enough to float on water. At a few places the Congaree clay member contains a large amount of disseminated lignitic matter and thin beds of lignite, as at the lignite pit 3 miles south of Grovetown. Thin-bedded, shalelike, aluminous sandstones and dense vitreous quartzites were observed near the base of the member at Hephzibah, Wrens, Gibson, Chalker, and other localities. At a number of localities greenish or drab, stiff or tough clays, showing little or no lamination and attaining a thickness of 80 or 100 feet, lie in contact with the Lower Cretaceous. In places the materials consist of alternating layers, a few inches thick, of clay and varicolored sand. The member reaches a thickness of at least 100 feet. Fossils are abundant at a few places, though on the whole the member is not as fossiliferous as the typical marls of the formation. The animal remains are mainly molluscan casts, although the clay also contains thin marly layers in which shells occur in quantity, and in which fish teeth and fragments of bones are found. Plant localities have been discovered at Grovetown, Hephzibah in Richmond County, and 10 miles south of Macon in Bibb County. This member is not paleontologically distinct from the McBean formation. The Congaree clay member outcrops in numerous places from Grovetown southwestward along the fall line to Bibb and Twiggs counties. It is confined to the northern part of the area of outcrop of the McBean formation, but it can not be sharply separated from either the marls of the McBean formation to the south or from the overlying Barnwell sand. The most prominent and typical exposures are at Grovetown, Harlem, Gibson, Gordon, Roberts, and Pikes Peak in Twiggs County. The clays have had no marked influence on the soil and vegetation, outcropping mainly in gullies and ravines where the overlying red sands have been eroded. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XI A. CUT ON MACON, DUBLIN Sc SAVANNAH RAILROAD AT PIKES PEAK STATION, TWIGGS COUNTY, SHOWING THE CONGAREE CLAY MEMBER OF THE McBEAN FORMATION, AND LIMESTONE OF THE VICKSBURG FORMATION JUST ABOVE DEWITT FERRY, FLINT RIVER, MITCHELL COUNTY. GEOLOGY. BARNWELL SAND. 79 Areal distribution. — The Barnwell sand of the Claiborne group is practically coincident in its distribution with that of the Claiborne group as a whole. The formation overlies both the marls and the clays of the McBean formation and extends to the fall line, being present over parts of Columbia, Richmond, Burke, McDuffie, Jeffer- son, Glascock, Washington, Hancock, Wilkinson, Baldwin, Twiggs, Jones, and Bibb counties. No evidence was found indicating that the fossiliferous red sands in the southern part of the area are later in age than, or are superimposed upon, the sands which near the fall line overlie the Congaree clay member. It is probable that red sands overlying the McBean formation between Flint and Chattahoochee rivers belong to this formation, but no positive statement to this effect can yet be made. The conspicuous red soils of the Claiborne group are derived from the Barnwell sand. The formation is particularly well developed in Burke County, where it contains fossiliferous flint and appears at the surface as a dark-red ferruginous sand. It is also well developed over other counties to the west. StratigrapMc position. — -The Barnwell sand directly overlies the McBean formation and is in contact with both the marls and the Congaree clay member of the latter formation. The nature of the contact separating the Barnwell sand from the McBean formation has not been satisfactorily determined; there is evidence, however, that along the northern margin of the Barnwell sand area the relation is that of unconformity, though of local, not of regional, extent. Farther southward the Barnwell sand seems to overlie the McBean formation conformably. The probable explanation of this discord- ance of relationship in different parts of the area is that after the deposition of the clays and marls of the McBean formation an uplift of the region caused the shore line of the Claiborne sea to recede southward a short distance and permitted erosion in the emerged area. Later, after a relatively short period, resubmergence per- mitted deposition to be resumed over the entire Claiborne area. The Barnwell sand is overlain by the Jackson formation, but the contact between the two has nowhere been observed and its nature is imperfectly known. There is some evidence in favor of a faunal and lithologic gradation and, on the other hand, some suggestion of unconformity. In Burke and Screven counties the formation is overlapped by the Vicksburg formation and questionably by the Chattahoochee forma- tion and the t^ x .Jl Alum Bluff. In the eastern part of the State a large part of it was probably originally overlain by still later undif- ferentiated deposits, two prominent occurrences of which still extend northward to Tennille and Waynesboro. The Barnwell sand is in 80 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. places covered with a small thickness of surficial gray sand of prob- lematic origin and by Pleistocene terrace deposits along the rivers. Lithologic character. — The Barnwell sand consists largely of uncon- solidated red and varicolored sands, embedded hi which are also thin layers of sandstone, quartzite, silicified limestone or flint, and thin layers of siliceous limonite. The sands, especially where weathered, appear somewhat similar to the red, residual sands of the Vicksburg formation, with which they seem to be in contact in the southeastern part of Burke County, and from which, where fossils are absent, they can with difficulty be discriminated. The flint and quartzite contain casts and siliceous replacements of fossils, and good collections have been obtained at several localities. The sand itself is poorly fossiliferous, containing only imperfect casts and molds of fossils and fragments of silicified wood. Thickness. — The maximum measured thickness of the Barnwell sand is 105 feet, this thickness being observed on Storm Branch below Cox Spring, about 2 miles northeast of Shell Bluff post office. Paleontologic character. — Among the common fossils of the Barn- well sand are Mortonia, Mesalia vetusta (Conrad), Turritella carinata Lea, Glycymeris staminea (Conrad), Crassatellites protextus var. lepi- dus Dall, Venericardia alticostata (Conrad), Cytherea perovata Conrad, and Spisula prsetenuis (Conrad). The best collection of fossils from a single locality is that from Old Town, 1\ miles southeast of the present site of Louisville. Physiographic expression. — The Barnwell sand has been an im- portant factor in determining the topography. The greater part of its area is hilly and broken, for the friable sands and soft clays of the formation have yielded readily to erosion. In Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Washington counties valleys have been cut 150 to 200 feet below the level of the ridges and small plateaus, and at many places the hills are furrowed by deep gullies and ravines. In Burke and Jeffer- son counties there are flat plains in which lime sinks have resulted from the collapse of solution cavities in the underlying McBean formation. Structure. — The bedding planes of the Barnwell sand have been largely obscured by chemical changes. For this reason it has been impossible to obtain accurate dip observations. However, the beds dip east of south at a rate probably not exceeding 10 or 15 feet to the mile. JACKSON FORMATION. Areal distribution. — The total area over which the Jackson forma- tion outcrops in Georgia is, so far as known, small. The largest con- nected area is in Johnson, Wilkinson, Houston, Twiggs, Pulaski, Dooly, and Sumter counties. There is a small, isolated area at Rich GEOLOGY. 81 Hill, Crawford County, and, according to Langdon, 1 a small area on Chattahoochee River near Alaga, Ala. The strata exposed on Oconee River at Wring Jaw Landing, Johnson County, are referred to the Jackson formation by T. W. Vaughan. Further detailed work may reveal occurrences east of the Oconee. Between Flint and Chatta- hoochee rivers outcrops have been found only on Ichawaynochaway Creek, 1| miles below Cordray mill, Calhoun County; if the formation outcrops elsewhere to any considerable extent it has not been dis- tinguished from the strata of the Vicksburg formation and the Clai- borne group. The Jackson formation has been recognized at Amer- icus, Sumter County, where fossils obtained in a well boring seem to show that it extends from the surface to a depth of 157 feet. (See section, pp. 394-395.) South and southeast of the areas of outcrop limestones, which prob- ably include in ascending order the Jackson, Vicksburg, and Chatta- hoochee formations, have been more or less completely penetrated in numerous well borings. On the McArthur plantation in Mont- gomery County (p. 346), for instance, the limestones were penetrated from 350 to 890 feet, and at Bainbridge, Decatur County, to a depth of 825 feet (p. 220) . At Doctortown, Wayne County, limestones with interbedded layers of sand were penetrated from 465 to 1,470 feet, but this thickness (1,005 feet) perhaps includes limestone beds referable to the Claiborne group, which underlies the Jackson forma- tion. Similar limestones with interbedded layers of sand were penetrated at Savannah in the wells at the municipal water-supply plant from 250 to 500 feet. StratigrapMc position. — The Jackson formation is the uppermost terrane of the Eocene of Georgia; stratigraphically it lies between the Claiborne group below and the Vicksburg formation above. The line of division between it and the Claiborne group has not been accu- rately determined, and it can not be stated with certainty whether or not deposition continued uninterruptedly from the one to the other, for the two formations are similar lithologically. According to the evidence of the fossils, beds referable to the Jackson formation occur near the mines of the Georgia Kaolin Co. in Twiggs County — an occurrence explainable only by faulting or folding or by an overlap and erosion unconformity. Paleontologic evidence also indicates that an unconformity may exist between the two formations south of Perry in Houston County, though none has thus far been observed in surface outcrops. In Mississippi the Claiborne and Jackson seem to be closely related. Crider 2 states that "even where the formations have been best 1 Report on the Coastal Plain of Alabama: Alabama Geol. Survey, p. 383, 1894. 2 Crider, A. F., Geology and mineral resources of Mississippi: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 283, pp. 33, 34, 1906. 38418°— wsp 341—15 6 82 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. studied there seems to be a gradation in both the fossils and the stratigraphy from the upper Claiborne to the lower Jackson." In Alabama the Jackson has not been described as a separate formation, and very little specific information as to its relations with the Clai- borne has been published. From the description in Langdon's report * on the geology of the Coastal Plain of Alabama it is evident that the two are closely related lithologically and faunally, and in sections where both are exposed no mention is made of unconformable relations. Where the Jackson and the Vicksburg formations have been ob- served in the same section in Georgia there is no evidence of an unconformity or break in the vertical continuity of the strata. The Jackson formation at Rich Hill, 5 miles southeast of Roberta, Crawford County, rests directly upon Lower Cretaceous strata, and the presence of marine deposits at this locality indicates that the formation originally extended as an overlap much farther northward than at present and suggests that it may have even transgressed upon the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau. Liiliologic character and thickness. — The formation consists of white or cream-colored, massive-bedded limestones, thin beds of marl, and calcareous, glauconitic, and sandy laminated clays. The limestones are highly fossilif erous, in places consisting almost entirely of a friable mass of Bryozoa and shells. Southward from Perry there is a consid- erable thickness of loose red and yellow quartz sand and clay, the stratigraphic position of which has not yet been fixed, but which may belong hi part to the Jackson formation. Silicification of the limestone was noted half a mile north of Bonaire and also south of Perry, Houston County. The thickness of the Jackson formation in the area of outcrop can not be determined with accuracy, mainly on account of uncertainty as to the location of the line of division between it and the Claiborne group. About 75 feet of it is exposed at Rich Hill, and about the same amount south of Perry, not including the sands underlying the fossiliferous strata. At Americus, Sumter County, the thickness as shown by a well record is 157 feet. The buried representatives of the formation in south-central Georgia probably exceed 100 feet in thick- ness. Paleontologic character. — The limestones of the formation are highly fossiliferous, but the clays and sands are only sparingly so. As in Mississippi and Louisiana, the formation seems to mark the upper limit of Venericardia planicosta. In places Bryozoa make up the greater part of the rock, this being especially true of the occurrences at Rich Hill, Crawford County, at Ross Hill, 3 J miles south of Perry, and at other localities. Of the 24 species which have been deter- i Op. cit., pp. Ill, 12S, 3S1, 383. GEOLOGY. 83 mined from the Jackson formation in Georgia, only 6 are common to the overlying Vicksburg formation. The whalelike mammal, Zeuglodon (Basilosauras), is a characteristic fossil of the Jackson, and some fragments of it have been found in Georgia. As in the Vicksburg formation, Pecten and Orbitoides are abundant; Pecten perplanus, Pecten nuperus, and Orbitoides mantelli appear in both formations. Physiographic expression. — The limestone member of the forma- tion has produced a prominent scarp on the south side of Indian and Mill creeks in Houston County. Rich Hill, in Crawford County, is a conspicuous topographic feature, owing to the fact that the lime- stones and clays of the formation resisted erosion better than the Cretaceous sands and clays. A few lime sinks occur north of Bonaire. Structure. — The formation dips gently southeastward. Visual evi- dence of folding was not noted in field work, but either a fold or fault in the strata or an erosion unconformity between the Jackson for- mation and the Claiborne group must be assumed to explain the posi- tion of the McBean formation at a level stratigraphically higher than the Jackson 4J miles south of Perry. OLIGOCENE SERIES. VICKSBTJB.G FORMATION. Areal distribution. — The Vicksburg formation outcrops over a large area in the western part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, including parts or all of the counties of Sumter, Lee, Terrell, Webster, Ran- dolph, Clay, Early, Calhoun, Dougherty, Baker, Mitchell, Miller, and Decatur. Areas of outcrop also occur in Crisp, Dooly, Houston, Pulaski, Twiggs, and Laurens counties. Eastward from Oconee River the formation has been largely concealed by later formations, and only small areas of it are known in Screven and Burke counties. With the exception of the undifferentiated and the Pleistocene sur- ficial deposits, the area over which the Vicksburg is the surface forma- tion is greater than that of any other formation of the Coastal Plain. The formation has been recognized in well borings, on paleonto- logic evidence, southeast and south of the areas of outcrop at Clax- ton, Tattnall County, between the depths 365 and 550 feet (see log, p. 404) ; at Waycross, Ware County, between the depths 415 and 691 feet (see log, pp. 438-439) ; at Kingsland, Camden County, between the depths 450 and 482 feet (see p. 178); and at Valdosta, Lowndes County, between the depths 400 and 480 feet (see log, pp. 318-319). Stratigraphic position. — The Vicksburg formation, which is classi- fied as Oligocene, occupies a stratigraphic position between the Jackson formation (Eocene) below and the Chattahoochee formation above. Contacts with the Jackson formation were seen in Houston and Pulaski counties, where there seems to be no physical break between the two divisions. 84 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. West of Flint River the Vicksburg overlaps northward to the belts of outcrop cf the Midway and Wilcox formations and has largely obscured the Claiborne group and the Jackson formation. Uncon- formable contacts with the Claiborne group, the Jackson apparently missing, were noted near Fort Gaines, Cuthbert, Shellman, and Ander- sonville. ' Unconformable contacts between the Vicksburg formation and the overlying Chattahoochee formation have been observed in the vicin- ity of Bainbridge, Decatur County, by Pumpelly 1 and Vaughan. 2 (See Chattahoochee formation, pp. 86-89.) Northward from Deca- tur County, in the escarpment on the east side of Flint River, the upper part of the formation has been so much obscured by weather- ing that its relations to the overlying Chattahoochee formation can not be observed. Eastward in Dooly, Pulaski, Laurens, Burke, and Screven counties, and in other counties along the northern margin of the formation, the Vicksburg formation is overlapped and partly obscured by the Alum Bluff formation and by later deposits, so that here also its relation to the Chattahoochee formation can not be observed. Lithologic character. — The formation is made up principally of limestones but also contains beds of sand and clay. The limestones have been extensively silicified and in many places do not appear at the surface, but are concealed by varicolored, very coarse grained, sandy clays, probably residual, in which residual flint fragments are embedded. The limestones are generally white or cream-colored, soft, earthy, and very abundantly fossiliferous. In places flat, disklike Orbitoides, Bryozoa, and Pectens and their fragments form nearly the whole of the rock. Along Flint River the rock has a characteristic vesicular or pitted appearance due to solution, and its bluffs are marked by cavelike recesses which give it a rough, jagged appearance. (See PL XI, B, p. 78.) Bedding and joint planes are almost entirely absent. At a few localities the limestones are hard, white, and crystalline, and are sufficiently pure for use in the manufacture of lime. The softer rocks contain various percentages of silica and clay; the silica is generally not in the form of quartz grains but has been introduced in solution in circulating waters, replacing the limestone. The limestones have been extensively silicified and the formation in many places consists of flint fragments and large siliceous bowlders in residual sands and clay; at no place, however, does the flint appear in continuous, solid, or undisturbed beds. The flint is either porous and tripoli-like, or brittle, compact, and translucent, having been converted into jasper and chalcedony. i Am. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., vol. 46, pp. 445-447, 1893. 2 Science, new ser., vol. 12, pp. 873-S75, 1900. GEOLOGY. 85 The white porous flint is prominent wherever the Vicksburg is the underlying formation. The white or cream color is due to the porous condition of the rock, the silica of which, when examined under the microscope, is seen to be in translucent grains, probably chalcedony. These flint rocks are in many places as fossiliferous as the limestones and are evidently replacements of the soft, porous lime- stones of the Vicksburg formation. The alteration in most places has been complete, the rock rarely showing effervescence with acids. Some of the flint is dense, compact, vitreous or brittle, and either translucent or red, yellow, or brown. This variety shows fewer traces of fossils than the porous flint, but it is probably a replacement of the limestones, though jasper in the form of nodules in the limestones, apparently produced by the segregation of silica and not by replace- ment, has been observed at Albany. Large bowlders of flint, picturesquely heaped, appear along Flint River from Albany to Bainbridge. The bowlders are characteris- tically vesicular and contain spherical cavities an inch or more in diameter, which appear to have been originally occupied by echinoids and which often contain a spongy, skeleton-like kernel of silica in place of the calcareous test. The Vicksburg formation is deeply weathered, the weathered prod- uct appealing at the surface as deep-red argillaceous sands, containing scattered flint fragments and black and brown iron oxide accretions about the size of buckshot. In old railway and road cuts where the sands have been exposed for a long time they have become slightly cemented by iron oxide and crack into polygonal figures. At a num- ber of places the residual clays and sands present a mottled appear- ance not unlike that of the late Oligocene beds. The freshly exposed residue of decomposition and solution is a highly siliceous bluish or gray tenacious clay. Beds of sand which probably belong to the Vicksburg formation have been reported in a number of wells. In a cut on the Central of Georgia Railway half a mile east of Dawson two beds of varicolored sand, which do not appear to be residual, are associated with residual flint and clay. Thickness. — The thickness of the formation can not be determined from natural exposures. A well boring at Lela, Decatur County (see log, p. 222), penetrated 400 feet of Vicksburg strata. Along the northern margin of the outcrop in Clay, Randolph, Webster, and Sumter counties the thickness is less than 100 feet. Spencer 1 esti- mated the thickness at Bainbridge to be 500 feet, but he probably included strata that should have been referred to older Eocene forma- tions. The formation also appears in Burke and Screven counties, 'Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 55, 1890-91. 86 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. where the thickness probably does not exceed that in the western part of the State. Paleontologic character. — The formation is highly fossiliferous, the most abundant forms being Foraminifera and Bryozoa. The flat, disklike foraminifer, Orbitoides, which varies from a quarter of an inch, to 2 inches in diameter, is so common that the formation was formerly called the Orbitoidal limestone. The fauna of the Vicks- burg formation possesses certain distinctive characteristics, although some of the common Vicksburg forms, such as Orbitoides and Pecten perplanus are also found in the underlying Jackson formation. Amusium ocalanum is a characteristic fossil. Venericardia planicosta, which ranges up into the underlying Jackson formation, has not been found in the Vicksburg formation. Common Vicksburg fossils are Orbitoides mantelli, 0. papyracea, Nummulites wilcoxi, Glycymeris arc- tatus, Pecten poulsoni, P. perplanus, Amusium ocalanum, and Cytherea sobrina. Physiographic expression. — The formation has exerted a notable effect on the topography. In general, surface areas underlain by it are more nearly level than those of the other older formations of the Coastal Plain. Underground solution has been extensive and the plains are dotted with lime sinks and with ponds which range from shallow circular depressions not more than 50 feet across to lakes occupying several hundred acres. The region is also characterized by a scarcity of small surface streams, much of the drainage being underground by way of the sinks. Structure. — The beds are almost horizontal but dip slightly south- eastward at probably not more than 8 feet to the mile — less than the dip of the miderlying strata — as estimated from the supposed base of the formation at Americus and Cuthbert and the supposed base at Albany as determined from the record of an artesian well. No flex- ures or faulting have been observed, though some may be revealed by detailed geologic work, for it is certain that the Coastal Plain has undergone oscillations subsequent to the deposition of the Vicksburg formation. APALACHICOLA GE.OTTP. The Apalachicola group in Georgia includes the Chattahoochee and Alum Bluff formations. CHATTAHOOCHEE FORMATION. Areal distribution.— -The Chattahoochee formation appears at the surface in relatively small areas, being largely concealed by the overlying Alum Bluff and later formations. Good exposures occur along Flint River and in lime sinks near Recovery in Decatur County; and strata belonging to the formation were noted by Langdon 1 on » Am. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., vol. 3S, p. 324, 1S89. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XII A. LIMESTONE OF THE CHATTAHOOCHEE FORMATION ON THE LEFT BANK OF WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER AT NEW BRIDGE (OR HORN BRIDGE) 3 MILES BELOW THE CROSSING OF THE VALDOSTA SOUTHERN RAILWAY, LOWNDES COUNTY. _B. ALUM BLUFF FORMATION ABOVE GRADYS (GRAYS?) LANDING, ALTAMAHA RIVER, TOOMBS COUNTY. The materials are sands, clays, and sandy fuller's earth. GEOLOGY. 87 Chattahoochee River, 9 miles above River Junction, Fla. The formation appears at Forest Falls and other lime sinks in the northern part of Grady County, in the vicinity of Metcalf and Thomas ville, Thomas County, and in the beds and bluffs of Withlacoochee and Alapaha rivers near the Georgia-Florida line. (See PL XII, A.) On Ocmulgee River near Abbeville and near Hawkinsville the forma- tion is believed to be represented by fragmentary beds and by residual flint masses containing corals. Limestone, which outcrops near Jacksonboro on Briar Creek in Screven County, has been correlated by Vaughan with the Chattahoochee formation. Limestone, which outcrops in a small area northwest of Millen, Jenkins County, is provisionally considered as a part of the same formation; but the evidence for this classification is admittedly very meager. Limestone of the Chattahoochee formation has been discovered near Cordele, Crisp County, and limestone probably belonging to it outcrops 7 miles northwest of Sylvester. Strata of this formation are believed to outcrop in the escarpment east of Flint River from Crisp County to Decatur County but are largely obscured by weathering. Buried representatives of the formation are believed to underlie nearly all the Coastal Plain of Georgia southeast and south of the areas of outcrop. The formation has been recognized on paleontologic evidence in a well boring at Tarboro, Camden County, between the depths 375 and 400 feet. (See p. 178.) Stratigraphic position. — Pumpelly * and Vaughan 2 have recognized an erosion unconformity between the Chattahoochee and the under- lying limestone of the Vicksburg formation in Decatur County. At Blue Springs, on Flint River 4 miles south of Bainbridge, both forma- tions are present, but the contact between the two is much obscured by the weathering of both the Vicksburg and the Chattahoochee. At Red Bluff, 7 miles north of Bainbridge, a contact similar to that at Blue Springs is exposed. The Chattahoochee formation appears as fragments of flint in residual sandy clay, and the weathered lime- stone of the Vicksburg formation appears at the base of the bluff. There is evidence of an erosion unconformity at this locality, and also at the bluff back of the old factory about 2 miles above Bainbridge. However, at Forest Falls, 8 miles northwest of Whigham, no uncon- formities were observed in a section the base of which, according to paleontologic evidence, is referable to the Vicksburg formation, and successively higher portions of which, on similar evidence, belong to the Chattahoochee and Alum Bluff formations. Sedimentation was probably continuous from the beginning of Chattahoochee time to the end of Alum Bluff time, for no evidence of an erosion interval separating the two formations has been observed i Am. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., vol. 46, pp. 445-447, 1893. 2 Science, new ser., vol. 12, pp. 873-875, 1900. 88 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. in the field. McCallie, 1 however, has noted an unconformity at the old Toy phosphate pit, 3£ miles west of Boston; but whether this is due to erosion or to solution and irregular weathering of the limestone has not been determined. When this locality was visited by the authors the relations of the clay to the limestone had become obscured by the debris filling the pits. Liihologic diameter. — The Chattahoochee formation is in general calcareous and varies from compact, pure, crystalline limestones to earthy argillaceous limestones and calcareous sands and sandstones. Compact, gray, drab, or white fossiliferous limestones make up the bulk of the formation. A brecciated or conglomeratic structure is characteristic of some of the beds, the phenomenon being observed at nearly all localities where there are good exposures. These con- glomerate beds do not seem to be confined to a particular horizon, and their origin and significance are not well understood. Both the matrix and the angular or rounded fragments are limestone. Some beds appear to be pseudoconglomerates, and consist of a limestone matrix containing fossil echinoids whose structure has been partly obliterated, giving them the appearance of water-worn fragments. The rock is phosphatic at a number of places, containing brown or black rounded pebbles of phosphate or fragments of bones and teeth. The limestones at the base of the formation have been replaced by silica at several localities and at others are represented by frag- mental beds of flint containing corals and other fossils in a matrix of residual clay. The flint closely resembles that of the underlying Vicksburg formation and can not everywhere be easily distinguished from it. Thickness. — In the gorge northwest of Faceville, Decatur County, the Chattahoochee formation has a probable total thickness of 100 feet. At Forest Falls, or Limesink, in the northern part of Grady County, it has an exposed thickness of 60 or 65 feet. No very reliable data are at hand for estimating its total thickness to the east and northeast, under cover of later formations ; but its maximum probably does not exceed 250 feet. Pdleontologic character. — Though no abrupt faunal break occurs between the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations and though some fossils are common to both, the two formations show marked differences. The base of the Chattahoochee contains a rich coral fauna which, in the vicinity of Bainbridge, has been studied by T. W. Vaughan. 2 He estimated that in a coral reef 4 miles south of Bainbridge there were between 25 and 30 species of corals, and he correlated the beds with the Oligocene of Antigua. The character- istic Vicksburg species Amusium ocalanum does not appear, and, i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 5-A, p. 62, 1S96. 2 Science, new ser., vol. 12, pp. 873-875, 1900. GEOLOGY. 89 though the genus Orbitoides is common to both the Vicksburg and Chattahoochee formations, most of the Chattahoochee species are different from those of the Vicksburg. Orbitolites complanata occurs in the Chattahoochee formation, but has not been found in the Vicksburg. Orthaulax pugnax, a gastropod common in the Tampa formation of Florida, has been found at two localities. Physiographic expression. — In portions of Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Brooks, and Lowndes counties, where the Chattahoochee formation lies near the surface, the topography is a little more hilly and rugged than hi other parts of southern Georgia. Lime sinks, lakes, and ponds due to the underground solution and consequent caving in of the limestones of the formation are notable features of the topog- raphy. Structure. — The formation is tilted slightly southward and south- eastward. The dip is low, probably not over 8 feet to the mile. The top of the formation is estimated to be about 225 feet above sea level at Forest Falls or Limesink, and about 200 feet above sea level near Faceville, approximately 24 miles to the southwest. At Red Bluff, 7 miles north of Bainbridge on Flint River, where Vaughan has determined paleontologically the presence of the Chattahoochee, its base can hardly be more than 20 feet above the river, and at Blue Spring, 4 miles below Bainbridge, is about 10 feet above the river. This indicates a very low dip. Local dislocations of beds, due to underground solution and consequent sinking, have been observed in Thomas and Decatur counties. ALUM BLUFF FORMATION. Areal distribution. — The Alum Bluff formation outcrops in southern and south-central Georgia throughout a large area extending from Decatur County northeastward to Savannah River. The limit of the deposits of the Alum Bluff as they exist to-day is approximately marked on the north by Waynesboro, Tennille, and Vienna; on the west by the west-facing escarpment which separates the Altamaha upland from the Flint River valley; and on the east by a line extend- ing from Savannah River near the mouth of Buck Creek through Sylvania, Reidsville, and Blackshear to the western edge of Oke- fenokee Swamp. The formation includes typical marine invertebrate-bearing gravels sands, clays, and marls and irregularly bedded nonfossiliferous sands, gravels, and clays. All the deposits are of shallow-water origin. The upper part of the formation is usually coarser grained than the lower. Pebbles occur in its upper part just below the Miocene contact at Porters Landing on Savannah River, where it contains abundant marine fossils. 90 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The first comprehensive description of the physiographic aspect and lithologic character of the formation as exposed in Georgia was published by R. H. Loughridge, 1 who correlated it with the "Grand Gulf sandstones" of the Gulf States. His description is as follows: Included between the Savannah River and the Atlantic and Gulf water divide there seems to have been once formed a large shallow basin, which is now filled with a sandstone composed for the most part of coarse angular grit and clay, partly cemented with silica and resembling in character the Grand Gulf sandstone of the Gulf States. The area is marked on the map by the deep-green color of the pine barrens region, whose soils overlie the formation. The rocks have a slight dip to the southeast and have been traced by Capt. M. T. Singleton (now of the United States Engineer Corps, engaged in river improvement) for 60 miles along Oconee River, and he estimates the thickness to be 200 feet. Outcrops have been observed in Irwin, Dodge, Ware, and other counties. Paramore's hill, in the western part of Screven County, is of this sandstone, which here has a thickness of 50 feet or more. Its grains of quartz are partly clear and translucent and partly white and opaque and the rock is highly aluminous. The southern limit of the sandstone is apparently at the edge of the second terrace, near the coast and along Satilla River north of Okefenokee Swamp, but the formation (represented by blue clays underlying the sandy lands) extends probably still south- ward, including in its area the country near the Florida line between Alapaha River east to the ridge on the eastern side of the swamp — a part of the main Atlantic and Gulf water divide of the State. The name "Altamaha grit" was proposed for the same deposits in 1892 by Dall, 2 who regarded the typical beds along the Altamaha River as contemporaneous in a general way with the older Miocene, which was later classified by the same author and others as upper Oligocene. He says, regarding the deposits: Though the contact with the oyster-bearing Hawthorne beds of House Creek was not observed by Mr. Burns, there can be little doubt that the latter are overlain by the grit where they join, and that the grits which contain no fossils except a little silicified wood are consequently of Miocene age. Seaward from them marine Mio- cene beds of the Chesapeake series were doubtless laid down, since Conrad records the washing up on St. Simons Island of a specimen of Ecphora. He also states : * * * The last bluff of the grit is only a few rods above the bridge across the Altamaha River at Doctortown, the piers of the bridge resting upon a newer forma- tion. [This bed is Chesapeake Miocene.] "The oyster-bearing Hawthorne beds of House Creek" also belong to the Alum Bluff formation and are not stratigraphically separable from the Altamaha grit of Dall. Harper 3 in 1906 and Veatch 4 in 1908 correlated the same depos- its with the Pliocene. Harper reiterated the correlation of the Altamaha with the "Grand Gulf" of the Gulf States. Veatch and 1 Loughridge, R. H., Cotton production of the State of Georgia: Tenth Census, vol. 6, Georgia, pp. 15, 16 (281, 2S2 at bottom of page), 1884. 2 Dall, W. H., U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 84, p. 82, 1892. 3 Harper, R. M., New York Acad. Sci. Annals, vol. 17, pt. 1, p. 18, 1906. 1 Veatch, Otto, Science, new ser., vol. 27, pp. 71-74, 190S. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XIV A. QUARTZITE OF THE ALUM BLUFF FORMATION IN THE FIRST CUT OF THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY SOUTHEAST OF THE BRIDGE OVER OCMULGEE RIVER IN JEFF DAVIS COUNTY. B. LOWER SISTERS BLUFF, ALTAMAHA RIVER, APPLING COUNTY, SHOWING SANDS AND CLAYS OF THE ALUM BLUFF FORMATION. GEOLOGY. 91 Stephenson 1 in 1911 questionably referred the formation to the Plio- cene, although they recognized that the term Altamaha formation, as used by them, and also as previously used by Harper and by Veatch, included strata ranging in age from Oligocene to Pleistocene. The investigations of recent years have led to the conclusion that the bulk of the deposits included by Harper, Veatch, and Stephenson in the Altamaha formation are of Oligocene age and are probably contemporaneous with a part of the Alum Bluff formation. Marine fossils are rare in most of the exposures of the Alum Bluff formation, but they have been found in Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Lowndes, Echols, Wilcox, and Effingham counties. Excellent expo- sures appear in the bluffs of Ocmulgee and Altamaha rivers from near Abbeville to Doctortown. (See PL XII, B, p. 86; PI. XIII, and PI. XIV, A and B.) Except along streams, along escarpments near streams, and near the Florida line, the entire area underlain by the Alum Bluff forma- tion is mapped as " Undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclu- sive." The inland boundary of the formation has" not been accu- rately ascertained, nor has the boundary between it and the Miocene been definitely traced; however, it is probable that the Alum Bluff is the immediately subsurficial or the surficial formation westward from a line passing through Rocky Ford and Waycross to somewhat beyond the inland margin of the Chattahoochee formation, as there is considerable evidence in favor of the latter formation being over- lapped by the former. There is discrepancy in the treatment of the area underlain by the Alum Bluff as compared with that of the areas underlain in the Coastal Plain by older Tertiary formations, for that underlain by it is represented as covered by undifferentiated deposits ranging in age from Oligocene to Pleistocene, whereas in the areas of the other formations account is not taken of Pleistocene deposits along stream valleys and of what are perhaps overwash deposits associated with stages in drainage development. Consistent treat- ment of the Alum Bluff formation would have led to omitting the color representing "undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene" over the area the surface of which it is indicated as underlying. This inconsistency is mostly to be attributed to the present incomplete knowledge of its inland and seaward boundaries. Stratigraphic position. — The Alum Bluff formation conformably overlies the Chattahoochee formation, and the exact boundary be- tween the two is in places drawn arbitrarily, for there is neither abrupt lithologic nor faunal change from the one to the other. There are in places apparent unconformities due to solution and weathering of the limestone of the Chattahoochee near the contact. On Savan- nah and Altamaha rivers the Alum Bluff formation is separated from i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 26, pp. 400-423, 1911. 92 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. the overlying Miocene by an erosion unconformity, probably of minor importance. Throughout the greater part of the area underlain by the Alum Bluff formation its weathered products, in places perhaps overlain by more recent deposits, are believed to form the surface material; but in southeastern Georgia it is overlain by lithologically similar undifferentiated deposits, ranging in age from Miocene to Pleistocene. Owing to the lithologic similarity of the materials forming or overlying the surface of the Alum Bluff no attempt has been made to differentiate them on the map, their discrimination being left for future work. In narrow areas along all the larger streams the Alum Bluff for- mation is overlain by thin terrace deposits of Pleistocene age. Lithologic character. — The Alum Bluff formation appears in a num- ber of different lithologic phases, including subordinate beds of peb- bles, coarse angular sands, coarse-grained aluminous sandstones or grits, sandy clays, fuller's earths, phosphatic sands, quartzites, sand- stones, silicified clays, and limestones or calcareous layers and nod- ules of local extent. Greenish or gray argillaceous sands and sandy laminated clays form the greater part of the formation. Beds of fuller's earth occur in the formation both in Georgia and in Florida. The fuller's earth is generally a gray or drab, faintly laminated, claylike earth of low specific gravity. The earth is gen- erally rather hard and brittle and in many places has been so sili- cified that it is very hard and rocklike and has lost its characteristic properties. Segregations of silica in the form of small, round, or flattened nodules are characteristic. The fuller's earth beds do not attain great thickness and are not persistent over large areas, but appear to be local phases in sands and sandy clays. Greenish and drab sticky plastic clays and argillaceous sands are associated with the fuller's earth. Phosphatic sands on Alapaha and Suwannee rivers are believed to he directly above the Chattahoochee formation. Sands of the Alum Bluff formation on Savannah River are also slightly phosphatic. These sands are generally unconsolidated or only slightly indurated. In places they are coarse grained and even contain small pebbles, and in many places they are cross-bedded. They consist largely of quartz, the phosphate content being in the form of small brown or black slick nodules or water-worn pieces of bones and teeth, vary- ing in size from a pinhead to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A little clay is generally present. The sands, in a number of places, are calcareous and contain calcareous phosphatic nodules. A chem- ical analysis by Edgar Everhart, former chemist of the Geological Survey of Georgia, of a sample of sand from Suwannee River 9 miles below Fargo showed 16.8 per cent of phosphoric acid (P 2 5 ). GEOLOGY. 93 The clay and fuller's earth phases of the formation have in places been silicified to such an extent that they have been converted into very hard clay stones, and the argillaceous sands have become dense, vitreous, and brittle quartzites. The clay breccias and conglomer- ates have likewise been silicified. In fact, alteration of the rocks by silica carried in solution by circulating waters has taken place in some degree throughout the greater part of the formation. Opal and agate occur in places as a result of this sihcification. Samples of the silicified clays from Withlacoochee River, 7 miles east of Quitman, were examined in the laboratory. They vary from bluish to light-greenish and dove color, are hard, brittle, and break with a conchoidal fracture, and are dense and compact, with cracks filled with opaline silica. Some of these rocks are slightly phosphatic. Some phases, which might be termed " opalized clay conglomerates ' ' or " breccias/' originally consisted of pebbles or angular fragments of clay in a matrix of very sandy lighter-colored clay or argillaceous sand that in places contains oyster shells. By the infiltration of opaline silica, the rock has become dense, compact, and in many places vitre- ous or glassy to such an extent that the sand grains are no longer recognizable. The clay is about 3 in the scale of hardness and it requires a strong blow with the hammer to break it. The oyster shells have become opalized and agatized, the lime having been replaced by silica. In Grady, Brooks, and Thomas counties thin beds of white sand- stone, usually soft, are associated with sandy clays and are often phosphatic, the phosphate being in part the cementing agent. Thickness. — The maximum thickness of the Alum Bluff formation in Georgia is estimated to be 150 to 200 feet. At no known locality can the full thickness of the formation be seen in natural exposure, and the estimate is based chiefly on well records. Records at Lumber City, in Telfair County, indicate a thickness of over 200 feet. Some of the natural exposures on Savannah River reveal a thickness of 70 or 80 feet. Pdleontologic character. — A few fossils have been found in the ma- rine beds of the formation in Georgia, most of them being in the form of casts and impressions. T. W. Vaughan obtained a number of spe- cies in the vicinity of Bainbridge, and a well-preserved oyster, Ostrea mauricensis, is found at several localities. The formation seems to mark the disappearance of the species of Orbitoides which are so common in the Vicksburg and Chattahoochee formations Among the characteristic fossils are Turritella alcida Dall, Carolia, and Pecten madisonius var. sayanus Dall. Physiographic expression. — The area over which the Alum Bluff formation is represented on the map as being at the immediate sur- face is relatively small, although in the southeastern part of Decatur 94 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF -GEORGIA. and in the southern parts of Grady, Thomas, Brooks, and Lowndes counties a relatively broken and hilly topography has been produced by its erosion and weathering. This erosion is due chiefly to the char- acter of the drainage and the structural features. The higher divides and uplands underlain by the formation and mapped as "undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive," present a peculiar topography. Part of this area constitutes the Altamaha upland, one of the major topographic divisions of the Coastal Plain of Georgia (pp. 32-34), an area of low lulls with gentle slopes and softened outlines, of shallow saucer-shaped valleys, many of which are not more than 40 or 50 feet deep, of sluggish clear-water streams bordered by swamps and sand hammocks, and of "bays" and cypress ponds. Altamaha and Oconee rivers have cut deep valleys, and the pre- cipitous bluffs along their courses form an exception to the general type of topography of the area. The low hills and gentle slopes of the main area present a notable contrast to the broken hilly areas of the Cretaceous and Eocene near the fall line, with the lime-sink topography to the west and southwest, and with the flat sand-coated plains to the southeast. Structure. — The Alum Bluff formation has a very low southward and southeastward dip, certainly much less than that of the older Eocene and Vicksburg formations. On Savannah River the dip does not exceed 4 or 5 feet to the mile, and near the Florida line the beds must be almost horizontal, for the streams have cut through them, exposing the underlying formations. No evidence of broad flexures nor even minor folding and faulting was observed in the natural ex- posures of the strata. However, the probability that a broad arch exists in the southern part of the State has been mentioned. (See p. 59.) UNDIFFERENTIATED OLIGOCENE TO PLEISTOCENE, INCLUSIVE. The materials designated "Undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleisto- cene, inclusive," on the geologic map have been partly discussed under Alum Bluff formation (p. 91), and under Miocene series (pp. 97-98). The bulk of the deposits previously included by the writers and by others in the Altamaha formation and referred questionably to the Pliocene are now regarded by them as Oligocene and as probably con- temporaneous with part of the Alum Bluff formation. (See p. 91.) This material consists of irregularly bedded, locally indurated sands, clays, and gravels. On the whole the individual beds are homogene- ous, but locally they are a heterogeneous mixture. The indurated sands and the conglomerates contain a peculiar greenish or greenish- gray disseminated clay and are described as "gray or greenish alumi- nous grits." The pebbles are predominantly subangular, many of U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XV A. GREENISH-GRAY ARGILLACEOUS FELDSPATHIC SANDSTONE OF THE ALUM BLUFF FOR- MATION, KNOWN AS "THE ROCKS," NEAR THE HEAD OF A SMALL BRANCH 8 OR 9 MILES EAST OF NORTH OF BROXTON, COFFEE COUNTY. B. WEATHERED PHASE OF LATE OLIGOCENE BEDS IN A CUT OF THE ATLANTIC COAST LINE RAILROAD WEST OF CAIRO, GRADY COUNTY, SHOWING CHARACTERISTIC MOTTLING. GEOLOGY. 95 them lath shaped, and the sands are universally harsh or in sharp angular grains. Feldspar is present in great abundance, both as pebbles and as seniidecomposed disseminated grains, and phases of the deposits maybe appropriately described as "feldspathie grit.' 7 Calcareous phases are totally absent. The weathered surface mate- rials are mottled and splotched in red, yellow, purple, and gray, the surface aspects differing in this respect from those of any other formation of the Coastal Plain. (See PL XV, B.) These striking effects are probably due to unequal weathering, oxidation, and un- equal distribution of iron materials. This peculiar surface phase is not a later deposition but results from weathering, although in many places it appears to overlie unaltered beds unconformably. The materials are very coarse grained, even at points 100 miles from their northern margin. The beds that have been locally indurated to sand- stones, conglomerates, and claystones, do not differ essentially hi com- position from the nonindurated materials. The grit and sandstone phases, the peculiar nature of which at- tracted the special attention of those who first studied the terrane, are typically exposed along Altamaha Kiver (PL XIV, B, p. 91), where they appear as gray or greenish, aluminous sandstones, more or less mottled and stained by iron oxide. At some localities pebbles are embedded in the sand and clay matrix and the whole cemented into a conglomerate; but except for the pebbles these beds do not appear different from the usual sandstones of the Alum Bluff formation. The percentage of clay in the indurated rock varies from 5 per cent to a percentage sufficiently high to render the rock an indurated clay rather than a sandstone. The sandstones are generally soft and friable, the cementing material being an opaline silica, but locally the rock is extremely hard. In places the sandstones are arkosic; that is, they are composed of quartz, feldspar, mica, and other minerals originally derived from igneous rocks and have their interstices filled with clay, the whole being cemented with silica, producing rocks not unlike some of the indurated phases of the Lower Cretaceous strata near the fall line. These lithologic peculiarities have been observed at widely separated localities and are everywhere easily identified, although entirely devoid of fossils. Except along Alta- maha Kiver, surface outcrops are not abundant. In the interstream areas there are some small tracts a few acres in extent, in which jut- ting beds of sandstone 15 or 20 feet thick form barren rocky flats. Exposures of grit or hard rock are most common in the northern part of the Altamaha upland (see PL XV, A) but are not observed near the coast or near the Florida boundary line. It is believed that these isolated exposures are local indurations only and do not form continuous sandstone beds. 96 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The clays, which are similar to those of the Alum Bluff formation, are fairly uniform in texture and composition throughout the area of then* occurrence. They are greenish or drab, very fine grained and plastic, and are everywhere more or less sandy. They have a low specific gravity, absorb a high percentage of water, and occur in thick irregular pockets or thin lenticular layers, nowhere persisting as individual beds over any large area. In places they grade into or are abruptly replaced by sands and sandstones. Greenish clay, full of coarse angular quartz particles and subangular decomposed feldspar pebbles is common. The clays are locally indurated, the cementing material being opaline silica. The sands consist chiefly of coarse quartz grains and are red and yellow, or orange, or less commonly brownish in color. They are more or less argillaceous and locally contain layers or lenses, rarely more than 8 or 10 feet thick, of quartz and feldspar pebbles. The feldspar pebbles constitute a large percentage of the gravel layers. A characteristic of the pebbles is their angularity, some being lath shaped and showing scarcely any rounding of the angles. At a few localities the pebbles are rather large, attaining a diameter of 4 to 5 inches. The pebbly feature is nowhere very prominent and is ex- ceptional rather than general. Where the pebble beds are indurated, the cementing material is clay, opaline silica, and iron oxide. In the southwestern part of the State, near Whigham, in Grady County, the sands are, in places, fine grained, cross-bedded, and rarely micaceous, and are interstratified with thin layers and leaves of plastic clay which do not exceed an inch in thickness. In the northern part of the region the sands are everywhere coarse. It is only near the Florida State line that they are fine grained and even here they contain some coarse-grained materials. They are nowhere pure, and they contain large amounts of disseminated clay. The sands, clays, and sandstones, although described separately in the foregoing paragraphs, do not form beds of more than local extent. Irregularity of bedding is characteristic and in many of the exposed sections the sands, clays, and sandstones are present in interlocking small lenses or merge abruptly into each other hori- zontally. In places the sands and gritty clays may be seen to grade horizontally from nonindurated to indurated rocks, or from soft sands and clays into grits. Brown iron-oxide "pebbles" or nodules are so abundant at many places as to warrant special mention. They occur throughout the wire-grass region in such quantity as to cause the lands to be termed "pebble" or "pimple" land in contrast to the lands covered by the residual gray sand alone. Pebble land is generally recognized as being superior in productiveness. These nodules are a surface phenomenon produced by weathering, which causes the iron oxide GEOLOGY. 97 of the argillaceous sands to segregate into irregular small bodies which are subsequently worn smooth. The pebbles vary in size from buckshot to 10 inches in diameter, but the buckshot size is most common. They are composed of limonite or some closely al- lied iron mineral with clay and sand impurities. They are round, tubercular, or irregular in shape, and have a slick or water-worn appearance, but as there is not much evidence of their having been transported by water their smoothness may be due to attrition by raindrops. These pebbles were noted as being especially abundant at Stillmore, Fitzgerald, Douglas, Pelham, and Doerun. The age of most of this material west of a line from Rocky Ford to Waycross is believed to be upper Oligocene. East of that line it probably ranges in age from Miocene to Pleistocene. MIOCENE SERIES. GENERAL FEATURES. In earlier geologic literature the Chattahoochee and Alum Bluff formations were referred to the Miocene. In fact all the beds between the Vicksburg and the Pliocene or Pleistocene in the south Atlantic and eastern Gulf regions were regarded as belonging to this series. However, W. H. Dall recognized an "old or subtropical Miocene" and a "new or Chesapeake Miocene." Later 1 he referred the so-called "old Miocene" to the Oligocene. The Miocene as treated in this report includes only the deposits formerly designated "new or Chesapeake Miocene," which lie between the Alum Bluff forma- tion and the Pliocene on Pleistocene deposits. T. W. Vaughan 2 has recently made a paleontologic study of the section at Porters Landing, Savannah River, Effingham County, and has correlated the upper part of the Miocene there exposed ( = Edisto phase of Sloan 3 ) with the Duplin marl of North Carolina, and the lower part (Marks Head of Sloan) approximately with the Calvert formation of Maryland. Except in the exposures in the vicinity of Porters Landing, at Mount Pleasant Landing, and at Sisters Ferry, it has not been possible with the available data to differentiate the Marks Head and Duplin marls in the Savannah River sections, though doubtless both forma- tions are represented, at least from Hudsons Ferry in Screven County to Sisters Ferry in Effingham County. Fossils of Miocene age have been recognized in dredgings from Brunswick River at Brunswick, Glynn County, but they had been i U. S. Geol. Surrey Eighteenth Ann. Rept., pt. 2, pp. 329-332, 1898. U. S. Nat. Mus. Proa, vol. 19, No. 1110, pp. 303, 304, 1896. 2 Science, new ser., vol. 31, No. 804, pp. 833-834, 1910. 3 According to Vaughan the Edisto of Sloan in the Porters Landing section is much younger than the Edisto of Sloan in the vicinity of Charleston. 38418°— wsp 341—15 7 98 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. mixed by the dredging processes with large numbers of shells younger than Miocene. Limestone, tentatively referred to the Miocene, occurs on the Livingston plantation, 18 miles west of Brunswick, in Glynn County, and a calcareous sand of Miocene age occurs at Owens Ferry, Satilla River, 8 miles west of Woodbine, Camden County. It is believed that strata of Miocene age underlie much of the region adjacent to the Atlantic coast beneath beds of younger age, and it is considered not improbable that such strata may reach a thickness of 200 or 300 feet. However, confirmatory evidence is lacking. The marine invertebrate-bearing beds of the Miocene which out- crop on Savannah and Altamaha rivers and which lie buried beneath younger deposits in a zone adjacent to the coast are believed to have coarser shoreward phases represented in the undifferentiated. Oligo- cene to Pleistocene deposits indicated on the map as a belt between the Alum Bluff formation and the known Pleistocene formations. MARKS HEAD MARL. Areal distribution and structure. — The Marks Head marl has been differentiated at and in the vicinity of Porters Landing, Savannah River, Effingham County (PL XIII, p. 90), and is doubtless represented in the undifferentiated Miocene in the sections above Porters Land- ing, at least as far as Hudsons Ferry, and in the sections between Porters Landing and Sisters Ferry. The formation is almost entirely concealed by younger sediments and outcrops only in the bluffs of streams. For this reason it has had little or no influence on either the topography or the soil of the region. So far as can be determined from natural exposures, it lies almost horizontal, having only a very slight dip southward, probably not more than 4 feet to the mile. Stratigraphic position. — The Marks Head marl rests upon the Alum Bluff formation of the Oligocene, from which, according to exposures on Savannah River, it is separated by an erosion unconformity. However, both the physical and faunal evidence seems to show that the time interval represented by this unconformity was relatively short. ' The formation is overlain unconformably by the Duplin marl, and as the Marks Head marl is early Miocene and the Duplin marl late Miocene the unconformity separating them is important. Lithologic character and thickness. — The beds of the formation consist of gray or brownish compact argillaceous sands containing large calcareous nodules and, in places, of friable phosphatic sands con- taining shells. The phosphatic sands consist mainly of quartz grains with subordinate percentages of phosphate in the form of small, brown and black, smooth or water-worn particles of bones and teeth* disseminated clay, and calcium carbonate in the form of shells and GEOLOGY. 99 calcareous nodules. A maximum observed thickness of 45 feet occurs in some of the sections in the vicinity of Porters Landing on Savannah Kiver. Paleontologic character. — The formation has yielded a relatively small fauna, the collections coming chiefly from localities in the vicin- ity of Porters Landing, Savannah River. The fossils have been studied by T. W. Vaughan, who says : The presence of Carolia in this bed suggests Oligocene, but every other identifiable species may be Miocene, and only three others range downward into the Oligocene; nine species are not known below the Miocene; of these nine, six are confined to the Miocene. The horizon is, therefore, in the Miocene, while the presence of Turritella sequistriata Conrad, Calliostoma aphelium Dall, Ostrea mauricensis Gabb, and Pecten marylandicus Wagner, definitely points to a horizon low in the series. DTTPLIN MARL. Areal distribution and structure. — The Duplin marl has been differ- entiated in the sections at Porters Landing and at Mount Pleasant Landing, 1^ miles below Porters Landing. The formation is doubtless represented in undifferentiated Miocene beds recognized in bluffs above Porters Landing as far as Hudsons Ferry, and below Porters Landing perhaps as far as Purisburg, S. C, 23 miles above Savannah. The for- mation has also been differentiated at Doctortown, at Buzzards Roost Bluff, and at Bugs Bluff on Altamaha River. The terrane probably underlies surficial formations throughout much of the region inter- vening between its exposures on Altamaha and Savannah rivers. The Duplin strata dip southeastward at a low angle, probably not greater than 3 or 4 feet to the mile. Except in a few stream bluffs the formation is probably concealed over the entire area of its occur- rence by surficial deposits, and for this reason has had little or no part in determining the topographic features or the character of the soils. Stratigraphic position. — The Duplin marl rests unconformably upon the Marks Head marl, or, where the latter is absent, upon the Alum Bluff formation of the Oligocene. The former relations were ob- served in sections examined at and in the vicinity of Porters Landing, Savannah River, and the latter relations are believed to obtain in sections on Altamaha River, at the bluff at Doctortown, at Buzzards Roost Bluff, and at Bugs Bluff. In the vicinity of Porters Landing the formation is overlain by terrace deposits of Pleistocene age. Liihologic character. — The formation as exposed on Savannah River is mainly a shell marl, consisting of shells in a matrix of coarse phos- phatic sand, but in places is a fine gray or brown quartz sand con- taining scarcely any fossils or calcareous matter. On Savannah River it probably does not reach a thickness of more than 10 to 12 feet. 100 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. On Altamaha River the Duplin marl consists of 12 or 15 feet of friable, sandy, and pebbly shell marls, and bluish, compact, fine- grained, argillaceous, fossiliferous sands. It overlies, unconformably, strata of probable Alum Bluff age and is in turn overlain by undiffer- entiated, varicolored sands and clays winch probably belong in part to the Pliocene and in part to the Pleistocene. Paleontologic character. — The Duplin marl has yielded a fairly large number of species in Georgia, although much fewer than in the type region in North Carolina. The collections were made chiefly at Porters Landing, on Savannah River, but a few species have been identified from Doctortown and from Buzzards Roost Bluff, on Altamaha River. T. W. Vaughan furnishes the following statement in regard to these: Total number of identified species, 34 (not counting varieties), 30 of which arealso at Duplin. The 4 species which have not been found there are as follows: Pteria colymbus Bolten, the previously known range of which was from the Caloosa- hatchee Pliocene to Recent, or younger than the Duplin. Astarte distans var. floridana Dall. Miocene of Jackson Bluff, Fla., approximately the Duplin horizon. Phacoides multilineatus (T. & H.) Known range from the Miocene of Maysville, S. C, to Recent; from the Duplin to Recent. Transennella caloosana Dall. Known range from Miocene of Jackson Bluff, Fla., to Pleistocene; from approximately the Duplin to Pleistocene. The bed whence the fossils came is evidently the stratigraphic equivalent of the Duplin marl of North Carolina. PLIOCENE (?) SERIES. DISTRIBUTION. Although the existence of strata of Pliocene age in Georgia has not been definitely proved, certain deposits have been referred with greater or lesser degrees of confidence to this epoch. The deposits of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain to which the name Lafayette formation has been applied have for many years been regarded as of probable Pliocene age. The Lafayette formation is represented by McGee as covering the entire Coastal Plain of Georgia, and has been described by different investigators from numerous localities in Georgia. Recent investiga- tions have shown, however, that many and perhaps all of these correlations were erroneous. Several of the beds so referred have been found to belong to Cretaceous, Eocene, or Oligocene formations or to be the weathered residual products of these formations. Terrace deposits which are clearly of Pleistocene age have also been referred to this formation. The authors have examined certain remnantal deposits of gravel on the divides near the fall line, chiefly in the vicinity of Augusta, Macon, and Columbus, which previous workers had regarded as U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XVI A. CHARLTON FORMATION, ST. MARYS RIVER (FLORIDA SIDE), 1 MILE ABOVE TRADERS HILL, CHARLTON COUNTY. B. BEARDS BLUFF, ALTAMAHA RIVER, TATTNALL COUNTY, SHOWING PROMINENT CLAY LAYER IN THE SATILLA FORMATION, OVERLAIN BY LOOSE SAND. GEOLOGY. 101 belonging to the Lafayette formation. The authors believe that the Lafayette in Georgia is represented, if at all, by these deposits, but even as to these they have strong doubts, considering it more proba- ble that some of them are remnants of the basal conglomerates of Cretaceous or Eocene formations that formerly overlapped the area, and that others are lenses of gravel in these older formations, the relations of which have become more or less obscured by weathering. These deposits are all north of the. area in which the Alum Bluff formation is represented as outcropping. Certain fossiliferous strata exposed on Satilla and St. Marys rivers have, on paleontologic evidence, been considered as probably of Pliocene age and are described under the name Chariton formation. These marine strata probably have littoral shallow-water representa- tives in the undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene deposits to the north in Ware, Pierce, Appling, and Wayne counties. (See geologic map, PL III, p. 52.) CHARLTON FORMATION. The name Charlton is derived from Charlton County, Ga., and is applied to an argillaceous limestone and clay formation exposed in the banks and bluffs of St. Marys River from Stokes Ferry, 1 1 miles south of St. George, Charlton County, to Orange Bluff, near Kings Ferry, Fla. (See PI. XVI, A.) From a study of the fossil collections from the St. Marys localities T. W. Vaughan has classified the formation as probably Pliocene. Fossiliferous marls probably referable to the formation have been observed on Satilla River at Burnt Fort, 12 miles northeast of Folk- ston, Charlton County; on land of W. M. Thrift, 6 miles east of Winokur, Charlton County; and at the King plantation, 6 miles south of Atkinson, Wayne County. Fossils from the last-named locality have been referred by Aldrich 1 and Dall 2 to the Pliocene. General considerations based on structure and on the lithologic character of the materials seem to justify the reference of this marl bed to the Charlton formation. The relations of the Charlton formation to the Miocene are not definitely known. From Stokes Ferry, where the top of the forma- tion is perhaps 30 or 35 feet above sea level, the upper nonconformable surface descends gradually downstream and finally reaches tide level. According to the geologic map of Florida, by Matson and Clapp, 3 the Jacksonville formation (Miocene) outcrops at elevations of 50 to 100 feet above sea level a short distance south and east of St. Marys River. Beds from which T. W. Vaughan has identified Miocene fossils are exposed at low tide at Owens Ferry, Satilla River, Camden i Nautilus, vol. 24, No. 11, p. 131, 1911. 2 U. S. Nat. Mus. Proa, vol. 46, pp. 226, 227, 1913. s Florida Geol. Survey Second Ann. Rept., 1909. 102 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN" OP GEORGIA. County. In view of these occurrences of Miocene the Pliocene beds on St. Marys River, if correctly correlated, may occupy an erosion basin in Miocene strata, or, if the latter are absent beneath them, they may rest in a similar basin in pre-Miocene strata probably referable to the Alum Bluff formation (Oligocene). The great thick- ness attributed to the Miocene at Jacksonville, 460 feet, and the fact that the Miocene there is supposed to lie unconformably upon the Vicksburg makes the former alternative seem the more probable. There are no data for estimating the thickness of the formation, for only 12 or 15 feet of strata have been observed in natural exposures. The strata are poorly fossiliferous, and it is difficult to correlate them by means of their fossils. The formation is characterized at two or three localities by an abundance of ostracodes. With regard to the age of the formation, T. W. Vaughan says: None of the material [fossils] between Hicks Bluff and Orange Bluff [St. Marys Biver] can be older than Pliocene, and although not a single extinct species was col- lected, it may be Pliocene. The two species of ostracodes listed by Dr. Bassler from Band Landing and Clay Landing appear to be Becent. As the material from Stokes Ferry seems to be the same as that from Band and Clay landings it is probably the same age [Pliocene]. QUATERNARY SYSTEM. PLEISTOCENE SERIES. SUBDIVISIONS. The Pleistocene deposits consist of thin accumulations of sand, clay, and gravel on terraces of fluviatile and marine origin. The only systematic description of the Pleistocene of the Coastal Plain of Georgia previously given is that of McGee. 1 McGee first studied the Pleistocene in the District of Columbia, gave it the name Colum- bia formation, and differentiated it into three phases, the fluvial, interfluvial, and low-level phases. He traced the formation south- ward to the Mississippi and to Mexico, recognizing the three phases in Georgia, and giving brief general descriptions of them. Previous to McGee's studies Lyell and other observers had already noticed successive terraces on the coast of Georgia, but had apparently failed to recognize their geologic significance. The classification given in the present report is based largely on topography, and the formations are described in greater detail than in McGee's report. The name Columbia as a group term is retained. The divisions are as follows: Satilla formation: Marine terrace deposits. Fluviatile deposits. Okefenokee formation: Coastal terrace sand. Fluviatile deposits. i McGee, W J, The Lafayette formation: U. S. Geol. Survey Twelfth Ann. Rept., pt. 1, pp. 384-407, 1891. GEOLOGY. 103 The solution of the Pleistocene problems of Georgia, and in fact those of the Atlantic coast region in general, is conditioned largely on a knowledge of topographic details, which can not be acquired until detailed topographic maps have been made. In Georgia the Pleistocene formations are not superimposed one upon the other but occupy terraces at different topographic levels. During the Okefenokee epoch gray sands and other sediments were laid down on a terrace plain of probable marine origin, now 60 to 125 feet above sea level, and contemporaneous fluviatile deposits of gravel, sand, and loam were laid down on the "second" terrace skirting the larger rivers. During the Satilla epoch gray sands and muds were laid down on a marine terrace, a flat plain 20 to 40 miles broad, bordering the coast at elevations of 15 to 40 feet above sea level, and corresponding terrace alluvium was deposited along the rivers. Although the available data are too incomplete to permit positive statements, it is not improbable that an older Pleistocene terrace plain exists west of and at a higher elevation than the Okefenokee terrace. Evidence of such a plain is to be seen in the topographic aspect of the country along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad between Valdosta, Lowndes County, and Waycross, Ware County; along the Atlantic Coast Line Eailroad between Pearson, Coffee County, and Waycross; and along the Southern Railway between Baxley, in Appling County, to near Jesup, Wayne County. The general surface of the belt of country crossed by these railroads is a nearly level plain which gradually descends toward the coast. Along the first- mentioned railroad there is a descent from an elevation of 215 feet at Valdosta to 140 feet at Waycross; along the second there is a descent from 205 feet at Pearson to 140 feet at Waycross; and along the third a descent from 206 feet at Baxley to 155 feet at Odum. The northern part of Effingham and the southern parts of Screven and Bulloch counties also present the aspect of a plain similar to the Okefenokee plain. COLUMBIA GROUP. OKEFENOKEE FORMATION. Distribution and character. — The name Okefenokee is derived from Okefenokee Swamp, a great, swampy tract in southern Georgia covering parts of Charlton, Ware, and Clinch counties. The swamp occupies a portion of the plain on which were laid down the deposits under consideration. The Okefenokee formation consists in part of coastal terrace deposits and in part of river terrace or fluviatile deposits. During its deposition there was probably a depression of the land, the coast line being perhaps 40 to 75 miles west of its present 104 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. position. Coastal sands and probably other sediments were laid down as a terrace, and contemporaneous fluviatile terraces were formed along the larger rivers as far as the fall line. The coastal terrace formed during this period is a flat plain 20 to 40 miles wide, which varies in elevation from 60 to about 125 feet above sea level and is covered with gray and white quartz sands. The river terraces lie 50 to 100 feet above low-water level and form prominent topo- graphic features along Savannah, Ocmulgee, and Chattahoochee rivers. The river-terrace deposits consist of sands and gravels of fluviatile or fluvioestuarine origin. The two types of deposits will be described separately. Coastal terrace deposits. — The coastal terrace phase of the forma- tion is represented principally by a thin deposit of gray sand which covers the Okefenokee plain. The age of the formation is deter- mined by its physiographic position and not by fossils, for none of these have been found. The western boundary of the plain is marked approximately by a line extending from near Sisters Ferry on Savan- nah River, or Clyo, southeastward through the northern part of Bryan County, to about 3 miles north of Ludowici, Liberty County; thence to Jesup, and along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to near Waycross, Ware County; and thence to the western boundary of the Okefenokee Swamp. The plain includes the Okefenokee Swamp and the towns of Folkston, Jesup, Ludowici, and Hinesville. Its eastern boundary is marked by an escarpment 20 to 40 miles from the coast, which separates it from the first or Satilla terrace. (See fig. 1, p. 29.) The most conspicuous deposit on the plain referable to this period is gray sand. Red and yellow sands containing thin clay layers and pebble beds underlie the surface sand and are doubtless in part Pleistocene. The marine terrace deposits of the Okefenokee forma- tion are not in contact with any formation older than Pliocene and Miocene. On the west the sand of the Okefenokee plain merges into the surficial sand of a higher plain, and the two can not every- where be sharply discriminated. Swampy flats traversed by small creeks and underlain by muds probably belonging to this epoch of the Pleistocene occur in the plain. The gray surface sand is composed almost entirely of subangulai quartz particles, probably derived from the older formations of the Coastal Plain. On the whole, the sand is perhaps finer in texture and lighter in color than the upland sands to the west. At the sur- face it is loose, incoherent, and structureless, but in depth it shows faint lines of stratification and current bedding. At a few localities it is white at the surface and darker colored beneath, the white phase having been formed by leaching and not as a separate deposit. A notable occurrence of white sand lies along the railroad between Ludowici and Darien Junction. GEOLOGY. 105 In the Okefenokee Swamp the only deposits known, aside from the recent peaty accumulations, are white, yellow, brown, and black sands— the dark colors being due to organic matter. The sand is in places indurated, probably by a cement of iron oxide. This is the so-called hardpan of this area. The thickness of the sand is small, probably averaging less than 10 feet over the whole plain. Good exposures appear at Folks ton, where the average thickness is 6 or 8 feet, with local accumulations reaching 20 feet; the sand is gray, almost white at the surface, and light yellow beneath. At other places over the plain its thickness varies from 2 to 15 feet. The plain which the Okefenokee covers is in general flat and almost featureless. Some of the larger streams traversing the plain have bluffs 30 or 40 feet high, but these are exceptional. The ero- sive power of rain water is lessened by the porous sand, and ravines and gullies are rare. The main streams have few tributaries. The plain is dotted with cypress ponds and swamps due to original inequalities in the land surface. Locally the sand has been heaped into low ridges and hillsj some of which may have been factors in determining the courses of streams. As may be inferred from the lithologic description given above little can be said regarding the structure of this formation. It con- forms to the low seaward slope of the Okefenokee plain and varies in elevation from 60 to 125 feet above sea level. Fluviatile terrace deposits. — Bordering the large rivers of the Coastal Plain of Georgia are remnants of a plain higher than the "second bottoms" or S a till a plain and 50 to 200 feet lower than the general upland of the region. It is believed that the deposits laid down on this plain are contemporaneous with the coastal deposits of the Okefenokee formation. While the coastal portion of the Okefenokee terrace plain was being cut and the gray sands and other deposits were being laid down upon it, the terraces bordering the present river valleys and their accompanying deposits were being formed, either by the waves along the borders of reentrant estuaries, or by the meandering of the rivers in the parts of the valleys not sub- merged. The river terraces coalesce with the coastal terrace. The river-terrace plains lie 50 to 125 feet above the present rivers. Immediately subsequent to their formation the fluviatile portions of the Okefenokee plain filled the valleys from side to side, having widths varying from 1 to 10 miles; into these ancient plains the rivers have intrenched themselves, forming younger plains at the levels of the Satilla plain and of the Recent flood plain. The cutting of these younger plains has destroyed all but remnants of the original Okefenokee plain. 106 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The fluviatile deposits of the Okefenokee formation overlie in turn all the older formations of the Coastal Plain, from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene. The materials have been derived in part, perhaps chiefly, from these older formations, and in part from the rocks of the Piedmont Plateau north of the Coastal Plain. On account of litho- logic similarity it is in places difficult to distinguish between the ter- race deposits and the underlying older formations. However, a gravel bed is generally present at the base of the terrace deposits, and unconformable relations to the older deposits appear wherever there are clean-cut exposures. The deposits consist chiefly of red argillaceous sands, in places pebbly, and coarse gravels. (See PI. XVII, A.) Clay beds are few and the formation lacks the distinctive alluvial character of the lower terrace and flood-plain deposits. Along some of the streams a gray, incoherent, rather pure sand seems to be the only deposit. Near the fall line the deposits show clearly that they have been derived in large part from the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau, but farther south the formations of the Coastal Plain have contributed a major portion of the materials. Along Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Och- lockonee rivers the detritus has been derived entirely from the formations of the Coastal Plain. The formation, is usually unconsoli- dated, but at a few places contains local beds of gravel cemented by iron oxide. The pebbles are chiefly quartz and quartzite, but a subordinate percentage are limestone, flint, and limonite. At a number of localities on the Okefenokee plain there are sur- ficial, brown-gray, loose, incoherent sands which differ in their physical appearance and lithologic characters from the red loams and gravels forming the terrace deposits, and which resemble closely the gray sand of the upland. Conspicuous accumulations of such sands were noted at Montezuma, Bainbridge, Fort Gaines, Dublin, and Lumber City. (See PI. XVII, B.) Some of these deposits are in the form of hills and are probably of wind-dune origin; they may have been formed subsequent to the elevation of the terrace plain. At other localities the gray sands appear to be water-laid sediments which rest directly upon the older formations, forming a thin uniform mantle over the plain. The formation is thin, not exceeding 50 feet in thickness at any place and being usually much less than 20 feet. The greatest thick- ness was noted near the fall line. Except for fragments of silicifled wood found at Fort Gaines and for fossils in limestone and flint pebbles derived from the underlying Tertiary beds no fossils are known in this formation. The deposits are confined to comparatively level plains paralleling the rivers. The plains were originally 1 mile to 10 miles in width, but the deposits have been so largely removed by subsequent erosion U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XVII A. EXPOSURE OF PLEISTOCENE TERRACE GRAVEL (OKEFENOKEE FORMATION) IN COLUMBUS- LUMPKIN ROAD, CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY, 11 MILES SOUTH OF COLUMBUS. B. SAND USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS (PROBABLY BELONGING TO THE OKEFENOKEE FORMATION), 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF LUMBER CITY, ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LITTLE OCMULGEE RIVER. GEOLOGY. 107 that their total area is relatively small. They are confined princi- pally to the courses of Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Altamaha, Ogeechee, Savannah, Ochlockonee, Withlacoochee, Little, and Alapaha rivers. At a few localities the terrace forms conspicuous topographic fea- tures. The business portion of Macon, a part of the residence por- tion of Columbus, the cities of Fort Gaines, Albany, Lumber City, and parts of Augusta are built on this terrace. In detail the surface of the terrace is nearly level, the only undula- tions being due to sand heaps. The vegetation is more luxuriant and the soil generally more fertile than on the interstream uplands. The approximate elevations of the second or Okefenokee terrace plain above sea level at the fall line are: Elevations on Okefenokee terrace plain at fall line. Terrace plain. Augusta Milledgeville Macon Flint River at fall line Columbus From the fall line the river terraces gradually descend and merge into the coastal sand plains bordering the seacoast. SATILLA FORMATION. Deposition. — The name Satilla is derived from Satilla River, Ga., and is applied to the latest Pleistocene deposits of the State. These deposits are typically developed along either side of Satilla River in Camden and Charlton counties. The shore line during their deposi- tion was parallel to the present Atlantic coast, but stood 20 to 30 miles farther inland. The greater parts of Camden, Glynn, and Chatham counties, all of Mcintosh County, the southern part of Bryan County, and the eastern part of Liberty County were sub- merged and the valleys of the larger rivers were inundated to unde- termined distances inland. Two types of deposits, coastal marine deposits and fluviatile or river terrace deposits, were formed. Coastal terrace deposits. — The coastal deposits lie upon a wave-cut terrace which extends 20 to 30 miles back from the present ocean at elevations of 15 to 40 feet above sea level. The western limit of this terrace or plain is marked by the high sand ridge east of Folkston, Charlton County, and by the escarpment at Waynesville and Mount Pleasant, Wayne County, and at Walthoursville, Liberty County. North of Liberty County the escarpment is not so pronounced as it is to the southward, and owing to the lack of topographic maps it 108 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. has not been traced in detail; however, it probably passes close to Clyde, Bryan County, Meldrim, Effingham County, and Meinhard, Chatham County. This terrace is referred to in this report as the "first marine terrace" or "first Pleistocene plain" and is not to be confused with the Kecent analogous plain now in process of forma- tion as sand beaches and tide marshes. The deposits on the Satilla plain rest unconformably upon Pliocene or Miocene strata, concealing the latter from view except where ex- posed along stream bluffs and banks. No sharp distinction can be drawn between the latest Pleistocene and the Kecent deposits. The relative age of the formation with respect to the older Okefe- nokee formation is determined by its topographic position and not by its stratigraphic sequence or its paleontologic character. The formation consists of greenish and bluish marine clays; gray, white, and yellow sands; and thin layers of gravel. None of the deposits are consolidated. The clays are fine textured and appear to have been deposited as muds in lagoons or tidal marshes. They are calcareous in places and contain oyster shells and white calcareous nodules, disseminated, de- cayed vegetation, stumps of trees, and bones of animals. Gypsum crystals were noted at Savannah and at Colerain Bluff on St. Marys River in Camden County. The clays are usually massive and show few traces of lamination or bedding. They are underlain by sands and often by thin beds of well-rounded quartz pebbles, apparently of beach origin. The sands cover the greater part of the plain and form low bluffs on the coast. At the surface they are gray or white, becoming yellowish, brownish, or even black at depths, the color being due to iron oxide and disseminated organic matter. They are com- posed almost entirely of sharp, angular, quartz grains, and are per- haps, on the whole, finer than the gray, surficial sands of the higher plains; small amounts of mica and black sand, magnetite, ilmenite, and other black, silicate minerals were noted. The sands show evi- dences of stratification and cross-bedding, and contain shells or prints of shells; at a few places, as at the bluff near Crescent, Mcintosh County, they are slightly indurated by iron-oxide cement. The sands and clays are closely associated and are contemporaneous deposits. The maximum thickness of the deposits is perhaps not more than 50 feet and the average not more than 15 feet. A thickness of 22 feet of clay has been observed near Savannah and 20 feet of sand appears at Crescent. At Rose Bluff, Fla., opposite St. Marys, the bluff, which at low tide is 45 feet high, exposes Pleistocene strata referable to this formation from base to top. The formation is fossiliferous and in this respect is in contrast to the older and topographically higher Okefenokee formation. Shells, GEOLOGY. 109 mostly living species, are common in places; remains of mammals, including megatherium, tapir, horse, mammoth, beaver, deer, and cetacea, sharks' teeth, and the remains of a species of crocodile are also found. Buried stumps have been observed at many places, but no other plant remains of paleontologic value have been discov- ered. Bones and teeth obtained from the dredgings at Brunswick were studied by J. W. Gidley, of the Smithsonian Institution, who says: The materials from Brunswick, Ga., consist for the most part of fossil fragments of various mammals and fishes representing species of early Pleistocene age. The sharks' teeth, however, probably represent Eocene and Miocene species. The recog- nizable genera and species are as follows : mammals — Continued . A cervuline, probably belonging to the genus Cervus. Tapirus haysii Leidy. Equus fraternus Leidy. Equus ? complicatus Leidy. Equus ? tau Owen (or more probably an undescribed species). Mammut floridanum (Leidy). Physeter ? vetus Leidy or Physeterula ? neolassicus. Megatherium sp. probably M. america- num. Castoroides ohioticus. Bison ? bison Linn. Crocodilus sp. The " Eocene and Miocene species" may be detrital material rede- posited during the Pleistocene. A collection of shells was made at Rose Bluff, Fla., opposite St. Marys, Camden County, from which the following forms were deter- mined by T. W. Vaughan: Carcharodon, Galeocerdo, and Lamna. Sting-ray — Pastinaca sp. The sharks' teeth represent several species of the genera Carcharodon, Galeocerdo, and Lamna. REPTILES. Mulinia lateralis (Say). Terebra dislocata Say. Olivella mutica Say. Nassa acuta Say. Turbonilla sp. Neverita duplicata Say. Natica pusilla Say. Sigaretus perspectivus Say. Nucula proxima Say. Area incongrua Say. Ostrea virginica Gmel. Anomia sumplex Orb. Phacoides multilineatus (T. & H.). Divaricella quadrisulcata Orb. Cardium robustum Solander. Tellina (Angulus) sayi Deshayes. Strigilla flexuosa Say. Donax fossor Say. Donax variabilis Say ? young. Ervilia concentrica Gould. Labiosa canaliculata Say. Sir Charles Lyell, 1 who visited several localities along the coast of Georgia, notes finding the tooth of a Mylodon and the grinder of a mastodon at Heyners Bridge, 12 miles south of Savannah; he also mentions finding the remains of Megatherium in the old Brunswick Canal and on Skidaway Island. Lyell suggests that the deposits are 1 Travels in North America, vol. 1, pp. 163, 164, 1845. 110 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. of fluviomarine origin and that the bones of the mammals were car- ried down by streams. Oyster shells are found in the clay deposits west of Savannah, in clay in the western part of Glynn County, in the clay terrace border- ing St. Marys River, and elsewhere. Large bones of mammals have been found at Whiteoak, Camden County. The time that has elapsed since the emergence of the Satilla plain from below sea level has been relatively short and erosion has affected only slightly the appearance of the surface. The plain is very flat and comprises great stretches of swamp land. In places on the plain there are low ridges of sand, probably of beach and wind-dune origin, although some such ridges may have existed as banks or islands pre- vious to the emergence of the plain above sea level. The clay flats probably represent the sites of old marshes and shallow estuaries and straits. If the coast region were uplifted 15 or 20 feet above its present elevation, a plain now submerged beneath the ocean waters would appear as an emerged terrace lying east of and parallel to the Satilla terrace and separated from it by an escarpment. This plain would be analogous to the Satilla plain in all its essential features. Fluviatile terrace deposits. — The fluviatile deposits of the epoch form low terraces along the larger rivers of the Coastal Plain. They consist of unconsolidated sands, clays, and gravels which merge coast- ward into the marine or fluviomarine deposits. The river terraces of the Satilla formation are comparatively flat plains, lying 10 to 50 feet above the rivers and varying in width from a few yards to 1 miles. " They extend from the fall line southward and eventually merge into the marine terrace plain of the same formation. The greatest width is along the lower course of Savannah River, but the river is cutting into this original terrace and forming the recent alluvium. A distinction is made between the Satilla terrace and the Recent flood plain. The Satilla formation overlies Cretaceous and Tertiary formations unconformably. It varies in elevation above sea level from about 300 feet at the fall line to 20 or 30 feet where it merges into the coastal deposits. Its thickness does not generally exceed 10 or 20 feet but attains 40 feet in places. Lithologically the deposits vary considerably on the different rivers. On the whole they are distinctly fluviatile or alluvial, con- sisting of clay (PI. XVI, B, p. 100), sands, and gravels, generally un- consolidated, and without regular bedding. The materials have been derived in part from the adjacent older formations of the Coastal Plain, and in part from the rocks of the Piedmont Plateau to the northward. Sand heaps, probably wind accumulations, were noted at a number of places on this terrace. GEOLOGY. Ill The river-terrace deposits contain little of paleontologic interest. A few mammalian fyones were found at the base of the deposits on St. Marys and Suwannee rivers, and a few fragments of silicified wood have been observed. RECENT SERIES. The Recent deposits, or those formed since the close of the Pleisto- cene or the uplift of the Satilla or latest Pleistocene terrace and now in the process of formation, consist of (1) marsh and tide-swamp muds; (2) beach and dune sands; (3) river flood-plain deposits; (4) interstream swamp deposits; (5) certain terrigenous deposits semi- alluvial in character. The processes by which the Satilla terrace, with its accompanying deposits, was formed are being repeated at the present time along the coast. The Recent terrace thus being formed is largely submarine. Beach sands are being laid down on the ocean front, sands and clays are being deposited in the estuaries, and muds are being deposited in the marsh and tide-swamp lands. In the absence of accurate maps the area of marsh and tide-swamp land along the coast may be roughly estimated at 400 square miles. Though observations have not been made at many localities, it may be said that the thickness of the Recent deposits in the area inundated by the tides probably does not exceed 6 feet. The composition of the muds is indicated by the following analysis of a sample from St. Simons Island, collected by S. W. McCallie and analyzed by Edgar Everhart. Analysis of mud from St. Simons Island. Moisture at 100° C 4.62 Loss on ignition 9. 94 Soda (Na 2 0) 3. 06 Potash (K 2 0) 1. 13 Lime(CaO) - 40 Magnesia (MgO) 1.28 Alumina (A1 2 3 ) 13. 67 Ferric oxide (Fe 2 3 ) 4. 86 Titanium dioxide (Ti0 2 ) 1. 01 Sulphur trioxide (S0 3 ) 24 Phosphorus pentoxide (P 2 5 ) 22 Chlorine (CI) 1.77 Silica (Si0 2 ) 57.95 100. 15 In places the Satilla terrace is separated from the Recent terrace by bluffs 10 to 15 feet high, and at other localities the two merge into each other. The Recent alluvium along the Coastal Plain streams consists mainly of sand, although along the lower courses of Altamaha and Savannah rivers some clays are being deposited. The deposits of 112 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. this class are of small extent; along some of the streams the only Recent deposits are accumulations of sand in the form of bars. In the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia are numer- ous swamps ranging in size from a single acre to the immense tract known as Okefenokee Swamp. Peaty accumulations or decayed plant matter with more or less silt and sand are being formed in these swamps. In the Okefenokee Swamp accumulations of peat 4 feet thick have been observed. Some of the swamp areas are densely wooded and have been the roosting places of birds for perhaps cen- turies, and a phosphatic muck is being slowly formed from their dung and dead bodies. Sand deltas or plains of semialluvial character form another type of Recent deposits. In the northern, hilly part of the Coastal Plain erosion has been very active because of the loose, unconsolidated character of the formations; and at certain localities, especially where the forests have been cut away, deep gullies have been formed. Every torrential rain moves large quantities of sand which, on account of overloading, is deposited along the beds of the small creeks, forming so-called "sand streams/' or is spread out at the mouths of gullies, forming small subaerial deltas. The best example of this type is at the huge gullies or " caves" west or Lumpkin, Stewart County. SURFICIAL GRAY SANDS OF THE UPLAND. Surficial grayish or brownish, incoherent quartz sands cover large portions of the interstream uplands of the Coastal Plain of Georgia at elevations higher than the Pleistocene terrace plains. Because of the sterility of the soils which these sands produce and their influence on the topography and tree growth, they attract the attention even of those not interested in geology. The sands are not everywhere of the same origin. Much of the sand is residual and can not be referred to any one geologic period or formation. However, in places there are wind-blown accumulations, and at long intervals marks of stratification can be detected. In this report no attempt has been made to sub- divide or to map these sands; a part of such mapping, indeed, would fall within the province of a soil survey. The gray sands are of particular importance owing to their efficacy in checking rapid run-off and in absorbing rainfall and by this means increasing the underground-water supplies. They consist chiefly of crystalline quartz and nowhere contain sufficient clay to render them coherent. A number of samples were examined microscopically and were found to contain, in addition to the quartz grains, small per- centages of clay, some limonite and allied iron-oxide minerals, and very small amounts of minerals such as mica, magnetite, ilmenite, feldspar, and rutile that are common to igneous rocks. The clay content rarely exceeds 3 per cent; the limonite occurs as a coating GEOLOGY. 113 over the quartz grains and in places gives the sand a yellowish or brownish appearance. On the whole, the gray sands are uniformly fine in texture. Sands from several localities each passed 40 to 60 per cent through a 40- mesh sieve, their texture at any particular locality depending on the character of the formations from which they were derived. In all of the more notable deposits the quartz grains are for the most part subangular. In color the sands are dull gray or white at the surface, but at varying depths they become yellowish or darker, and the darker basal sands grade downward into the underlying unweathered, argillaceous, sandy formations. Pebbles are not common, though small well-rounded to angular quartz pebbles, and small brown or black iron-oxide nodules were observed at several localities. Not- withstanding the diverse origin and the slight differences that have been noted from place to place, the sands are in the main uniform in texture, color, and composition. In thickness the gray sands range from a few inches to a maximum of 30 feet. Their greatest thickness where apparently residual occurs at the sand pits near Howard, Taylor County, the maximum being 30 feet. At other localities along the fall line 10 to 25 feet of sand has been observed, but over much of the sand-hill region the thickness does not exceed 5 to 6 feet. Over the Alum Bluff formation and later Oligocene beds the average depth of the sands where residual is probably 2 to 4 feet, but there are local accumulations of torrential or eolian origin that reach 10 to 25 feet. In the western part of the Coastal Plain, principally in the part underlain by the Vicksburg forma- tion, and in scattered smaller areas in other parts of the upland region, the gray sands are either absent or very thin. The surflcial sands are present as a thin mantle over parts of the upland region from the fall line on the north to the Florida State line on the south. To the southeast, within 50 or 75 miles of the Atlantic coast, they merge into the lithologically similar sands which cover the Okefenokee terrace plain. The sands are unequally distributed over the upland and are notably absent from certain areas. Their most conspicuous development is in the region of the fall line, chiefly over the area underlain by Lower Cretaceous strata; they are also well developed over the region underlain by the Alum Bluff formation and later Oligocene beds in the eastern and south- eastern parts of the Coastal Plain. Among upland areas, where the sands are nearly or entirely absent, are certain areas in Burke, Wash- ington, Wilkinson, and Twiggs counties which are underlain by red ferruginous sands of the Claiborne formation; Rich Hill, Crawford County; the upland plain in the vicinity of Fort Valley and the "red lands" in the vicinity of Grovania, Henderson, and Elko, in Houston 38418°— wsp 341—15 8 114 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. County; the northern part of Dooly County; areas near Americus and in the southern part of Sumter County; large parts of Randolph, Terrell, Dougherty, and other counties west of Flint River; and areas in the southern parts of Grady, Thomas, and Brooks counties. The sands, notwithstanding their relatively insignificant thickness, have had a very marked influence upon the topography, vegetation, and agricultural development of the country. The "sand hills" con- stitute a well-known type of topography in the region of the fall line and throughout the area underlain by the Alum Bluff formation and later Oligocene beds, popularly known as the " wire-grass" region. In the latter region conspicuous accumulations of sand 10 to 30 feet thick occur along the streams and particularly along those streams having general north-south courses. It has been commonly noted by the people living in this region that these accumulations are greater on the east or left sides of the streams. Numerous exceptions to this may be found in the Coastal Plain region as a whole, but it is prevail- ingly true over the " wire-grass" region. The hills perhaps antedate the present streams. The most notable examples of this type of sand hills are on the eastern side of Ohoopee River at Reidsville, on Canoochee River at Stillmore, on Little Ocmulgee River 2 miles east of Helena, at Lumber City, east of Oconee River at Dublin, and on the north side of Satilla River north of Way cross. These hills are well above the level of the streams and the sand is not to be confused with the alluvial sands of lower levels. The vegetable growth over the sand hills is sparse, consisting mainly of scattered long-leaf pine and stunted oak, and the soil is poor and unproductive. In the few references made by McGee 1 to the gray surficial sands he referred them to the "interfluvial phase of the Columbia." Spencer, 2 McCallie, 3 and Otto Veatch i have referred to them in a general way as "Columbia sand." R. M. Harper 5 has given interest- ing descriptions of the sands at a number of localities, discussing them with reference to their influence on the flora of the Coastal Plain. It is reasonably certain that much of the surficial sand is residual from Cretaceous and Tertiary formations, and hence should not be classed as a formation, using this word in a stratigraphic sense. The residual sands vary from 1 to 10 feet in thickness. On the slopes at many places there are accumulations of sands transported by ram water from higher to lower levels, and some of these appear to rest unconformably upon the underlying strata, this relation being especially apparent where pebbles are present at the base. Such i The Lafayette formation: U. S. Geol. Survey Twelfth Ann. Rept., pt. 1, pp. 388, 389, 1891. 2 Spencer, J. W., Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, pp. 61-71, 1891. 3 McCallie, S. W., Underground waters of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 29, 1908. * Clay deposits of Georgia: Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 18, p. 68, 1909. 5 A phytogeographical sketch of the Altamaha grit region of Georgia: New York Acad. Sci. Annals, vol. 17, pt. 1, 1906. WATEK SUPPLY. 115 deposits may show a thickness of 5 to 15 feet whereas the residual sands on the tops of the hills may not be more than 2 feet. Accumu- lations of this nature are properly colluvial deposits. The winds may in places have shifted and redeposited the residual sands, but do not appear to have been the cause of many large deposits. The formations from which the residual surficial sands are derived are themselves composed chiefly of quartz sand with small percentages of disseminated clay. In the process of weathering the clays are carried away in suspension by rainfall, and the quartz grains and small amounts of other minerals, such as mica and iron oxides, are left. Wherever the formations underlying the surface are very cal- careous, argillaceous, or ferruginous, the gray surficial sands are absent. The origin of the accumulations of sand along Canoochee, Ohoopee, Little Ocmulgee, and Satilla rivers, and along other streams through- out the Altamaha upland or wire-grass country has not been deter- mined with certainty. These accumulations appear to be at higher elevations than the fmviatile terrace deposits of the Okefenokee formation. Locally, they exhibit faint stratification and in places seem to be sharply separated from the underlying older formations. These facts, together with their peculiar distribution and relatively great thickness, are evidence of their nonresidual character. Their high elevation precludes the possibility of their having been deposited by existing streams. It is suggested that they may have been heaped up as the result of combined wave and wind action along the shores of early Pleistocene estuaries, or they may have been deposited as alluvium by the rivers occupying the valleys in early Pleistocene time. One well-known sand deposit— the sand hills on the east side of Flint River at Albany— clearly owes its present form to wind deposi- tion, whatever may have been the primary origin of the sand. There is some evidence of the existence of a sand-covered Pleisto- cene terrace plain higher and older than the Okefenokee plain and perhaps similar in origin, but as yet sufficient proof of its existence has not been obtained to warrant positive statements. Such a plain, if it exists, includes a part of the gray surficial sands here treated under the head of upland sands. (See p. 103.) WATER SUPPLY. SOURCE AND AMOUNT. The primary source of water supply is rainfall. The average annual rainfall ranges from 43 to 55 inches in different parts of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, as shown by the following record of observations by the United States Weather Bureau to the year 1908: 116 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Mean annual rainfall in the Coastal Plain of Georgia to 1908. Locality. Rainfall. Locality. Rainfall. Locality. Rainfall. Inches. 46.09 49.28 47.57 49.85 48.84 46.94 49.90 55.23 53.35 49.63 52.12 50.70 47.33 46.93 Inches. 43.72 49.37 55.51 51.13 47.68 48.63 44.71 51.03 46.41 49. SI 47.51 50.91 47.77 Millen Inches. 45.25 Morgan 52.17 Piscola 51.40 Poulan 51.14 49-. 39 52.48 Hephzibah St. Marys 52.57 Blakely 50.06 49.48 Talbotton 52.62 Butler 53.01 47.79 Dublin... 44.99 If an average of 49 inches is assumed, the annual rainfall is equiv- alent to the enormous amount of 852,000,000 gallons per square mile. DISPOSITION. A portion of the rainfall escapes as direct surface run-off, supplying in part the waters of creeks and rivers; a portion is taken up by evaporation and by vegetation; a small portion enters into chemical combination and is locked up in minerals, and the remainder is held by the earth for a shorter or longer time as the underground-water supply. RUN-OFF. The amount of water which flows from any particular land area by streams depends mainly on the topography, the character of the geo- logic formations, the vegetation, the nature of the precipitation (whether slow or torrential), and to an appreciable extent on artificial structures such as buildings, pavements, and roads. To illustrate the influence of topography two extremely different topographic regions of the State, the Blue Ridge and the flat low- lands of the Coastal Plain bordering the Atlantic Ocean, may be taken. In the first the creeks rise rapidly and turbulently, even after a single shower, attesting to the heavy run-off or flood flow; whereas hi the coastal flats the creeks and rivers rise above their banks only after prolonged rains. Other factors being equal, the direct run-off will be greater in a region underlain by clay or shale than in one underlain by sand or sandstone, because the former materials absorb water much less readily than the latter. Vegetation is undoubtedly a factor, for in a forest area roots of trees and vegetable mold prevent rapid run-off. Leaves and branches of trees convert rain into spray and lessen its impact, thereby becom- ing a factor in increasing the amount of rainfall absorbed by the soil. WATER SUPPLY. 117 Tlie breaking up of the soil by cultivation renders it more porous and increases absorption and decreases run-off. Streams derive their waters in part from direct run-off or flood- flow and in part from springs. According to estimates by the United States Geological Survey approximately two-fifths (40 per cent) of the total rainfall of the Coastal Plain of Georgia reaches the ocean in the form of run-off. The percentage of the direct run-off or flood flow to the total run-off is not known, but it probably does not exceed 10 or 15 per cent; in other words, the greater part of the run-off is drawn from the underground water and supplied to the streams through springs. The bulk of the underground waters con- sists, therefore, of waters temporarily checked in their passage to the sea. EVAPORATION. Evaporation takes place mainly from the soil, from running water, and from lakes and ponds. A comparatively small although not negligible amount of water is evaporated before entering the earth; this includes not only the water evaporated from the surface of the ground, but that which is caught by leaves and branches of trees, by roofs of buildings, and by other artificial structures. The amount of the rainfall evaporated depends mainly on climatic conditions; if in the Coastal Plain of Georgia 40 per cent of the total rainfall reaches the ocean as run-off and less than 1 per cent enters into chemical combination with minerals, then nearly 60 per cent is evaporated, either directly or indirectly. VEGETATION. In the aggregate vegetation takes up an enormous amount of water, which is eventually evaporated and so lost to the underground supply. Estimates have been made showing that only 70 per cent as much rainfall reaches the soil in a wooded area as in open fields, and meas- urements have been made showing that the amount of water at depths of 16 and 32 inches is appreciably greater in a bare than in a forested soil. 1 CHEMICAL ABSORPTION. A small percentage of the waters absorbed by the earth enters into chemical combination with the rocks. For example, in the conver- sion of hematite (Fe 2 3 ) into limonite (2Fe 2 3 , 3H 2 0) 14.5 per cent of water is absorbed. Van Hise, 2 in a generalized statement, says that at least 99 per cent of. the water entering the earth returns in some form to the surface, and it is inferred that the remaining 1 per cent or less enters into combination with the rocks. 1 U. S. Dept. Agr. Forestry Div. Bull. 7, p. — , 1893. 2 Van Hise, C. R., A treatise on metamorphism: U. S. Geol.* Survey Mon. 47, p. 156, 1904. 118 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. UNDERGROUND- WATER STORAGE. The amount of the rainfall absorbed by the soil and by the rocks in the Coastal Plain of Georgia is roughly estimated to be 90 or 95 per cent of the total, the climate, topography, character of the soil, and other factors being taken into consideration. If nearly 60 per cent of the rainfall is lost by evaporation, and 4 or 5 per cent escapes as direct run-off or flood flow, only about 35 per cent remains to form the underground-water supply. All of this, even, is not available for use on account of the great depths to which much of it descends and the fact that a large part of it is locked up in fine-grained compact strata which do not readily yield their waters to the wells tapping them. SURFACE WATERS. STREAMS. Surface streams of the Coastal Plain of Georgia are not extensively used as sources of municipal supplies except in a narrow area along the northern border, cheaper and more healthful waters being obtainable from deep wells. Augusta and Macon obtain their water supplies from Savannah and Ocmulgee rivers, respectively, these cities being located on the northern boundary of the Coastal Plain where it is not possible to obtain adequate supplies of artesian water unless the pumping plants are located several miles from the city limits. Columbus at present obtains its water supply in part from Chattahoochee River and in part from springs west of the river in Alabama. Milledgeville, the county seat of Baldwin County, is located on the fall line and obtains its municipal water supply from Fishing Creek. Perry, the county seat of Houston County, obtains its water supply from Big Indian Creek. In the southern and southeastern parts of the Coastal Plain the waters of the streams, except those of the four largest rivers, are dark in color, owing to their high content of organic matter, but are suitable for the use of domestic animals, and are superior to most artesian waters for producing steam. LAKES AND PONDS. The waters of the lakes and ponds of the Coastal Plain are not used extensively for any purpose. Many of the lakes are in the river swamps and are not only inaccessible but furnish stagnant, unwholesome waters. A few lakes in the lime-sink regions are clear and appear to be connected with underground streams. Ponds are numerous in some sections; some of them contain stagnant waters or waters high in their content of organic matter. Such waters are used to some extent for stock and boiler supply. WATER SUPPLY. 119 UNDERGROUND WATERS. WATER TABLE. As water percolates downward from the surface it reaches a level where the soils, sediments, or rocks are saturated. This upper limit of saturationis known as the water table. The depth to this level differs from place to place according to the topography and the texture and porosity of the rocks and from time to time according to the rainfall. Shallow wells are generally sunk only a few feet below the water table; springs of the common type occur at points where the water table intercepts the surface. In the Coastal Plain the water table varies in position from the surface to 50 feet or more beneath it. Although the materials below the water table are all saturated, all of them do not yield their contained waters with equal readiness to the wells tapping them. In stratified rocks some beds aie extremely coarse and porous and allow waters to circulate freely through them; others are compact and relatively though not absolutely impervious. Between the two extremes are all gradations of porosity. (See also pp. 120-122.) QUALITY OF WATER. The portion of the rainfall which is absorbed by the earth per- colates through the soils, sediments, and rocks, and takes into solution greater or less amounts of the soluble salts with which it comes into contact. All underground waters are therefore in a sense " mineral waters," although the term is frequently used for waters having medicinal properties due to certain mineral constituents held in solution. The amount and nature of the mineral constituents in underground water depends on a number of variable factors, but mainly on the character of the rock strata through which it has circulated. In addition to inorganic matter held in solution underground waters may also carry in suspension mineral matter such as clay, fine mica, and precipitates of iron oxide. Shallow-well waters and spring waters are more likely to contain sediments than deep- well waters. Organic matter may be present, especially in the waters of shallow wells unprotected from surface drainage or located in low swampy places and in springs located in swamps or unprotected from falling leaves, twigs, and other refuse. Vegetable matter may also be present in the waters of deep wells which, although protected from surface contamination, penetrate beds containing lignite; organic matter from this source, however, is comparatively rare and is not injurious to the health. A detailed discussion of the quality of the waters of the State, by R. B. Dole, is given on pages 470-532. 120 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. ARTESIAN WATERS. DEFINITION. The term "artesian," as here used and as adopted by the United States Geological Survey, 1 applies to wells the waters of which are under hydrostatic pressure and rise above the level at which they are encountered, but which do not necessarily rise to or above the surface of the ground. The term may therefore be applied to either flowing or nonflowing wells. By many persons the term " artesian well" is understood to mean a well which flows at the surface, but the definition just given is preferable, because it is based on hydrostatic pressure, and because wells tapping the same water-bearing stratum may be either flowing or nonflowing according to the elevation of the surface of the ground at their respective sites. IMPORTANCE. Artesian water is of vital interest to the people inhabiting the Coastal Plain of Georgia, for without artesian wells many of the small towns and communities would be without adequate healthful sup- plies. All the cities, except those located near the fall line, and all the more progressive towns and villages obtain their public water supplies from artesian wells. Wells are continually being drilled on plantations, and they afford waters suitable for drinking and for most ordinary purposes. Such waters might be used, particularly where flows can be obtained, for irrigation, although this has been attempted on only a small scale. An account of the large returns from 14 acres of land in Dougherty County irrigated from an artesian well is given on page 239. CONTROLLING CONDITIONS. The following requisite conditions for artesian wells were enumer- ated by Chamberlin 2 in 1885: A pervious stratum to permit the entrance and the passage of the water. A water-tight bed below to prevent the escape of the water downward. A like impervious bed above to prevent escape upward, for the water, being under pressure from the fountain head, would otherwise find relief in that direction. An inclination of these beds, so that the edge at which the waters enter ^11 be higher than the surface at the well. A suitable exposure of the edge of the porous stratum, so that it may take in a suffi- cient supply of water. An adequate rainfall to furnish this supply. An absence of any escape for the water at a lower level than the surface at the well. This enumeration has met with general recognition and adoption, but in the extensive investigations of underground water carried on 1 Fuller, M. L., Significance of the term "artesian": IT. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 160, pp. 7-15, 1906. 2 Chamberlin, T. C, The requisite and qualifying conditions of artesian wells: U. S. Geol. Survey Fifth Ann. Rept., pp. 134-135, 1S85. WATER SUPPLY. 121 since its publication many exceptional conditions have been found, to meet which Fuller 1 has formulated the following essentials : An adequate source of supply. A retaining agent offering more resistance to the passage of water than the well or other opening. An adequate source of pressure. He has also classified the secondary factors as follows: Hydrostatic factors (relating to pressure and movement) : Factors mainly affecting pressure: Barometric pressure. Temperature. Density. Factors mainly affecting movement: Porosity. Size of pores or openings. Temperature. Rock pressure. Geologic factors (relating to reservoir) : Character of reservoir. Retaining agents. Structure of reservoir. Topographic conditions. Conditions relating to supply: Catchment conditions. Conditions of underground feed. Conditions of leakage. CONDITIONS IN THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The general structure of the Coastal Plain of Georgia may be understood by referring to the geologic map (PL III, p. 52) and to the sections (PL IV, p. 52). The older formations outcrop along the inner margin -of the Coastal Plain parallel to the fall line, and the strata composing them dip south and southeast and pass beneath the younger formations. In going from the fall line to the coast one passes over the outcropping edges of successively younger for- mations, each of which inclines slightly in the direction of the sea. Since these formations consist predominantly of sands and porous or cavernous limestones interbedded with subordinate layers of clay, which serve as confining agents, the conditions are favorable for the development of artesian pressure. The more important conditions which give rise to artesian pressure in the underground waters of the Coastal Plain of Georgia are illus- trated in figure 3. Layer a is a bed of porous sand underlain by crystalline rocks and overlain by clay, both relatively impervious, and cut off down the dip by an unconformity. Water enters the bed in the catchment area and passes down the dip through the porous sand to the point where the bed is cut off; the weight of the i Fuller, M. L., The controlling factors of artesian flows: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 319, pp. 36, 37, 1908. 122 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. water in the higher part of the layer produces hydrostatic pressure in the water confined in the lower part. Layer & is a bed of porous sand confined above and below by relatively impervious clay and pinching out down the dip between the beds of clay; hydrostatic pressure is produced in the same manner as in layer a. Layer c presents the same conditions except that the downward circulation of the water is prevented by the merging of the porous sand down the dip into relatively impervious clay. Layer d is a cavernous, water- bearing limestone confined above and below by relatively imper- vious layers and becoming noncavernous and compact down the dip. Layer e is a bed of porous sand in which the only hindrance to the passage of the water down the dip is friction, which causes a certain amount of hydrostatic pressure to be developed. When a well is drilled to a bed containing water under hydrostatic pressure the water immediately rises within the well to the level at which the pressure is compensated, or, if this level is higher than the Figtjke 3. — Section illustrating the more important conditions governing artesian pressure in the Coastal Plain of Georgia, a, A pervious water-bearing bed cut off down the dip by an unconformity; 6, a per- vious water-bearing bed pinching out down the dip between two relatively impervious strata; c, a per- vious water-bearing bed merging down the dip into relatively impervious materials; d, cavernous water- bearing limestones becoming noncavernous and compact down the dip and underlain and overlain by relatively impervious strata; e, a pervious water-bearing bed in which artesian pressure is produced by friction; v, w, x, y, z, catchment areas of the water-bearing beds a, b, c, d, e, respectively. mouth of the well, till it overflows at the surface. The highest level to which artesian water will rise at any place is known as its static head at that place. Geologic conditions are suitable for the storage of large quantities of pure artesian water at depths of 50 to 1,500 feet or more in all parts of the Coastal Plain of Georgia except in a very small area along the fall line. In this respect the Coastal Plain has a great advantage over the rest of the State. The depths of wells in various parts of the Coastal Plain and the areas where artesian flows may be expected are shown on the map (PI. XVIII). NONARTESIAN WATERS. In the Coastal Plain of Georgia most underground waters lying less than 50 to 100 feet below the surface exhibit no hydrostatic pressure and are therefore, by the definition, excluded from the class MAP SHOWING rx,»KH«,Korxn WATEB RESOURCES OF rHE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA ■ it.u ill!'. IMI.Ii [ln\, ill i' u ivi htk .. . it- ■ii.i'in,\. 1 . 1 ... . .-.^., ,-. '' ,l tlm '"'' T - "'"'USD VAUGUAN » L »'■ STEPHESSOH urc otto VKATC'H 122 d water b in the v» sand co pinchin; pressur< present; the wa1 clip int< bearing vious li Layer passagi amoun Whe pressu which Figure Plain vious vious bear it relatr frictic mcml level stati Gc of p part the: ovei t: area (PL I less pre WATER SUPPLY. 123 of artesian waters. Such, waters are drawn upon by the majority of dug or driven wells. USE OF UNDERGROUND WATERS IN THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. In the Coastal Plain of Georgia springs furnish, a considerable part of the domestic water supply on farms, but they are not so numerous nor so extensively used as in the other parts of the State. Lumpkin, Stewart County; Buena Vista, Marion County; Americus, Sumter County; and Columbus, Muscogee County, are the only towns which derive their public water supplies in whole or in part from springs. A number of limestone springs in the region yield sufficient quanti- ties of water to supply cities but have remained practically unused, chiefly on account of their location. Large limestone springs occur in Dougherty, Decatur, Worth, Baker, Webster, Crisp, Wilcox, Brooks, Laurens, Washington, Jefferson, Burke, Jenkins, and Screven counties. SHALLOW WELLS. The principal source of water supply in the Coastal Plain of Georgia is, at present, wells of the dug, bored, and driven types, ranging in depth from 10 to 100 feet. Such wells are constructed at small cost, for they penetrate mainly unconsolidated sands and clays with only subordinate amounts of hard rock. Commonly they yield sufficient water to meet ordinary household needs, but some of them fail in times of drought. Along the coast, however, such, failure is unusual. Waters obtained from shallow wells are generally soft and where proper precautions against surface contamination have been taken are suitable for domestic use. ARTESIAN WELLS. Probably between 700 and 800 artesian wells are now in use in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. They constitute the public water supplies in many towns and cities and are numerous in villages and rural districts. New wells are constantly being added to the number already in use, and the future will doubtless witness still more rapid development; indeed artesian wells will probably become the chief source of water supply. There is no present evidence that the available supply of artesian water is decreasing in amount, but it is not improbable that, locally, the demand will in the course of time become so great as to materially lower the water table. In and adjacent to the centers of popula- tion the needless waste of artesian waters should therefore not be permitted. 124 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Most of the artesian wells now in use range in depth from 100 to 1,000 feet and are drilled at a cost of $1 to $5 per foot, the price depending on local conditions such as the nature of the strata en- countered in drilling, the depth, and other factors. The distribution and depths of wells already drilled and the areas of probable artesian flows are shown on the map (PI. XVIII). De- tailed information is given in the table at the end of each county description. STRATIGRAPHIO DISTRIBUTION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. WATER IN CRETACEOUS SYSTEM. All the Cretaceous formations of Georgia contain water-bearing beds, but differences in texture and degree of compactness and in mineral composition render certain of them more favorable than others as sources of artesian supplies. LOWER CRETACEOUS SERIES. The Lower Cretaceous deposits contain abundant supplies of excel- lent water suitable for both domestic and industrial purposes. The numerous beds of coarse-grained sand favor the admittance of large quantities of water into the deposits, and as the beds do not outcrop to the southward the waters thus admitted can not readily escape and are kept in storage. On account of the porosity of many of the beds of sand the waters are yielded freely to the wells tapping them. Along the northern border of the Coastal Plain adjacent to the Piedmont Plateau relatively thin Lower Cretaceous deposits overlap the crystalline rocks. Active stream erosion has greatly dissected the deposits, producing conditions that favor rapid drainage from the beds, and the quantity of water carried is therefore small. Wells located near this inner margin will generally yield water in sufficient quantities for ordinary domestic purposes but will quickly cease to yield if subjected to heavy pumping. Away from the Piedmont-Coastal Plain border (fall line) the capacity of the deposits for carrying water increases rapidly coast- ward, owing to the rapid thickening of the deposits in that direction. An idea of this increased capacity may be gained from the account of the test wells drilled 3 miles southeast of the fall line at Columbus, Muscogee County. (See pp. 351-354.) Six miles or more south of the fall line the deposits will probably yield sufficient water to meet all demands for years to come. There is, therefore, a strip of country several miles wide along the inner margin of the Coastal Plain in which the feasibility of obtaining large quantities of water for supplying the larger towns and cities from underground sources is doubtful until established by WATER SUPPLY. • 125 actual test. To the south of this belt is another belt, 15 or 20 miles in width, in which practically inexhaustible supplies may be obtained from the Lower Cretaceous deposits by drilling to depths depending on the location of the well. On account of the inclination of the strata the deposits reach greater depths southward, and wells at the outer limits of the belt would have to penetrate 1,000 to 1,500 feet or more of overlying strata before reaching the water- bearing beds. The predominance of quartz sand, clay, and kaolin as constituents of the formation, and the almost total absence of lime and iron pyrites, render the waters in general soft and low in dissolved mineral matter, especially at moderate distances from the catchment area (belt of outcrop). UPPER CRETACEOUS SERIES. Eutaw formation. — The irregularly bedded, loose sands which make up a considerable part of the Eutaw formation are important aquifers. The massive beds of compact sand and clay which occur in the basal part of the formation and the compact materials composing the Tombigbee sand member in the upper part are relatively impervious to water and are therefore unimportant as water bearers. Along the northern edge of the belt of outcrop the formation is thin and carries only moderate amounts of water. Farther southward the formation thickens and the quantity of the contained waters increases. From the southern edge of the outcrop southward beneath the overlying Ripley formation the terrane is an important source of artesian supply, and it may be regarded as a possible source of potable water for 5 to 20 miles. It passes to greater depths southward, and at 20 miles it lies 500 to 1,000 feet beneath the surface. The artesian wells on the Bradley plantation, 5 miles north of Omaha, in Stewart County, tap water-bearing beds in this formation. (See p. 387.) On account of the presence of lime, glauconite, and iron pyrites in many of the beds composing this formation, the contained waters are apt to be more highly mineralized than the waters obtained from the Lower Cretaceous deposits; but within the geographic limits men- tioned the mineral content will generally be too small to render the waters unsuitable for domestic or for most industrial purposes. Ripley formation. — The strata composing the Ripley formation are in part efficient and in part inefficient water bearers. The typical marine beds are, as a rule, either too compact to permit the free circulation of the waters, or, if sufficiently loose and porous, contain large percentages of lime and iron sulphide (pyrites or marcasite), which tend to render the waters hard and ferruginous and unsuitable for domestic and industrial purposes. That there are exceptions to this rule., however, has been proved by practical tests, for at Euf aula, 126 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Barbour County, Ala., at Fort Gaines, Clay County, Ga., and near Fort Gaines in Henry County, Ala., the marine beds have yielded sufficient water of satisfactory quality for domestic and for some industrial uses. The irregularly bedded shallow-water phases of the formation, which have been classified in part as the Cusseta sand member and in part as the Providence sand member, are favorable in both composi- tion and texture to the storage of waters. Some waters derived from these beds are more or less ferruginous and sulphurous, but most of them are only moderately mineralized. In Stewart, Marion, Schley, and Macon counties the Cusseta sand member dips southeast beneath the typical marine strata of the for- mation and passes to greater depths. For 15 or 20 miles or perhaps farther beyond the outcrop the buried representatives of the member may be regarded as a practicable source of water. The water-bearing beds of the Cusseta member would be reached along the southern border of the outcrop at depths of 100 to 300 feet, and at increasingly greater depths southward, until at 20 miles it would probably be nec- essary to drill 600 to 800 feet or more. The Providence sand member of the formation is uncQnformably overlain by strata of Eocene age. Just how far to the southeast beneath the Eocene strata the member maintains its distinguishing shallow-water character is not known, but it probably does so for not less than 10 or 15 miles, within which distance it may be every- where regarded as a probable source of good artesian waters. Within the suggested limits the beds should be reached at depths of 100 to 400 feet beneath the surface. East of Macon County, in Houston and Twiggs counties, the Provi- dence member directly overlies the Cusseta member and the two members together make up the entire thickness of the Ripley forma- tion, probably 800 to 1,000 feet. As both of these members are water bearing and as the Lower Cretaceous deposits which directly underlie them are also water bearing, there should be little difficulty in obtain- ing ample supplies of excellent water in this region. Little is known of the physical character of the southward extension of the Ripley formation beneath the overlying Eocene. That the terrane contains waters suitable for domestic and for many industrial purposes, at least as far south as Dougherty and Early counties, has been proved by practical tests. In wells at Albany, Dougherty County, water-bearing beds are tapped in the Ripley formation at depths of 660 to 710 feet, 840 to 900 feet, and 1,310 to 1,320 feet. In a well at Blakely, Early County, water-bearing beds were reached at 570 and 812 feet, the lower bed furnishing the municipal water supply. WATER SUPPLY. 127 WATER IN TERTIARY SYSTEM. EOCENE SERIES. Midway formation. — The Midway formation consists of 200 to 400 feet of sedimentary deposits, mainly of marine origin, including sands, clays, marls, and limestones. The lithologic character of the forma- tion is favorable for the absorption and circulation of water, and as the strata dip continuously southward the terrane is an important aquifer. The belt of outcrop of the Midway formation is 8 to 15 miles wide, extending from Clay County northeastward into Macon and Houston counties. The elevation of the greater part of this belt above sea level is 400 to 550 feet, with somewhat lower elevations along the larger streams. The strata composing the formation dip southward at the rate of 20 or 30 feet to the mile, but probably become flatter under cover of the younger formations. The thickness probably also diminishes. The formation is believed to be the source of the water of deep wells in Sumter, Lee, Terrell, Randolph, Dougherty, and Calhoun counties, in which, south of the belt of outcrop, the top of the formation should be reached at 100 to 500 feet. As certain of the formations which overlie the Midway contain large quantities of water, it is not everywhere necessary to drill to the Midway. In the region east of Ocmulgee River no evidence of the presence of the formation has been found either in natural outcrops or in wells. The following wells probably tap water-bearing beds in this forma- tion: (1) At Shellman, Randolph County, a public well, depth 410 feet; (2) at Cuthbert, Randolph County, a well owned by the town, depth 1,000 feet (depth to principal water-bearing bed 340 to 400 feet), and a well owned by the Cuthbert Ice Co., depth 435 feet; (3) near Ducker station, Dougherty County, the Fort well, depth 547 feet; (4) at Montezuma, Macon County, numerous wells less than 160 feet deep. The waters are generally suitable for domestic and for 'most indus- trial purposes. Wilcox formation. — The Wilcox formation is relatively thin. It outcrops in a narrow belt extending from Chattahoochee River to Flint River, chiefly in Clay, Randolph, Webster, and Sumter counties. So far as known it is not an important aquifer, although it is composed in part of beds of sand which probably carry waters in greater or lesser quantities. Claiborne group. — The Claiborne group has been subdivided into the McBean formation below and the Barnwell sand above. The McBean formation includes a lithologic phase which has been desig- nated the Congaree clay member. (See pp. 73-80.) The available data are insufficient for discriminating these divisions in wells south 128 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. of the belt of outcrop, or whero they are buried by later overlying formations, and most of the water-bearing beds are referred to the Claiborne group as a whole instead of to one of its subdivisions. The Claiborne group outcrops in the northern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia in an irregular belt 2 to 40 miles wide extending entirely across the State from Savannah River to Chattahoochee River. The widest part of the belt is between Savannah and Flint rivers, where the beds lap upon the Cretaceous deposits and hi places extend entirely to and rest directly upon the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau. The Claiborne appears at the surface over much of Richmond, Burke, Glascock, Jefferson, Washington, Wilkinson, Twiggs, and Houston counties. Between Flint and Chattahoochee rivers tlie belt of outcrop is narrow and the Claiborne does not overlap and conceal the older formations. The area of outcrop lies from 200 to 500 feet above sea level, from which elevation the strata of the Claiborne group dip southward beneath younger formations and probably extend to the coast. Little is known, however, concerning the thickness or character of the buried portion of the group. The group is an important aquifer over the area in which it lies at or near the surface, the water-bearing beds being tapped by both shallow nonartesian wells and by deep artesian wells. The flowing wells at Louisville, Wadley, Bartow, Midville, and other places are located on the Claiborne and derive their waters from this group, chiefly from the McBean formation, at depths of 150 to 350 feet. The base of the McBean formation east of Ocmulgee River consists of 50 to 100 feet of clay or fuller's earth (Congaree clay member), which is relatively impervious and carries very little water, but which is overlain by coarse unconsolidated water-bearing sands. Southward it merges into alternating beds of sandy marl, limestone, and sand. The Claiborne consists in the main of irregularly bedded sands, clays, and marls, and, as individual beds of definite lithologic character are not persistent, the rainfall percolates readily through the strata, notwithstanding the local beds of impervious clay. Flowing wells from this group may be expected along the lower lands bordering Oconee River in Laurens County, Ogeechee River in Jefferson, Burke, and Jenkins counties, and Briar Creek in Burke and Screven counties. At depths of not more than 500 feet the Claiborne should furnish large supplies in the northern parts of Laurens, Johnson, Emanuel, Jenkins, and Screven counties. Deep wells at Wrightsville, Swainsboro, Millen, Millhaven, and elsewhere east of Ocmulgee River probably obtain their supplies from this group. West of Ocmulgee River few wells are known to obtain their waters from the Claiborne group. WATER SUPPLY. 129 The waters from the Claiborne group are generally suitable both for domestic and for most industrial purposes. None of those analyzed shows excessive total solids, the amount being generally less than 300 parts per million. The waters are hard, and some of them emit an unpleasant odor of hydrogen sulphide. Jackson formation. — The Jackson formation consists mainly of limestone, more or less sandy, having a maximum thickness of 150 feet or less. It outcrops in a narrow belt chiefly in Sumter, Dooly, Houston, Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Laurens counties and is believed to underlie a large area to the south and southeast. Its more sandy portions and perhaps also some solution caverns in it contain artesian waters in large quantities and of suitable quality for domestic and for most industrial purposes. OLIGOCENE SERIES. Vicksburg formation. — The Vicksburg formation is an important aquifer. It consists mainly of porous limestones but also contains thin beds of clay and water-bearing sand. Throughout the area of outcrop the surface materials are residual argillaceous sands and sandy clays in which masses of flint are common and through which much water is admitted into the beds. The maximum thickness of the formation is believed to be about 300 feet. The area of outcrop ranges in elevation above sea level from about 125 to 450 feet. The catchment area of the formation (see PI. Ill, p. 52) is a belt 5 to 35 miles wide, embracing about 1,500 square miles, and extending from the Oconee River valley in Laurens County to Chattahoochee River in the southwestern part of the State. Its widest part is in the southwest. The beds dip gently to the southeast and south and under cover of the later formations extend to the Atlantic coast and to Florida. The formation carries large quantities of water which throughout the area of outcrop can be obtained by drilling to depths of 100 to 400 feet. At a few places the formation will yield flows. In drilling underground streams and cavities are frequently tapped and afford large supplies of water. Water is also obtained from layers of sand interbedded with the limestones. East of Flint River, in the wire-grass region or Altamaha upland, the water-bearing beds of the formation are tapped by many deep wells. The depth to the forma- tion in the region south and east of the outcrop varies from 50 or 100 feet in the northwest to perhaps 500 or 600 feet near the Atlantic coast. However, in wells the formation can not be easily differen- tiated from the underlying Jackson formation, nor from the overlying Chattahoochee formation, both of which are also water bearing. 38418°— wsp 341—15 9 130 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The water has a low mineral content, is potable, and is used for general domestic purposes; the hardness is sufficient to render it somewhat objectionable in boilers and in laundries. If the area west of Flint River were to become thickly populated, there might be some danger of pollution, for surface waters doubtless gain access to the underground supply through the numerous lime sinks. Chattahoochee formation. — The Chattahoochee formation is com- posed mainly of soft porous limestone, but it also contains beds of calcareous clay and sandstone. The area of outcrop is relatively small, including a narrow belt east of Flint River in Decatur, Mitchell, Dougherty, Worth, and Crisp counties, isolated areas along the Florida line in Grady, Thomas, Brooks, Lowndes, and Echols counties, and small areas in the northeast in Screven, Jenkins, and Burke counties. The formation also probably outcrops along Ocmulgee River near Abbeville in Wilcox and Dodge counties. Although the area of outcrop is small, the formation is present throughout the greater part of south and southeast Georgia beneath the Alum Bluff forma- tion. The thickness of the terrane is estimated to be 100 to 150 feet. The limestones are in part porous and cavernous and throughout much of the region carry large quantities of water. As the catchment area is small much of the water probably enters the formation through lime sinks, although a considerable part of it may find its way by percolation through the overlying Alum Bluff formation. In the area outlined the formation lies at depths ranging from a few feet along its northwestern margin to estimated depths of 400 or 500 feet along the coast. Over the greater part of the region its depth does not exceed 350 feet. The waters of deep artesian wells at Way- cross (?), Valdosta, Quitman, Boston, Thomasville, Adel, Lumber City, and Rockyford are believed to be obtained in whole or in part from this formation. The waters of the Chattahoochee are hard, and in places emit a strong odor of hydrogen sulphide, but they are potable and are suit- able for domestic and for most industrial purposes. Where lime sinks occur, as in Brooks, Lowndes, and Thomas counties, the danger of contamination from surface sources renders it desirable to sink wells to lower formations. Alum Bluff formation. — The Alum Bluff formation consists of sandy clays, in places resembling fuller's earth, and subordinate amounts of sand, sandstone, and marl or limestone. On account of its pre- dominantly argillaceous character the formation is not an important aquifer, although it contains local water-bearing beds. The outcrops of the strata are confined roughly to the area east of Flint River and south of Cordele, Dublin, Tennille, Midville, and WATER SUPPLY. 131 Millen. In its distribution the formation corresponds approximately to the underlying Chattahoochee formation. The strata dip slightly southward. On the north their maximum elevation is 300 to 400 feet above sea level, and on the coast, in Mcintosh, Glynn, and Camden counties, they lie 100 feet or more below sea level. Throughout the greater part of its extent it is overlain by the undifferentiated Oligo- cene to Pleistocene deposits. In the area outlined, except in the coast counties, the formation lies at depths of not more than 100 or 150 feet, and at many places it is very near the surface. Although locally the formation furnishes large supplies of water its water content is in the main relatively small and at many places it is necessary to sink wells to the limestones of the underlying Chattahoochee, Vicksburg, or Jackson formations. In wells the deposits can not be sharply differentiated from the under- lying Chattahoochee formation. Near the Florida line, in Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Brooks, and Lowndes counties, the larger streams have cut their valleys entirely through the deposits, exposing the underlying limestones of the Chattahoochee formation, thus permit- ting the freer escape of the contained waters and lessening the chance of obtaining artesian supplies. In the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain conditions are more favorable for the presence of arte- sian waters in the deposits, and it is probable that many of the flowing wells in Mclntoch, Liberty, Glynn, and Camden counties derive their waters from this source. The waters from these deposits are potable and are as suitable for domestic and industrial purposes as those of the underlying forma- tions. Where large supplies happen to be found in them nothing will be gained by drilling deeper except where there is a probability of obtaining artesian flows. MIOCENE SERIES. Less definite information is at hand regarding the Mioceue of Georgia than concerning any other geologic division of the Coastal Plain of the State. However, it is believed that 200 or 300 feet of sands, clays, and marls of Miocene age exist along the coast and that these deposits constitute a very important artesian reservoir. (See pp. 97-100.) The Miocene deposits are almost entirely hidden by younger forma- tions, the area of outcrop being insignificant. The deposits probably nowhere extend more than 50 or 60 miles back from the ocean front, and they probably nowhere reach an elevation of 100 feet above sea level. It is believed that some of the artesian wells less than 150 or 200 feet deep in Camden, Glynn, and Mcintosh counties, and on the sea islands of Liberty, Bryan, and Chatham counties, obtain their supplies from Miocene strata. 132 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The few available analyses of Miocene waters show moderately hard waters, most of which emit rather strong odors of hydrogen sul- phide. The waters are used for both domestic and manufacturing purposes. PLIOCENE? SERIES. The Charlton formation (probably Pliocene), which outcrops along St. Marys River on the Florida side and adjacent to Charlton County, Ga., is believed to be relatively thin and of small geographic extent and is therefore considered unimportant as a source of water. UNDIFFERENTIATED OLIGOCENE TO PLEISTOCENE, INCLUSIVE. The surface material over the greater part of the region east of Flint River, in an area the northern limit of which is marked ap- proximately by a line connecting Unadilla, Hawkinsville, Dublin, Tennille, Wadley, Waynesboro, and Girard, although small isolated areas probably occur north of these towns and west of Flint River, consists of irregularly bedded sands, clays, and gravels, and contains water-bearing beds. However, as the deposits are relatively thin and are broadly distributed as a nearly horizontal sheet the contained waters are under little or no hydrostatic pressure and belong mainly to the nonartesian class. The deposits are overlain by a thin covering of gray sand, which is in the main residual but is in part of Pleistocene terrace origin. Most of the shallow wells in the area just outlined tap water-bearing beds, and numerous small springs issue at the contacts of local beds of clay and sand. The shallow wells yield sufficient quantities of water for farm and domestic use except in times of unusual drought; large, permanent supplies from these formations are not to be expected. The waters of the deposits are generally soft and are low in their content of dissolved mineral matter, and are wholesome where properly protected from surface contamination. Some seepage springs have been noted, the waters of which are sufficiently ferru- ginous to render them disagreeable to the taste. WATER IN QUATERNARY SYSTEM. PLEISTOCENE SERIES. The marine Pleistocene terrace deposits, which cover a large area bordering the Atlantic coast (PL III, p. 52), and the alluvial terrace deposits of Pleistocene age, which are present in small areas bor- dering the larger rivers of the Coastal Plain, contain nonartesian waters which are tapped by numerous shallow dug or driven wells. The water in these wells frequently stands within a foot or two of the surface. On account of the high content of organic matter in APPLING COUNTY. 133 many of the waters from shallow sources and their liability to pol- lution they are not considered as suitable as artesian waters for domestic uses. The terrace deposits bordering the larger rivers are thin and do not yield large supplies. There are many shallow wells on the ter- races along Chattahoochee River, but little detailed information has been obtained concerning them. Along Ocmulgee, Altamaha, Oconee, and Savannah rivers the lowest terrace plain is swampy and is sparsely populated, and for this reason few wells have been sunk. There are shallow wells in Pleistocene terrace deposits at Macon, Hawkinsville, Lumber City, Dublin, and Augusta, but the waters of these wells should not be used for domestic purposes on account of the danger of pollution. COUNTY DESCRIPTIONS. APPLING COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Appling County is in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain. Baxley, the county seat, is on the main line of the Southern Railway, 118 miles from Macon and 69 miles from Brunswick. The area of the county is 604 square miles and the population is 12,318 (census of 1910). Agriculture and the production of rough lumber and naval stores axe the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level to gently rolling; the southern part lies within the Satilla drainage basin, the principal streams being Little Satilla River and Hurricane Creek. The divide between the Alta- maha and the Satilla drainage basins is a flat pine-woods country, which is traversed by the Southern Railway. Shallow cypress ponds from 100 to 200 feet in diameter and bays and upland swamps, many of them several hundred acres in extent, dot this plain. Big Pond, 7 miles north of Baxley, has an area of 7 or 8 square miles. In the north, near Altamaha River, which forms the northern boundary, the land is rolling. In the west numerous creeks and branches flow sluggishly through shallow valleys. The known elevations above sea level along the Southern Railway are; Graham, 240; Pinegrove, 229; Baxley, 206; Wheaton, 201; Surrency, 187. The elevation of the swamp along Altamaha River, as estimated from elevations established on the river by the United States Corps of Engineers, is hardly more than 75 or 80 feet above sea level, and the elevation of the swamp of Little Satilla River, in the extreme southeast corner of the county, is about the same. 134 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. GEOLOGY. Except for Pleistocene terrace deposits of sand and clay, laid down in narrow areas bordering Altamaha River, the surface materials throughout the greater part of the county consist of undifferentiated deposits of Oligocene and later age, comprising irregularly bedded sands and sandy clays, and interbedded layers of argillaceous sand- stone and quartzite. These surficial deposits are the source of the waters obtained in shallow wells. Beneath them throughout the entire county is the Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of soft sandy clays and sands with interbedded thin layers of soft sandstone and quartzite, and which outcrops in the bluffs of Altamaha River. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by 400 feet or more of water-bearing limestones, which probably represent in descending order the Chattahoochee, Vicksburg, and Jackson formations, and which contain important water-bearing beds. Beneath the lime- stones, in descending order, is a series of sands, clays, and marls of Eocene and Cretaceous age, probably aggregating several thousand feet in thickness, which at an undeternnned depth rest upon a base- ment of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The shallow wells of the county, both dug and driven, range in depth from 10 to 50 feet. These wells draw from the undifferentiated surficial deposits and afford abundant supplies of soft but not always wholesome water. The land is low and poorly drained, and in rainy periods the water stands very near the surface and has an unpleasant taste due to iron or to organic matter. Small seepage springs occur throughout the county. Information in regard to deep-seated water is very scanty. . How- ever, the prospects may be considered good for obtaining abundant supplies of potable water at depths of 150 to 1,000 feet or more. The Alum Bluff formation probably contains water-bearing sands at depths of 150 to 250 feet or more, and the upper part of porous water-bearing limestones referred to the Chattahoochee, Vicksburg, and Jackson formations should be reached at depths of 350 or 400 feet. Flowing wells probably can not be obtained in the county, except, possibly, on a small area of lowland bordering Altamaha River. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Baxley (population 831, census of 1910). — The town of Baxley owns an artesian well which supplies the greater part of the popula- tion with water for domestic use. The well, which was drilled in BAKER COUNTY. 135 1895, was originally 461 feet deep, but has since become partly filled with sand, and is now only 204 feet deep. The water, which is prob- ably derived from Alum Bluff strata at a depth of about 200 feet, rises to within about 80 feet of the surface, and is clear, potable, and soft, differing in the latter respect from most of the deep-well waters of this part of the Coastal Plain. The water is notable for its high content of silica and for the appreciable amount of phosphorus which it contains, but is suitable for domestic purposes, so far as can be determined from a mineral analysis. The following analysis of a sample of the water was made by Edgar Everhart: 1 Analysis of water from 204-foot town well at Baxley. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 97 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 3 + A1 2 3 ) 17 Calcium (Ca) 3. 9 Magnesium (Mg) 7 Sodium (Na) - 13 Potassium (K) 4. 4 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 27 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) ~. - 1. 6 Chlorine (CI) 12 Phosphate radicle (P0 4 ) 5. 4 Total dissolved solids 169 Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 ) " 31 New Lacey. — An oil-prospecting well, reported to be 440 feet deep, has been drilled on the John Aldredge farm, a mile southeast of New Lacey. Water rises to within 50 feet of the surface. BAKER COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Baker County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain be- tween Flint and Chattahoochee rivers. Its area is 357 square miles and its population 7,973 (census of 1910). The county contains no large towns or manufacturing establishments. Agriculture, lumber- ing, and the production of turpentine and resin are the chief indus- tries. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is mainly a nearly level plain. Although but few determinations of altitude have been made the surface is known to range in elevation above sea level from about 125 or 150 feet in the southeast to about 200 feet in the north. Lime sinks, small, shallow cypress ponds occupying lime sinks, small, open lakes or ponds, and broad creek swamps characterize the topography. The drainage of 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 51, 1908. 136 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. the county is chiefly by subterranean streams through lime sinks, small surface streams being rare. Flint River forms the eastern boundary of the county. Two Pleistocene terraces — an alluvial plain about 15 feet above the river and a higher sand-covered terrace 40 to 50 feet above the same datum — border the river. The tributaries of Flint River, Ichawaynochaway, Chickasawhatch.ee, and Coolewa- hee creeks, which flow southward through the county, have very shallow valleys and very low banks and in places spread out so widely in swamps that it is difficult to recognize their main channels. GEOLOGY. The county is directly underlain by the Vicksburg formation which is estimated to be not less than 300 feet thick. This formation is represented at the surface by residual sands and clays and by flint fragments. Beneath the residual materials the formation probably consists mainly of limestones interbedded, according to well records, with sands. A thin deposit of loose residual sand covers the upland, and Pleistocene deposits, which have very little bearing on the water supply, occur along Flint River and Ichawaynochaway Creek. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls of Eocene age, which contain water-bearing beds. The Eocene deposits are under- lain by 2,000 feet or more of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age, beneath which at an undetermined depth is the basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Cretaceous deposits contain impor- tant water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The shallow open wells of the county vary in depth from 30 to 40 feet. The water of many of them is hard and is considered unwhole- some. The water is derived from the Vicksburg formation and from the residual sands and clays resulting from the weathering of this formation. There are several perennial limestone springs in the county, but their waters are used only locally for drinking and cook- ing. The largest are Blue Spring, at the mouth of Coolewahee Creek at Newton, and Lester Spring, 8 miles northeast of Newton. Two deep flowing wells have been obtained in the county, and it is probable that others can be obtained anywhere east of Ichaway- nochaway Creek. Limestones of the Vicksburg formation will yield large supplies of water at depths of 300 feet or less, and the water- bearing strata of the Eocene and Cretaceous deposits which underlie the Vicksburg and which furnish flows in Calhoun and Dougherty counties will yield waters at depths of 300 to 1,500 feet or more. BAKER COUNTY. 137 LOCAE SUPPLIES. Newton (population 364, census of 1910). — An artesian well owned by Newton is 825 feet deep and flows at the rate of 15 gallons per minute; the water will rise 35 feet above the surface. McCallie 1 has published the following log, giving I. B. Perry as authority: Log of town ivell at Newton. Thick- ness. Depth. Sands and clays Rock. Quicksand and rock Marl , sand , and rock Marl Rock, white, honeycombed, water bearing Feel. SO 300 200 100 120 25 Feet. 80 380 580 680 800 825 The water-bearing strata are probably in the lower part of the Eocene. The following analysis of the water was made by Edgar Everhart: 1 Analysis of water from an 825-foot town xvell at Newton. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 20 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 3 +Al 3 3 ) 3. 6 Calcium (Ca) 4.5 Magnesium (Mg) 3. 2 Sodium (Na) _ 59 Potassium (K) 1. 9 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 162 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) , 9. 3 Chlorine (CI) 7. Total dissolved solids 190 Total hardness 27 Permanent hardness 23 Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 ) 74 Elmodel. — Elmodel is a small village 12 miles west of Newton. According to M. A. Jarrard, driller, an artesian well at this place, completed in 1907, is 661 feet deep, and is cased to a depth of 365 feet. The diameter at the top is 4| inches and at the bottom 2 inches. When finished, the water rose in a pipe 30 feet above the surface and flowed 70 gallons a minute. A slight decrease in the yield is thought to be due to a leak in the casing. The water is used for general domestic purposes. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 52, 1908. 138 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log of well at Elmodel. Thick- ness. Depth. Sand and clay Rock \v ith thin layers of clav Sand ". ' Rock, very hard : Marl, blue Stopped on white, porous, water-bearing rock. Feet. 160 100 100 10 290 Feet. 160 260 360 370 660 The water probably conies from the Midway or the Wilcox forma- tion of the Eocene. Mimmsville. — Drilled wells 200 feet deep have been reported from near Mimmsville, in the southwestern part of the county. BALDWIN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Baldwin County is near the central part of Georgia, on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 307 square miles and its population 18,354 (census of 1910). Agriculture and the mining and manufacture of clay products are the chief industries. TOPOGRAPHY. Approximately the southern half of the county is included within the Atlantic Coastal Plain and forms part of the physiographic divi- sion known as the fall-line hills. This part of the county is drained by Oconee River, the two principal tributaries of winch are Town Creek and Fishing Creek. The surface has been much dissected by these streams and their tributaries and is therefore hilly, the maxi- mum topographic relief being probably between 350 and 400 feet. Two narrow, fairly well denned Pleistocene terrace plains have been formed along Oconee River, one lying 10 to 20 feet and the other 40 to 50 feet above low-water level. The general hilly character of the area has been thus modified in a tract a mile or more in width bor- dering the river. GEOLOGY. Crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau region or their decom- posed products outcrop at the surface over more than half of the county and are present beneath Cretaceous and younger deposits in the remainder. Coarse, unevenly bedded sands and clays of Lower Cretaceous age form the surface materials over the greater part of the area between Oconee River and the eastern boundary of the county. They rest upon the crystalline rocks, which appear in the bed of Oconee River on the west and of Gum Creek on the east. Strata of the same age and of similar character rest upon the crystal- BALDWIN COUNTY. 139 line rocks in the southwestern part of the area south of Milledgeville. The maximum thickness of the Lower Cretaceous deposits within the county is probably not greater than 100 or 150 feet. In a small area in the vicinity of Stevens Pottery the Lower Cre- taceous sediments are unconformably overlain by relatively thin, overlapping sands and clays belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene. Some terrace loams, sands, and gravels of Pleistocene age have been deposited along Oconee River. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The Water supplies for domestic use in the Coastal Plain areas in Baldwin County are derived chiefly from wells of the dug type 20 to 80 feet in depth and from small springs. The waters yielded by both wells and springs come principally from the beds of sand which pre- dominantly compose the Lower Cretaceous deposits. The waters are of satisfactory quality except where locally contaminated from sur- face sources. Small creeks and branches furnish an abundant supply of excellent water for the use of domestic animals and for local steam-producing plants. As the Lower Cretaceous strata probably do not exceed a thickness of 100 or 150 feet within the county limits, and as only slight artesian pressure is developed, wells drawing water from this source can scarcely be classed as artesian. However, moderate amounts of water of good quality can be obtained from the porous beds of sand which largely compose the deposits. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Milledgeville (population 4,385, census of 1910). — Milledgeville, the county seat, is situated near the fall line, which marks the boundary between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Plateau. The town is equipped with a water-supply system concerning which the following data have been furnished by Mayor M. S. Bell: The water plant is owned by the Baldwin County Water Co., of Phila- delphia, Pa., and draws from Fishing Creek, 1-| miles northwest of the center of the town. Two pumps, having a combined daily capacity of 750,000 gallons, force the water from its source to a standpipe which has a capacity of 150,000 gallons, and affords a pressure of 75 pounds. The distributing mains have a total length of 5-J- miles. There are 278 domestic taps and 82 tire hydrants. The total daily consumption for all purposes is 250,000 gallons. The water is soft. The State farm is located within the basin of Fishing Creek and the creek receives the drainage from the farm a short distance above the waterworks intake. 140 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Stevens Pottery. — So far as reported the only attempt yet made to drill a deep artesian well in the county was made in 1893 at the Stevens Pottery. W. C. Stevens states that at a depth between 60 and 75 feet a strong flow of water was encountered but was ca*sed off, and drilling was continued through soft " granite " rock to a depth of 150 feet. The well has been abandoned. The soft rock was prob- ably the upper decayed portion of the crystalline basement rocks which underlie the Lower Cretaceous deposits. BEN HILL COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Ben Hill County is in the central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, in the wire-grass section. Its population (census of 1910) is 11,863 and its area is 256 square miles. Fitzgerald, the only large town in the county, is the county seat. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is gently rolling and the relief is slight; the elevations probably ranging from 325 to 400 feet above sea level. The elevation at Fitzgerald, at the Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad sta- tion, is about 385 feet. Ocmulgee River forms a part of the northern boundary of the county and is the only stream of noteworthy size. GEOLOGY. The greater part of the county is underlain by 100 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays which weather to gray or yellow sands several feet thick. These deposits are underlain by the Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of greenish-gray sands and clays and which appears in the bluff of Ocmulgee River at the mouth of House Creek, in the northeastern part of the county. The Alum Bluff is probably underlain, in descending order, by the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations (Oligocene) and the Jack- son formation (Eocene), which consist mainly of water-bearing- limestones and the combined thickness of which is probably between 300 and 500 feet. The Jackson formation is underlain by undiffer- entiated sands, clays, and marls of Eocene age, and these are underlain by undifferentiated Cretaceous deposits which at an unknown depth rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water for domestic purposes is obtained chiefly from dug wells of shallow depth. The waters of streams and ponds are used locally for steam-producing purposes. Springs are comparatively few and are BEN HILL COUNTY. 141 of little importance. The only deep wells reported are at Fitzgerald and Bowens Mill. Throughout the county wells drilled to depths of 200 to 1,500 feet or more may be expected to furnish abundant supplies of water, but th^e prospects for obtaining flows are very poor, except on a narrow area of lowland bordering Ocmulgee River, and in the valleys of some of the small tributaries entering the river. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Fitzgerald (population 5,795, census of 1910). — The town of Fitz- gerald owns a water-supply system and obtains water from an arte- sian well, using 40,000 gallons a day. The water is satisfactory for general domestic purposes but is not used for manufacturing. The city well (No. 2, Table 1) is 825 feet deep and the water which prob- ably comes from Eocene strata is reported to rise to within 100 feet of the surface. The following is an analysis of the water by Edgar Everhart : 1 Analysis of ivater from an S25-foot town well at Fitzgerald. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 13 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 3 + A1 2 3 ) 10 Calcium (Ca) 20 Magnesium (Mg) 5. 2 Sodium (Na) 8.2 Potassium (K) ■_ 1. 9 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 72 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 3. 7 Phosphate radicle (P0 4 ) Trace. Chlorine (CI) 20 Total dissolved solids 118 Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 ) 28 There are several wells at Fitzgerald which are reported to be about 650 feet deep, and one which is 381 feet deep (No. 3, Table 1). The water-bearing beds tapped by these wells are believed to be in the undifferentiated Oligocene and Eocene limestones described on page 140. McCallie 2 has published the following log of the 381-foot well: Log of 381-foot well of Fitzgerald Ice Co., at Fitzgerald. Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay and sand Quicksand? Limestone with some clay. Feet. 100 125 156 Feet. 100 225 381 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 123, 1908. - Idem, p. 122. 142 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Bowens Mill (population 79, census of 1910). — Bo wens Mill is a small community in the northeastern part of the county, near Ocmulgee River. A well (No. 1, Table 1) owned by R. V. Bowens is 670 feet deep and is said to flow at the rate of 50 gallons per minute at a height of 15 feet above the surface. The water is reported to be hard and sulphurous. Table 1. — Wells in Ben Hill County. No. Location. Owner. Authority. > o Yield per minute. Bowens Mill (near Fitz- gerald). Fitzgerald do R. V. Bowens, Fitzgerald. City Fitzgerald Ice Co. T. H. Beale. Feet. S. W. McCalliea.. do 38S Feet. 670 825 381 In. Feet. Feet. + 15 Galls. 50 Galls. 370- 500 No. Quality. Sulphurous Analysis, p. 141 . . Use. Domestic Municipal supply. Manufacture of ice. Principal water bed. Geologic horizon. Character. Eocene. do. Vicksburg forma- tion? Porous lime- stone. Remarks. Several other wells at Fitzgerald are re- ■ ported to be about 650 feet deep. See log, p. 141. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 122, 123, 1908. BERRIEN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Berrien County lies hi the south-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, between Alapaha River on the east and Little River on the west. Its area is 735 square miles and its population is 22,772 (census of 1910). Agriculture and the production of lumber and naval stores are the chief industries. The main industrial use to which the waters are put is the production of steam in the boilers of sawmills and cotton gins. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level. The principal streams, Alapaha, Little, and Withlacoochee rivers, and their numerous small tribu- taries, flow sluggishly through swamps without definite channels and have accomplished little erosion. The valleys are shallow, the maxi- mum relief being about 70 feet. Cypress ponds or swamps are com- BERRIEN COUNTY. 143 mon on the flat lands in the southern part of the county. The known railroad elevations are Adel, 246; Alapaha, 293; Cecil, 250; Enigma, 309; Lenox, 300; and Sparks, 241. GEOLOGY. The surface formation consists of 50 or 60 feet of sands and clays, probably Oligocene, and is the source of the water of seepage springs and shallow wells. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of clays and sands having a probable maximum thickness of 200 feet, out- crops in the valleys of Alapaha, Withlacooch.ee, and Little rivers. The formation contains local water-bearing beds, as at Milltown, but in general it is believed to be of little importance as an aquifer. Thin coverings of Pleistocene sand and clay, deposited on the nar- row terraces bordering the rivers, yield waters locally and are the source of a few springs, but are of relatively slight importance as aquifers. Limestones of the Chattahoochee formation underlie the Alum Bluff formation at probable depths of 250 or 275 feet, and are in turn underlain in descending order by the Vicksburg and Jackson for- mations, which consist chiefly of limestones. These formations are water bearing and will yield abundant supplies. The Jackson formation is underlain in descending order by undiffer- entiated strata of Eocene and Cretaceous age, probably having an aggregate thickness of 2,000 feet or more, which at an undetermined depth rest upon ancient crystalline rocks. The Eocene and Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Shallow open and driven wells, ranging in depth from 10 to 65 feet and yielding soft water, are the principal sources of domestic supply in the small villages and rural districts. On the flat lowlands the water table is only a few feet beneath the surface and during rainy weather is frequently so near the surface that water can be dipped from the wells by hand. Driven and bored wells are practicable over the whole county, and should be used in preference to open dug wells, which are more likely to be contaminated by surface drainage. In places at or near the edges of swamps or poorly drained depres- sions there are small seepage springs, some of which yield unwhole- some waters. The waters of the ponds, creeks, and rivers are dark or black from decayed vegetation. Artesian water can doubtless be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more, but the chance for obtaining natural flows is slight. Artesian wells have been drilled at Adel, Sparks, Nashville, Milltown, and Heartsease. 144 rXDKKGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. LOCAL SUri'I.IKS. Adel (population 1,902, census of 1910). — The town of Adel owns an artesian well and has a public water-supply system, but a large part of the population uses shallow open wells. The public artesian well (No. 2, Table 2), drilled in 1907, is 675 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter. The water rises to within 50 feet of the surface and the yield is 500 gallons per minute. The water is hard (see analysis 1, Table 3) and the content of total solids is high, rendering it less suit- able for general domestic purposes than most of the artesian waters of- the Coastal Plain of Georgia. The well probably penetrates the upper part of the Eocene. S. W.McCallie 1 gives the following account of another artesian well (No. 1, Table 2) at this place: The Adel well, completed in 1893, is 4J inches in diameter and 280 feet deep. The water rises to within 154 feet of the surface. Mr. J. B. Spencer furnishes the following [partial] record : Log of 280-foot well at Adel. Feet. Sandy soil 2 Red clay 10 White sand 10 Blue clay with sandstone bowlders 125 Fine white sand , 25 • Limestone with thin layers of flint (water bearing at 229 feet) 100 Sparks (population 842, census of 1910). — The town of Sparks owns an artesian well 407 feet deep (No. 6, Table 2) which supplies the greater part of the population with water for all purposes. The analy- sis (No. 2, Table 3) shows a moderately hard carbonate water, calcium and magnesium being the principal bases. Nashville (population 990, census of 1910). — Nashville owns a pub- lic water-supply system which obtains water from an artesian well (No. 5, Table 2) completed in 1907. The water is reported to be hard, but is satisfactory in other respects, and is used for general domestic purposes and for the manufacture of ice. The well is 436 feet deep and 6 inches in diameter. The water rises to within 125 feet of the surface, but is lowered 25 feet, or to 150 feet below the surface, by pumping 135 gallons a minute. The shallow wells in the town are from 20 to 40 feet in depth and afford soft waters. Milltown (population 1,247, census of 1910). — Open wells, 10 to 30 feet in depth, are the principal source of water supply at Milltown. There is one deep well hi the town (No. 4, Table 2), information con- cerning which has been furnished by McCallie 2 as follows: The G. V. Gress Lumber Co.'s well, located at Milltown, was completed October 25, 1903. The well is 6 inches in diameter and 260 feet deep, and it furnishes a good supply of sulphureted water, rising to within 80 feet of the surface. The main water supply is said to come from sand 100 feet from the surface. The water is used for drink- ing and other purposes. 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 53, 1908. 2 Idem, p. 55. BERRIEN COUNTY. 145 Heartsease. — A deep well at Heartsease (No. 3, Table 2), owned by the Gun Manufacturing Co., is reported to be 800 feet deep. The water rises to within 300 feet of the surface. Table 2. — Wells in Berrien County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- plet- ed. Ap- prox- imate eleva- tion above sea level. Adel do Heartsease . Milltown. . . Nashville Sparks, 100 yards northeast of post office. Town Gun Manufacturing Co. G. V. Gress Lumber Co. Town , .....do White & Co. J. B. Spencer o. Postmaster S.W.McCallie&. 1S93 1907 Feet. 246 246 J. W. Sirmans, mayor. Mark McCaine and E. R. Slade. 1903 1907 190S No. Depth. Diame- ter. Depth to princi- pal wa- ter- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per min- ute. Flow. Pump. How ob- tained. Quality. Feet. 280 675 260 436 Inches. 4". 10 Feet. 229 Feet. 100 400 Feet. 154 50 125 45 Galls. Galls. 500 20 Steam pump. Air-lift pump. 135 300 Air-lift pump. do Hard and sulphurous. Analysis 1, Table 3. Hard. Sulphurous. Hard. Hard. Analysis 2, Table 3. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Chattahoochee for- mation ? Limestone See log, p. 144. 2 Municipal supply . 10-inch casingto 60 feet. Cost of well, $2,000. 3 do 4 Manufacturing Municipal supply . .do Alum Bluff forma- tion. Vicksburg forma- tion? do 5 6 Soft rock 6-inchcasingto300feet. Cost of well, 81,200; of machinery, 81,200. 10-inch casing to 407 feet. Cost of well, $1,000. a- Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 53, 1908. 38418°— wsp 341—15 10 b Idem, p. 55, 56. 146 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN" OF GEORGIA. Table 3. — Analyses of well waters from Berrien County. [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium ( K) Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) Sulphate radicle ( SO*) Nitrate radicle (NO3) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids 1. Well No. 2, Table 2. Sample collected June 13, 1911; Edgar Everhart, analyst 2. Well No. 6, Table 2. Edgar Everhart, analyst. BIBB COUNTY. 47 4.0 150 72 22 .0 168 518 .0 21 972 31 .3 50 16 4.3 .6 136 72 5.0 252 GENERAL FEATURES. Bibb County is in the central part of the State on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 277 square miles and its population (according to the census of 1910) is 56,646. In the city of Macon the chief industries are the extraction of cottonseed oil and the manufacture of cotton goods, wagons, agri- cultural implements, fertilizers, lumber products, and food prepara- tions. Outside of Macon agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The portion of the county included within the Coastal Plain is a part of the physiographic division known as the fall-line hills. The tops of the higher hills mark the position of a once-existing upland plain which has been largely destroyed by the erosion of Ocmulgee River and its several tributaries. Detailed information concerning the topography is lacking, but the maximum relief is probably between 300 and 400 feet. The sur- face, which over much of the area is hilly, has been modified in an area several miles wide bordering Ocmulgee River by processes which have produced two fairly well defined Pleistocene terrace plains, one lying 10 to 20 feet and the other 60 to 75 feet above low-water level of the river. GEOLOGY. Crystalline rocks, more or less decomposed, probably of pre- €ambrian age, outcrop in the Piedmont Plateau. Their upper surface inclines southward and passes beneath the deposits of the Coastal Plain which form the surface materials over approximately two-thirds of the county. In the Coastal Plain area Lower Cretaceous deposits, consisting of several hundred feet of coarse, irregularly bedded, arkosic sands with clay lenses, rest immediately BIBB COUNTY. 147 upon the crystalline basement rocks. These deposits are uncon- formably overlain in a limited area in the southern part of the county by the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation, which consists of sands and clays similar in character to those constituting the Lower Cretaceous deposits. A thin overlap of strata belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene extends from Twiggs County into the eastern part of Bibb County and covers the Lower Cretaceous deposits in a limited area. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) In narrow areas bordering Ocmulgee River Pleistocene terracing has taken place, and terrace deposits of loams, sands, and gravels 20 to 30 feet thick have been deposited upon the Cretaceous beds. Thin surficial deposits of gravel, which are present in discontinuous patches on the tops and upper slopes of some of the hills southwest of Macon, are tentatively referred to the Claiborne group of the Eocene. The beds of sand which predominantly compose the formations of the Coastal Plain in this county contain waters of excellent quality in great abundance. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The chief sources of domestic water supply in Bibb County outside the city of Macon are dug wells 20 to 100 feet or more in depth and springs. On the first terrace lands bordering Ocmulgee River wells of shallow depth prevail, and they tap water-bearing beds at the base of the Pleistocene terrace deposits. Waters from these sources are of satisfactory quality unless contaminated by drainage from dwellings and stables. In the hilly areas away from the river it is necessary to sink the wells to 100 feet or more, except in the bottoms of the small valleys between the hills, where the water table stands nearer the surface. Except in a small area in the southern part of the county, where the Cusseta sand member is drawn upon, the water- bearing beds tapped by dug wells in the hilly areas are in the Lower Cretaceous deposits. Springs are numerous throughout the Coastal Plain portion of the county. Many are small but some yield large quantities of water. The spring waters are commonly soft and of good quality, but are locally charged with moderate amounts of mineral matter. Two springs of commercial importance are White Elk or St. Winifreds Spring (see pp. 149-150), 7 miles east of Macon on the Edwards estate, and White Oak Spring near Macon, the waters of both of which are sold for drinking purposes. Numerous small creeks and branches afford an abundant supply of water for stock and for steam producing. 148 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Lower Cretaceous sediments, which constitute the bulk of the deposits of the Coastal Plain part of the county, contain numerous beds of coarse unconsolidated sand and gravel capable of carrying large quantities of water. Except along their northern border, where they feather out against the crystalline rocks, these deposits may be regarded as a most promising source of artesian supplies. South- ward from the border the deposits gradually thicken until in the extreme southern part of the county the base of the water-bearing strata lies at an estimated depth of 600 feet. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Macon (population 40,665, census of 1910). — The city of Macon is provided with a water-supply system, information concerning which has been furnished byH. S. Edwards, postmaster, and H. T. Lowell. The plant is owned by the Macon Gas, Light & Water Co. and the source of supply is Ocmulgee River. The pumps which lift the water to the standpipe have a daily capacity of 10,000,000 gallons. The capacity of the standpipe is 3,000,000 gallons. The standpipe pressure is 50 pounds and the possible direct pressure from the pumps is 120 pounds. The length of the distributing mains is 42.7 miles. The number of domestic taps is 3,859; manufacturing taps, 68; and fire hydrants, 268. The total amount of water used daily for domestic purposes, manufacturing, street sprinkling, and sewer flushing is approximately 4,500,000 gallons. The water is filtered, after which it is satisfactory for all purposes. Mr. Edwards has also furnished the following information concern- ing the private wells formerly used in Macon and concerning certain wells now in use in the vicinity of Macon : There are at present no wells in the city proper. Speaking generally and from memory, the wells formerly used in the residential portion among the hills were from 70 to 110 feet in depth. * * * Several of them were highly mineralized, iron pre- dominating. On the lower levels the wells were from 20 to 40 feet deep, the waters rising 10 to 12 feet in them. South of the city, in the river valley, factories, railway shops, and ice works obtain a large supply of water from shallow wells. The supply from this source seems inex- haustible and the water is good. I understand, however, that it is destructive of boiler flues and is unfit for bleaching purposes in our cotton mills. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1890 by the Acme Brewing Co., of Macon, to obtain water from a deep artesian source. (See well No. 1, Table 4.) Walden. — Several artesian wells (Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, Table 4) which tap water-bearing beds in the Lower Cretaceous deposits have been drilled in the vicinity of Walden. The analysis of a sample of water from a 265-foot well owned by J. B. Willis (No. 3, Table 4) is given in Table 5 (analysis 3). The following is a log of a well (No. 7, Table 4) dug near Walden. The owner is authority for the lithology : BIBB COUNTY. 149 Log of well of W. G. Middlebroohs, 1\ miles west of Walden (No. 7, Table 4)- Thick- ness. Depth. Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Cusseta sand member: Clay, red Sand, white, and kaolin, about Clay and sand, water bearing Feet. 22 Seven miles south of Macon. — A well (No. 2, Table 4) which taps a water-bearing bed in the Lower Cretaceous deposits was drilled in 1911 on the property of M. G. Thames, 7 miles south of Macon. W. J. Floyd, the driller, furnishes the following log : Log of well of M. G. Thames, 7 miles south of Macon (No. 2, Table 4)- Thick- ness. Depth. [Eocene? (Claiborne group):] Sandy soil Red clay Very hard red clay Reddish sand [Lower Cretaceous: Whitish clay and "chalk" [white clay] Pebbly sand : Sand and clay Sand Clay and "chalk" [white clay] Sand Layers of soft rock and sand pockets Soft rock Coarse gravel - Very hard clay and "chalk" [white clay] White clay Thin layers of rock with interbedded soft pockets, water bearing Coarse gravel, stopped on hard rock Feet. 1 19 6 Feet. 1 20 26 34 74 85 110 125 140 158 170 195 199 210 250 270 277 White Elk Spring. — White Elk or St. Winifreds Spring is on the Edwards estate, in the valley of Swift Creek, 7 miles east of the post-office building at Macon. The spring is at present owned by Mary R. Edwards and is being exploited by the White Elk Spring Co., of Macon. H. S. Edwards furnishes the following particulars: The spring is one of three emerging from fine sand beneath a bed of white clay in close proximity. Glazed tile pipes, driven a short distance into the water-bearing sand, conduct the water into a brick and cement basin built over the mouth of the spring. The basin is covered with plate glass and illuminated by electric light. From the basin a galvanized pipe carries a portion of the water to a near-by bottling house, the remainder being discharged through another pipe into the valley below. The daily yield of the spring is 28,000 gal- lons, there being no appreciable variation in the rate of yield. The water is very clear and soft and is bottled and sold for drinking pur- poses, the principal market being the city of Macon. (See analyses 1 and 2, Table 5.) 150 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The source of White Elk Spring is in the Lower Cretaceous sands, which here form the northwestern margin of the deposits of the Coastal Plain area. Crystalline basement rocks are said to outcrop a mile to the east. Tufts Springs. — Tufts Springs, south of Macon at the edge of the Ocmulgee River swamp, were formerly the source of the water supply of the city of Macon. Table 4. — Wells in Bibb County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Acme Brewing Co., Macon, Ga. M.G.Thames J. B. Willis S. W. McCalliea... W. J. Floyd Owner (see also S. W.McCallie).a S. W.McCallieo... 1S90 1911 1898 Feet. 333 ± 6 450? 400? 2 Macon, 7 miles south of. do W. J. Floyd 4 B. F. Vinson 400? "> W a 1 d e n, one-half mile west of. Walden, 3 miles northwest of. Walden, 1J miles west of. W.J. Willis H. R. Teal, Richwood, Ga. do Owner (see also McCallie). e3 R 3 > m 1 Farmers' Gin- ning Co. C. T. Headley 1907 Feet. 9 3 City C. E. Edwards.. J. M. Curtwright.. S. W. McCallieo.. S. W. MeCalliea&. ..do 1910 1903 1884 1903 1905 1905 173 4 Quitman, f mile northwest of, at Oglesby mill. Quitman (near pumping sta- tion). S City 173 6 do 173 7 Quitman (near Russel Pond) Quitman, 2 miles northeast of. do ...do 173 8 Quitman Power Co. S. W. McCallieo.. No. Depth . Diame- ter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth toother water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield permin- ute by pump- ing. How obtained. Quality. 1 50 200? 699 92 500 321 120 90± Inches. 8 Feet. Feet. Feet. 30 ( c ) 77 48 Galls. 100 Deep-well pump Soft ? Hard 3 10 6 6 650-699 87 w> 400 Analysis 1, Table 7. 4 S fi 310 120 80± 123 77 77 Analysis 2, Table 7. 7 8 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 58-60, 1908. i> U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 110, pp. 45-54, 1905. c Nonnowing. d See log, p. 154. 156 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 6. — Wells in Brooks County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Domestic and boiler supply. Domestic Alum Bluff forma- tion? Chatta h o o c h e e formation? Jackson forma- tion? Alum Bluff forma- tion. Vieksburg forma- tion? Chatta h o o c h e e formation? ?, 3 4 Municipal supply. Boiler supply Municipal supply. Limestone place. See log, p. 154. 5 6 Limestone Cost of well, $3,000. See log, p. 154. 7 Drainage Used for draining ponds. Do. 8 do Table 7. — Analyses of artesian waters from Quitman. [Parts per million.] Silica(Si0 2 ) Iron (Fe) Aluminum (Al) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium ( K) Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) . Sulphate radicle (SO^) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids Free carbon dioxide (CO2) . . 154 3. 4. 159 28 13 2.6 23 9.1 4.1 .7 .0 120 Trace. 5.8 153 90 1. Well No. 3, Table G. Depth of principal water-bearing bed, 650-699 feet. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Well No. 6, Table 6. Depth of principal water-bearing bed, 310 feet. Edgar Everhart, analyst (Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 59-60, 1908). BRYAN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Bryan County is one of the seacoast counties in the southeastern section of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Ogeechee River forms its eastern boundary and Canoochee River its western boundary from the northwestern corner southeastward for about 20 miles, whence it flows eastward and divides the county into two parts. The area of the county is 431 square miles and its population is 6,702 (census of 1910). There are no cities or large towns and water is not used extensively for industrial purposes. Lumber and naval stores are the chief products. TOPOGRAPHY. The southern half of the county, embracing practically all the land lying south of Canoochee River, is a terrace plain 10 to 30 feet above sea level. From the western edge of this lower plain, which lies BRYAN COUNTY. 157 within the physiographic division known as the Satilla coastal lowland (see pp. 36-38), the land gradually rises to the Okefenokee plain, 40 to 100 feet above sea level, and the plain to the Altamaha upland, of which the northern third of the county forms a part. The greater part of the county is poorly drained and is swampy. A considerable area of salt marsh lies adjacent to the mouth of Ogeechee River, and tide-swamp land extends upstream several miles beyond the salt marsh proper. Small ponds supporting a growth of cypress or gum characterize the higher plain. GEOLOGY. The surface deposits are sands and clays or silts, mainly of Pleisto- cene age, but in the northwestern part of the county are surficial mate- rials which are mapped as undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive. In the surficial formations the water table stands within a few feet of the surface and is obtained in wells 10 to 30 feet deep. The Pleistocene and undifferentiated deposits are thought to be not more than 50 feet thick. Beneath the surficial deposits are strata of probable Miocene age, and beneath the Miocene are other strata of probable upper Oligocene age, referable to the Alum Bluff forma- tion. The combined thickness of the Miocene and the Alum Bluff formation probably does not exceed 250 or 300 feet. These forma- tions consist mainly of sands and clays with subordinate beds of hard rock. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by several hundred feet of soft porous limestones, shell marls, and calcareous sands and clays, which may represent in descending order the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene and the Jackson formation of the Eocene. The limestones are important aquifers and in the southern and eastern portions of the county, at depths of 300 to 450 feet, may be expected to yield abundant supplies of water which will flow at the surface. Beneath the lime- stones are marls and sands of Eocene age, probably aggregating a thickness of 1,000 feet or more. Strata of Cretaceous age underlie the Eocene at depths of 1,500 to 1,800 feet or more, but nothing definite is known concerning them; at an undetermined depth they probably rest upon ancient crystalline basement rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The shallow wells of the county, which are mainly of the driven type and 10 to 30 feet deep, furnish soft waters, all of which are not wholesome. The few seepage springs are of relatively slight importance. Many artesian wells, most of them less than 500 feet deep, are scattered throughout the county. They yield moderately hard 158 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. waters suitable for domestic and for most industrial purposes and of much better quality for drinking than waters from other sources. Except in the northwestern part of the county the conditions are favorable for obtaining artesian flows. (See map, PI. XVIII, p. 122.) It has not been possible to collect information regarding all wells in the county, but the few descriptions and analyses given on the following pages are typical and give a fair idea of the artesian condi- tions and the quality of the waters. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Ways (population 131, census of 1910). — Within 2 miles of Ways there are nine flowing wells from 320 to 460 feet deep. They draw from two water-bearing beds, one lying at about 300 feet and having weak flows and the other lying at about 400 feet and furnishing strong flows with a head of 30 to 35 feet above the surface. No thick beds of hard rock have been reported, the strata consisting mainly of sand and greenish or drab sandy clay. The wells are commonly cased to 70 or 100 feet. The artesian waters are moder- ately hard but are suitable for general domestic uses. (See Nos. 12 to 14, Table 8.) Keller. — Keller, near which there are several flowing wells, is a small village about 8 miles south of Ways and about 15 feet above sea level. According to E. D. Cory, the driller, the public well (No. 6, Table 8) completed in 1895 is 325 feet deep and 2 inches in diameter. The principal water-bearing bed is limestone at 310 feet, but water was also found in gravels at 40 and 90 feet. When first drilled the water rose 18 feet above the surface, but it now rises only 6 feet above. The water is sulphurous but is used for domestic purposes. The following log of the public well has been obtained : Log of town well at Keller (No. 6, Table 8). Thick- ness. Depth. Sand Mud and gravel Greenish marl (clay) and sand. . Shale rock Sand, shale rock, and hard marl. Limestone, water bearing Feet. 20 30 20 2 238 15 Feet. 20 50 70 72 310 325 A well (No. 5, Table 8) belonging to P. D. Cory, about 300 yards southeast of the public well, is 318 feet deep. Sand and alternate layers of sand and marl with shells were penetrated to 270 feet. The water-bearing bed is reported to be below 300 feet. A well (No. 7, Table 8) owned by George W. Corson, one-half mile southwest of Keller, is reported to be 340 feet deep. The water rises 18 feet above the surface. BRYAN COUNTY. 159 In a well (No. 8, Table 8) owned, by J. A. Smith, 2 miles south of Keller, the principal water-bearing bed is at 320 feet. Rock was entered, at 310 feet. The water rises 10 feet above the surface. There are several other wells at Keller, but no information con- cerning them was obtained. Fort McAllister. — Fort McAllister is on Bayou Neck on the west bank of Ogeechee River, 7 miles southeast of Ways, and is the site of an old fort dating back to the Revolutionary War and to Indian times. In former daj^s there were large plantations in this vicinity, but now the population is sparse. There are three artesian wells on the old Ward plantation. Mr. Sibley, who lives on the place, states that these wells were drilled in 1891-1893 for irrigating rice fields and for general plantation uses. Two of them are 6 inches and one is 8 inches in diameter. The 8-inch well is variously reported as 700 feet deep and as 1,800 feet deep. One of the 6-inch wells is 900 feet deep; the depth of the other was not ascertained. The 8-inch well (No. 3, Table 8) yields an enormous amount of water which, however, is not at present used. Shortly after the completion of the well a storm overturned the scaffolding about the casing, breaking the pipe 10 or 12 feet below the surface, and the break was never repaired. The water "boils" up in great quantities and has formed a "well spring" or basin 10 or 12 feet deep, from which it flows out through the marsh and into Ogeechee River. It is difficult to esti- mate the flow but it probably exceeds 1,500 gallons per minute. There has been no apparent decrease in the yield since the completion of the well. A 900-foot well is located on the public road near the bank of Ogeechee River in the vicinity of Fort McAllister. (See analysis 1, Table 9.) Artesian flows are also obtained in this vicinity at depths less than those already described. One such well (No. 4, Table 8) on the farm of Mrs. M. C. Williams on Genesis Cape, a short distance from the Ward plantation, is only 198 feet deep. Pembroke (population 467, census of 1910). — Pembroke is on the Seaboard Air Line Railway in the northwestern part of the county, 101 feet above sea level. The domestic water supply is derived in part from driven and dug wells 15 to 30 feet deep and in part from deep wells. In 1909 the town completed an artesian well 475 feet deep (No. 10, Table 8), from which some of the people obtain water for domestic use and for stock. The water rises to within 20 feet of the surface. Mayor J. O. Strickland, has furnished the following information concerning a deep well from which the greater part of the population obtains water for domestic use: 160 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. The well (No. 11, Table 8) is 100 yards west of the post office and is owned by U. S. Williams. It is 520 feet deep and 6 inches in diameter and was drilled in 1906 at a cost of $625. Ten-inch casing was inserted to 125 feet, 8-inch casing to 350 feet, and 6-inch casing to 500 feet. Water-bearing beds were found at 120, 250, 350, and 520 feet. The water from the 520-foot stratum, the principal water- bearing bed, rises to within 21 feet of the surface, and is lifted to the surface by a force pump operated by a gasoline engine. Mr. Williams's well probably taps a water-bearing bed of Eocene age. (See analysis 2, Table 9.) Clijde (population 107, census of 1910). — Clyde, the county seat, has two artesian wells, one of which (No. 2, Table 8) was drilled in 1898 by the county and is 290 feet deep. At 4 feet above the surface it furnishes a flow of sulphurous water, which is said not to have decreased. Roding. — Three artesian wells are reported at Roding, 3 miles south of Clyde. Ossabaw Island. — Several flowing wells at Ossabaw Island are reported to be 300 to 500 feet deep. Belfast. — There are two flowing wells at Belfast, one of which (No. 1, Table 8) is reported to be 450 feet deep. The wells are used by a lumber company for boiler supply, and by the people of the village for domestic uses. Table 8. — Wells in Bryan County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Belfast Clyde , Fort McAllister (Bayou Neck). Fort McAllister Keller do. Keller (£ mile south- west)." Keller (2 miles south). Ossabaw Island Pembroke .do. Ways (i mile west of Ogeechee River). Ways Ways (2 miles south- east) .a A lumber company . County Ward plantation . . . Mrs. M. C Williams. P.D.Cory Public G. W. Corson E. D. Cory. E. D.Cory.. Albert Wise. Mr. Sibley.. J. A. Smith. E.D.Cory... A. E. Cory... E. D. Cory... P. D.Corv.... E. D. Cory.'... G.W.Corson. J.A.Smith... Town U.S.Williams. E. M. Haywood &Co. do W. K. Smith. 1S98 1891-93 1895 1908 Seaboard Ah Line Railway. Bailey Carpenter R. A. Raines Paul T. Haskell J. O. Strickland, mayor. S.W.McCalliea.. ....do- Driller . 1909 1906 1895 1909 Feet. 15 3-10 101 101 18 18 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 60-62, 190S. BRYAN" COUNTY. Table 8. — Wells in Bryan County — Continued. 161 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained . No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 .Fee*. 450 Inches. Feet. Feet. Feel. Galls. Galls. Flows 9 290 3 290 I + 4 12 / 1,500- \ 2,000 Sulphurous. 3 / 700? f j? } Flows 4 \ 1,800? 198 318 325 340 320? I 8 1 do 5 2 2| 300 310 do fi 1 40 \ 90 +18 + 10 20 Do. 7 Do. 8 320 Do. q 10 475 4 6 3 14 2 -20 +20 +25 +36 Pumped by hand. Gasoline engine. .. 1] 520 520 440 f 120 \ 250 I 350 340 /See analysis 2,Table Hard. I 9 460 345 350 13 Do. 14 340 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Domestic, supply. Domestic. Domestic, tion. boiler Tertiary do 9 Do. 3 irriga- Tertiary? Three wells. 4 5 Domestic. do do.... 6 do Limestone Water formerly rose 18 feet above sur- face. Costofwell,$125. Seelog,p.l58. Cost of well, $150. 7 do do 8 ...do do Eight or more wells. Several wells. 9 in Domestic. do n do Cost of well, $625. Cost of machinery, $1,200. See also p. 160. i? Boiler supp mestic Domestic. do ly, do- Eocene? i? do 14 do Table 9. — Analyses of well waters from Bryan County. [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium and potassium (Na+K). Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) Sulphate radicle (SO4) Nitrate radicle (NO3) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids 31 34 .4 2.0 29 22 15 8.0 10 22 .0 .0 166 140 Trace. 8.0 3.0 8.0 10 206 171 1. Well 900 feet deep, near Ogeechee River near Fort McAllister, 7 miles southeast of Ways. Age of water-bearing bed, Tertiary. Sample collected Apr. 12, 1911. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Well No. 11, Table 8. Sample collected Dec. 17, 1912. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 38418°— wsp 341—15 11 162 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. BULLOCH COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Bulloch. County is in the east-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Statesboro, the county seat, is 54 miles by railroad north- west of Savannah. The area of the county is 887 square miles and its population is 26,464 (census of 1910). The chief industries are agriculture and the production of lumber and naval stores. Surface and underground waters are used for boiler supply by many sawmills and cotton gins and by small manufacturing concerns at Statesboro. TOPOGRAPHY. The southern part is flat and poorly drained; the northern part is more elevated and is gently rolling or undulating. The transition from one part to the other is not sharply denned. The approximate line of separation runs from Ogeechee River, opposite Egypt, south- west across the county to Canoochee River, a short distance above Groveland, Bryan County. On the southern plain bays are common and small branches or creeks spread out through dense swamps •without well-defined channels. Although no accurate figures are available the elevations in the rolling section in the north are prob- ably from 200 to 250 feet above sea level. A swamp, which fringes Ogeechee River and is in places a mile or more wide, is the lowest elevation in the county, being not more than 40 or 50 feet above sea level in the extreme southeast. It is bordered by two relatively narrow terrace plains, one lying 8 to 10 feet and the other 30 to 40 feet above it. GEOLOGY. Throughout the greater part of the county, except in a narrow area bordering Ogeechee River, the surface materials comprise ferruginous argillaceous sands and drab sandy clays, weathering to gray or yellow residual quartz sands. These surface deposits and the thin Pleisto- cene deposits of sand and clay on the river terraces and flatwoods lands in the southern part of the county are the source of the waters obtained from shallow wells. The Alum Bluff formation outcrops in the narrow area of lowland bordering Ogeechee River, and doubtless is present beneath the surface materials throughout the entire county. The Alum Bluff formation, which probably does not exceed 200 feet in thickness and is in many places probably much thinner, is under- lain by a series of undifferentiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls, which in descending order are of Oligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous age. At an undetermined depth, probably 2,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. BULLOCH COUNTY. 163 WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Shallow wells 10 to 40 feet deep furnish the chief water supplies for domestic use in the villages and rural districts. There are small seepage springs throughout the county but most of them are located on the edges of swamps, and some of them are unfit for domestic use. The spring waters usually have a strong taste of iron and where the waters come in contact with decaying vegetation an iridescent film of iron oxide, sometimes mistaken for oil, forms on the surface. An analysis of water from a small spring located 3^ miles southwest of Register and owned by J. W. Atwood is given in Table 10 (analysis 1). This water is probably typical of the spring waters. The only deep wells reported in the county are at Statesboro. Flowing artesian wells can probably be obtained in the lowland bordering Ogeechee River at elevations of 100 to 130 feet above sea level, for such wells have been obtained at these elevations at Rocky- ford and Dover in the adjoining county of Screven. It is also probable that flows can be obtained on the lowest land bordering Canoochee River. An abundant supply of water may be expected anywhere in the county at depths of 500 or 600 feet. Water-bearing beds of Cretaceous age probably exist at depths of 1,000 feet or more. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Statesboro (population 2,529, census of 1910). — Statesboro, the only town in the county having a water-supply system, obtains water from two artesian wells. No detailed information has been obtained concerning the older of the two wells, but the second (drilled in 1912) is 555 feet deep and penetrates water-bearing strata between 400 and 555 feet. This well was drilled by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., of Charleston, S. C, from which company the data here given, including the log, were obtained. Ten-inch casing extends to 40 feet and 8-inch casing to 320 feet. 164 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log of town well No. 2, at Statesboro. [Authority, J. R. Connelly, driller in charge, 96 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, S. C] Thick- ness. Depth. Soft yellow sand and clay in alternate layers Light-colored hard sandstone Light-colored soft sand Light-colored marl and sand Light-colored Chalky material Light-colored tough rock Light-colored soft sand Tough 1 ight-colored rock and sand in alternate layers Light-colored hard rock Tough 1 ight-colored rock and sand in alternate layers Soft white chalky material Hard white rock Medium-hard white sand and rock in alternate layers Medium-hard dark-brown shell rock, water bearing Light brown shell rock with interbedded hard layers, water bearing. Feet. 40 30 10 20 20 20 20 60 20 40 50 30 40 60 95 Feet. 40 70 80 100 120 140 160 220 240 280 330 360 400 460 555 The record is not sufficient to permit the correlation of the strata, but the well may have completely penetrated the Oligocene and have entered the upper part of the Eocene. There are several other artesian wells at Statesboro, but no detailed information concerning any one of them has been obtained. An analysis of the water from a well 320 feet deep, owned by W. D. Davis, is given in Table 10 (analysis 2). Table 10. — Analyses of waters from Bulloch County. [Parts per million.] Silica(Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Aluminum (Al) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) - Sulphate radicle (SOO Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids Free carbon dioxide (CO2). . 4.8 3.5 ,2 LI .6 4.5 .3 74 .9 6.3 29 43 a 5.0 "i.'5 .8 2.9 2.7 .0 3.4 3.4 6.8 69 3.0 a Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. 1. Spring of J. W. Atwood, 3i miles southwest of Register. Age of water-bearing bed, Oligocene? Analyzed December, 1909; Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Well of W. D. Davis at Statesboro; depth 320 feet. Edgar Everhart, analyst (Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 62, 1908). BURKE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Burke County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Waynesboro, the county seat, is 32 miles south of Augusta. The area of the county is 956 square miles and its population is 27,268 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the principal industry. BTJEKE COUNTY. 165 TOPOGRAPHY. The county lies in the topographic division of the Coastal Plain known as the f all-line hills (pp . 29-3 1 ) . The surface is, in part, moder- ately broken or hilly and in part nearly level. The streams have cut valleys 50 to 150 feet deep, but erosion has not advanced to maturity and relatively broad flat ridges or small plateaus exist between the water courses. The principal streams of the county are Savannah River, the second largest stream in the State, which forms the eastern boundary, Ogeechee River, which forms the southwestern boundary, and Briar Creek. Savannah River, which is navigable from Augusta to the sea, has cut its valley about 150 feet below the level of the upland plain to the west and is in places bordered by high steep bluffs. As it rises in mountainous regions and flows through the Piedmont Plateau, its water is more or less muddy during the greater part of the year. Ogeechee River rises in the Piedmont Plateau, but its water is not always muddy and throughout the lower part of its course it resembles streams originating in the Coastal Plain. The river flows through a wide, dense swamp and has few bluffs. Above the swamp is a habitable terrace plain upon which abundant flows of artesian water are obtained. Briar Creek, a clear stream of con- siderable size, flows southeastward through the county. Lime sinks and ponds occur on the comparatively level areas in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the county, but they are not abundant and are not characteristic of the topography as a whole. The known elevations above sea level are at Waynesboro, Central of Georgia Railway station, 286 feet; Shell Bluff Landing, low water, 87 feet, top of bluff, 237 feet; Midville, 186 feet; and Keysville (rough estimate), 400 feet. GEOLOGY. The surface materials belong mainly to the Claiborne group, which is divisible into the McBean formation and the Barnwell sand. The McBean formation, which consists of 300 or 350 feet of sands, marls, clays, and limestones that outcrop along the streams, is an important source of water both in this and adjoining counties. The water- bearing beds are believed to be of local extent, for the strata, as seen in natural outcrops, lack constant lithologic characters. The Barnwell sand overlies the McBean formation and is the surface formation over the greater part of the county. It consists of red, highly ferruginous sands and mottled argillaceous sands, in which there are thin beds of sandstone and quartzite and fragments of flint. The Claiborne group is underlain by Cretaceous sands and clays, which in the northern part of the county along Briar Creek, McBean Creek, and Savannah River probably lie 100 to 250 feet beneath the surface and which from Waynesboro southward would lie at depths 166 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. of 350 to 500 feet. Igneous and inetamorphic rocks, which will probably be found at depths of 1 7 000 to 1,500 feet, form the basement upon which the Cretaceous deposits rest. The Claiborne group is overlain in relatively small areas in the central and southeastern parts of the county by sand and some gravel of undetermined age. The Central of Georgia Railway passes over these deposits from Waynesboro to the southern boundary of the county, and similar deposits have been recognized in the vicinity of Girard and Sardis. Gray or yellow residual sands are prominent at the surface at a number of places but do not attain any considerable thickness. These sands are conspicuous near Keysville, Girard, and on the upland along Savannah River. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The main sources of domestic water supply are shallow dug and bored wells 30 to 75 feet deep. Water from many of the shallow wells is considered unwholesome, but the poor quality is probably due to contamination resulting from improper construction of the wells rather than to harmful inorganic constituents. In some parts of the county the shallow wells penetrate calcareous materials and the waters are hard. Streams and ponds furnish an abundance of water for stock and for other purposes. Springs are of local importance as sources of domestic supply. Several limestone springs, each of which yields large quantities of hard water, occur in the western and eastern parts of the county. Davis Spring, a mile west of Gough, is reported to yield sufficient water to operate a small gristmill. Many small springs throughout the county furnish pure water. An analysis of water from Cox Spring, located 1 mile northeast of Shell Bluff post office, is given in Table 12 (analysis 1). Throughout the county abundant potable water can be obtained by deep wells from either the Claiborne group or the underlying Cretaceous sands, the latter of which will probably yield soft waters. Flowing artesian wells have been obtained in the vicinity of Midville and in the valley of a tributary of Briar Creek near Waynesboro; it is probable that flows can also be obtained along the lowlands bor- dering McBean Creek, Briar Creek, and Savannah River in the eastern part cf the county. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Waynesboro. — Waynesboro, the county seat, has a population of 2,729 (census of 1910). The city owns a public water-supply system which draws from an artesian well on low ground near the Central of BURKE COUNTY. 167 Georgia Railway station. The well (No. 7, Table 11) is about 300 feet deep and flows 25 gallons a minute a few feet above the surface. The water is slightly hard but has proved satisfactory for general domestic purposes. According to Fuller and Sanford, 1 a well (No. 8, Table 11) owned by J. I. Linler, on low ground a quarter of a mile east of Waynesboro, is 249 feet deep, 6 inches in diameter, and flows 20 gallons per minute at 4^- feet above the surface. The principal water-bearing bed is at a depth of 160 feet. The following information relating to wells at Waynesboro is quoted from a report by McCallie: 2 There are two deep wells at Waynesboro, one owned by Mr. W. A. Wilkins [No. 5, Table 11], and the other by the Southern Cotton Seed Oil Co. [No. 6, Table 11]. The former well, which was put down in 1888, is reported to have a depth of 889 feet. Water-bearing strata are said to occur in this well at depths of 250, 300, and 889 feet. The water supply at present is obtained from the upper stratum. The water rises to within 14 feet of the surface and is said to be of good quality. Mr. R. G. Edenfield of Augusta, Ga., has furnished the writer with a number of samples of borings from this well on which the following notes have been made: [Log of well of W. A. Wilhins at Waynesboro {No. 5, Table 11).] Feet. Fine red sand to 60 Yellow sand to 150 Coarse white sand with fragments of shells to 230 Rather coarse gray sand to 240 Sandy marl to 290 Fine yellow sand to 310 Very coarse sand with dark-colored pebbles, numerous minute crystals of gypsum, and fragments of tough gray clay to 340 Coarse sand to 360 Dark sandy clay with sharks' teeth to 380 Coarse sand to 410 The same as above to 500 Coarse sand, mixed with red micaceous clay to 700 Considerable limestone and flint are reported to occur in- the Wilkins well; but their depth from the surface and the thickness could not be ascertained. The Southern Cotton Seed Oil Co.'s well [No. 6, Table 11] has a depth of about 200 feet. It is 6 inches in diameter and furnishes daily by pumping 1,200 gallons of water, which supplies the oil mill and a number of residences in the town. The water rises to within 19 feet of the surface and is of good quality. An analysis of water from the Southern Cotton Seed Oil Co.'s well is given in Table 12 (analysis 2). The well of W. A. Wilkins at Waynesboro (depth, 889 feet) undoubtedly completely penetrates the Claiborne group and enters the upper part of the Cretaceous. The thickness of the Claiborne group at Waynesboro is believed not to exceed 500 feet, this opinion being based on the evidence furnished by the well borings from Mr. Wilkins's well. 1 U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 298, p. 50, 1908. Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 63, 64, 1908. 168 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Midville (population 603, census of 1910). — -Midville, the second largest town in the county, is on the Central of Georgia Railway near Ogeechee River, in the southwestern part of the county. The town has no public water-supply system but has one public flowing well and many private flowing wells, which furnish the principal sup- plies for domestic use. The artesian waters are sulphurous and emit a rather pronounced odor of hydrogen sulphide, but are clear and potable. They are moderately hard, for they contain calcium car- bonate, for which reason river water is preferred for use in boilers. The artesian wells range in depth from 157 to 750 feet and yield strong flows, the maximum yield reported being 75 gallons per minute. The static head in the various wells ranges from 14 to 47 feet above the surface. According to reports, water-bearing beds have been entered at 50, 150, 190, 200, 295, 300, 450, and 700 feet. The deepest well (No. 4, Table 11) concerning which information has been obtained is owned by A. W. Jones, who states that it is 750 feet deep and flows 75 gallons per minute and that the water will rise 47 feet above the surface. The principal water-bearing bed is at 700 feet; other water-bearing beds are found at 200, 300, and 450 feet. An attempt was made several years ago to utilize the combined pressure of this and two other wells in operating a small electric-light plant, but the power was found to be inadequate. McCallie * has published the following log of the public well at Midville : Log of public well at Midville. Thick- ness. Depth. Soil White sand Limestone, with underground stream of water Limestone, pebbles with shells and sharks' teeth . . Limestone, with an underground stream of water. Honeycombed water-bearing rock Feet. 10 25 20 50 6 46 Feet. 10 35 55 105 111 157 The water-bearing beds tapped by most of the wells at Midville are in the Claiborne group. With the exception of the 750-foot Jones well (No. 4, Table 11) probably none of them reach the Cretaceous. Greens Cut. — At Greens Cut a well owned by H. C. Reese, drilled in 1907, is reported to be 289 feet deep and 3 inches in diameter and is cased to a depth of 200 feet. The water, which is derived princi- pally from a gravel bed at a depth of 280 feet, rises to within 77 feet of the surface and is hard and unsuitable both for laundry and boiler- supply purposes but is clear and is a good drinking water. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 65, 1908. BURKE COUNTY. 169 A well owned by W. E. Rhodes, located 5 miles west of Greens Cut, is reported to be 290 feet deep. Gough. — -At Gough, private wells from 30 to 75 feet deep are the mam source of supply. A well at this place, drilled to a depth of 400 feet, in which water rose to within 45 feet of the surface, has been abandoned on account of the entrance of sand into the boring. Girard (population 227, census of 1910). — At Girard several non- flowing artesian wells range in depth from 200 to 300 feet. The prospects of obtaining artesian flows on the terrace bordering Briar Creek near Girard are good. The town has no public water supply and water is obtained chiefly from dug wells 30 to 40 feet deep. Table 11. — Wells in Burke County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Eleva- tion above sea level or below datum. 1 Feet. •?, 3 H. C. Reese 1907 1901 1888 +280 4 Allen W . Jones W. A. WiUdns W. H. Brown... Allen W. Jones R. G.Edenfieid.... S.W. McCalliea... +186 5 +286 6 do Southern Cotton Seed Oil Co. City.. +286 do W. E. Fambrough. 1905 +286 S do H. F. Loyd, Millen, Ga. c— 15 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 200,300 400 289 750 889 200 300 249 Inches. Feet. Feet. Feet. Galls. Galls. 9 -45 -77 +47 -14 -19 + 5 + 4J 3 3 5 6 6 280 700 250 250 200,300 450 300, 889 Windmill and deep well pump. Flows Hard. 4 75 Do. 5 6 2 Analysis 2, Table 12. Slightly hard. Soft. 7 300 160 25 150-200 20 Airlift 8 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 63, 64, 1908. 6 U. S. Geol.' Survey Bull. 298, p. 50, 1908. c Level below railroad track at station. 170 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. Table 11. — Wells in Burke County — Continued. No. 1 le , Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Nonflowing,. ?, 3 Claiborne group... Cretaceous White gravel 4 do §225; 3-inch casing extends to a depth of 200 feet. Rock struck at a depth of 550 feet; 5- inch casing to 700 feet. Cost of well, S600. See log, p. 167. 5 6 Domestic and oil mill. City supply 7 do..- 8 Domestic, manu- facture of ice. do Soft rock and sand. 6-inch casing to 125 feet. Cost of well, $500. Table 12. — Analyses of waters from Burlce County. [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Aluminum (Al) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium ( K) Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) . Sulphate radicle (SO.)) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids Free carbon dioxide (CO2) . . 7.4 2.8 1.6 50 1.3 1.6 16 a 6.1 161 .5 5.2 147 02 2.0 3.6 1.7 .0 201 3.7 7.0 198 82 a Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. 1. Cox Spring, located a mile northeast of Shell Bluff post office. Age of water-bearing bed, Claiborne. Analyzed in 1907 by Edgar Everhart. 2. Well No. 6, Table 11. Edgar Everhart, analyst. (Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 64, 1908.) CALHOUN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Calhoun County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, between Flint and Chattahoochee rivers. Its area is 284 square miles and its population 11,334 (census of 1910). Agricul- ture and the production of lumber and naval stores are the chief industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level to slightly rolling. Lime sinks, isolated or connected by streams or swamps are notable. The elevation above sea level is about 150 feet in the southeast corner of the county and about 350 feet in the northwest corner, these being the extremes. The valleys are shallow and the streams have very low banks. In places the channels are clogged by logs and other vegetation and the CALHOUN COUNTY. 171 water spreads out through broad swamps. The stream divides are as a rule not more than 50 feet above the bottoms of the valleys. GEOLOGY. Except in several relatively small areas the county is everywhere directly underlain by the Vicksburg formation. At the surface the materials of the Vicksburg appear as red argillaceous sands, the residual products of weathering, containing both beds and scattered fragments of flint. Soft white limestones are found at depths of 25 to 75 feet. Well drillers report the materials penetrated between the surface and the limestone as consisting generally of "clay" or of "clay and sand." The formation where un weathered consists mainly of cavernous water- bearing limes tones interbedded with water-bearing sands. A small area along Ichawaynochaway Creek near Cordray Mill, in the northern part of the county, is underlain by strata of the Clai- borne group and probably of the Jackson formation, both of which dip southward and pass beneath the Vicksburg formation. Beneath the Claiborne are several hundred feet of Eocene sands, clays, and marls, with thin interbedded layers of limestone or sandstone, be- longing to the Wilcox or Midway formations or to both. Cretaceous sands and clays, which probably have an aggregate thickness of 2,000 feet or more, underlie the Eocene, and at an undetermined depth rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. Both the Eocene and Cretaceous will furnish large supplies of artesian water. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Over the greater part of the county water for domestic use is obtained from wells 15 to 60 feet deep. The waters of wells which reach the limestones are regarded by the people as unwholesome; but as no analyses of the waters are available the reason for their unsat- isfactory character is not known. The shallow wells frequently fail during droughts. Small springs are numerous, but none of large size are known. Artesian wells have been drilled at Arlington, Leary, Edison, Mor- gan, and on several plantations. Artesian water can probably be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 300 to 1,500 feet or more, and the chances for obtaining flows are good on the lower land in the eastern part of the county. (See map, PL XVIII, p. 122.) LOCAL SUPPLIES. Arlington (population 1,308, census of 1910). — The principal source of water supply at Arlington is an artesian well (No. 2, Table 13) 1,173 feet deep, completed in 1909. The water is soft, clear, and slightly sulphurous, and has proved satisfactory for all purposes. 172 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. (See analysis 1, Table 14.) The principal water-bearing bed is at 640 feet and is said to be a porous white rock. The water rises to within 40 feet of the surface and the well yields 190 gallons of water per minute by pumping. A well (No. 1, Table 13) used at Arlington prior to the one described is said to have been about 600 feet deep. Spencer x gives the fol- lowing partial log: Partial log of well at Arlington. Feet. Chalky clay 20 Sand and white clay (?) Shell rock 5 Very coarse sand (?) Shell rock, etc to 355 Hard rock, siliceous, with soft places to 390 Hard dark clay to 500 (?) Coarse micaceous sand to 540 The Arlington Oil & Fertilizer Co., at Arlington, owns a well 328 feet deep. Other deep wells in the town have not been reported upon in detail. Leary (population 430, census of 1910). — The principal source of water supply at Leary is a public artesian well in the main part of the town, which flows 12 feet above the surface. It is described by McCallie as follows : 2 The Leary well is 2 inches in diameter and 672 deet deep. The water rises 30 feet above the surface. Two or more water-bearing strata are reported in this well above the one which furnishes the flow, but their depths are not given. The capacity of this well is said to be about 20 gallons per minute. The water is used for steam and general domestic purposes. The following (partial) record is given : [Log of toivn well at Leary.] Feet. Red clay 40 Limestone 20 Blue clay 100? Hard rock 30 Quicksand 200? Hard rock containing shells 10 Some shallow wells in the town, 15 to 60 feet deep, fail during droughts. A fine flowing artesian well (No. 6, Table 13) on the Harper Daniel plantation, 4 miles south of Leary, is 778 feet deep and flows at the rate of 50 gallons per minute. Water-bearing beds were entered at 100, 250, and 650 feet. The water emits a strong odor of hydrogen sulphide and is moderately hard, in this respect differing from waters 1 Spencer, J. W., Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 77, 1891. 2 Georgia Geol. Survey Bun. 15, p. 72, 1908. CALHOUN COUNTY. 173 from about the same depths at Albany, Dougherty County (pp. 235-238); Newton, Baker County (p. 137); and Blakely, Early County (p. 245). An analysis of this water is given in Table 14 (analysis 3). A well on J. E. Boyd's plantation, 3 miles north of Leary, is said to have been drilled to a depth of 400 feet without obtaining a flow. 1 Edison (population 841, census of 1910). — The town of Edison owns a public water-supply system, which is supplied from an artesian well near the railroad, but about 10 feet lower than the track at the station. The well is 563 feet deep and yields, by pumping, 215 gallons of water per minute. The principal water-bearing bed is said to be a sand rock at 550 feet, probably belonging to the Ripley formation of the Cretaceous, from which the water rises to within 32 feet of the surface. An analysis of the water is given in Table 14 (analysis 2). Morgan (population 302, census of 1910). — Both shallow and arte- sian wells are in use in the vicinity of Morgan. Part of the popula- tion obtains water from a private well owned by Williams & Tinsley, which probably taps a water-bearing bed in the upper part of the Ripley formation. The following information has been furnished by W. J. Ragan: This well was completed in 1906; it is 600 feet deep, 6 inches in diameter, and flows 20 gallons per minute. The water will rise 8 feet above the surface. Other wells similar to the Tinsley are those of T. J. Tinsley, a mile southwest of Morgan (No. 11, Table 13), of the Morgan Lumber Co., 1| miles southwest of Morgan (No. 9, Table 13), of J. E. Boyd, 3 miles north of Leary (No. 7, Table 13), and of T. J. and T. W. Tinsley, 4 miles from Morgan (No. 12, Table 13). Cordray Mill. — At Cordray Mill, on Ichawaynochaway Creek, 5 miles northeast of Morgan, are two flowing wells owned by W. H. Cobb, of Dawson. One on the bank of the creek near the mill is 361 feet deep and flows 12 gallons per minute. The water will rise 20 feet above the surface. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 72, 1008. 174 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 13. — Wells in Calhoun County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Eleva- tion above sea level or below datum. 1 Feet. +275 ? ...do ...do M. A . Jarrard . . . M. A. Jarrard S. W. McCallie b . . 1909 3 do Arlington Oil & Fer- tilizer Co. Town 4 D. A. Sylvester. E.L. Smith S. W. McCallie . . 1910 5 do +210 + 175 e 7 Leary (4 miles south of). Leary (3 miles north of). Harper Daniel J.E.Boyd M. A. Jarrard. .. Harper Daniel and M. A. Jarrard. 1907 8 q Morgan (H miles southwest of). Morgan (in town lim- its). Morgan (1 mile south- west of) . Morgan (4 miles from) Morgan (5 miles northeast of). W. J. Ragan .do 1909 1900 +608 in n T. J. Tinsley T. W. Tinsley 12 13 T. J. and T. W. Tins- ley. W.H.Cobb do W.H.Cobb 1908 14 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 600± 1,173 328 563 672 77S 400 COO 550 GOO 550 452 361 Inches. G 6 5 6 2 2 Feet. Feet. Feet. -20 -40 Galls. Galls. 2 3 640 300 550-503 900 190 Air compressor Analysis 1, Table 14. 4 5 475 -32 +12 20 50 215 Air-lift pump Analysis 2, Table 14. Hard". n 650-778 100, 250 do Analysis 3, Table 14. 8 +30 + 7 + 8 25 20 20 15 15 12 Q 2 6 do Sulphurous. Do. in ...do 11 525 ..do Soft. l? 4 430-440 +30 +20 + 5 ..do Do. 13 ....do 14 ....do a Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 77, 1891. b Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 71-72, 1908. c Datum is track at railroad station. CAMDEN COUNTY. Table 16 — Wells in Calhoun County — Continued. 175 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 See log, p. 172. 8-inch casing to 240 feet; 6-inch casing to 360 feet. do Porous white rock. 3 4 Municipal supply . Domestic, boiler supply. Ripley formation?. do S3, 000. See log, p. 172. 4-inch casing to 100 feet; 2Hnch to 450 fi do Porous white rock. feet; 2-inch to 475 feet; cost of well, $1,756. 8 Diameter at top, 6 inches; at bottom, 2 inches; cost of well, $1,500. in Boiler supply and domestic. Domestic and . manufacturing. do 11 ..do Gravel and sand. . . Rock and sand inches; cost of well, $2,000. 4 inch casing to 525± feet; cost of well $1,250. Cost of well, $1,000. T> Ripley formation?. Wilcox formation? 13 .do 14 Table 14. — Analyses of underground waters from Calhoun County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 May 1,1911 May 5, 1911 May 8, 1911 Town well do Ripley formation. . Ripley formation? . Ripley formation. . Feet. 640 550-563 650-778 Edgar Everhart. 2 Do. 3 Well of Harper Daniel. Leary (4 miles south of). Do. m e o CB (B -d o o O "3 1 o "3 a -3 03 -a 03 5o O -3 • nO 6 > o . Remarks. m 03 a 3 CD is .2 3 ay a o 03 "o3~~' P, 03 © .a dg "3 o SZ5 33 O 03 O 03 o m 02 03 s 3 m a o o EH 1 25 0.4 10 3.0 57 10 150 12 0.1 10 233 No. 2, Table 13. Total depth of well, 1,173 feet. 2 17 .2 37 2.0 8.0 2.0 134 10 .1 4.0 162 No. 4, Table 13. 3 18 .6 44 5.0 17 7.0 190 8.0 .2 7.5 186 No. 6, Table 13. CAMDEN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Camden County is on the Atlantic coast in the extreme southeast- ern part of the State. Its area is 711 square miles and its popula- tion 7,690 (census of 1910). It has no cities or large towns and no important manufacturing establishments. The production and ship- ment of lumber and naval stores and stock raising are its principal industries. 176 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. TOPOGRAPHY. The eastern part of the county, a belt about 20 to 25 miles in width, is a low, sand-covered, marine terrace plain, in general less than 25 feet above sea level, which forms part of the Satilla coastal lowland (pp. 36-38). Along the coast and included in the Satilla coastal lowland are sand-covered islands which rise to a maximum of 20 feet above sea level, and which are separated by a network of tidal so-called creeks and rivers. There are also small areas of salt- water or brackish-water marsh. A narrow strip of level land in the western part of the county lies 25 to 30 feet above the first terrace plain and forms part of the Okefenokee plain (pp. 35-36). Nowhere in the county is the surface higher than 50 or 60 feet above sea level. Inland from the coast small streams are few in number and the surface is only slightly dissected; topographically it differs but little from its original condition. As a result of this lack of natural drainage there are large numbers of swampy flats or bays and small ponds which contain water throughout the year, except during times of unusual drought. GEOLOGY. Pleistocene sands and clays form the surface deposits over the greater part of the county. White or yellowish incoherent quartz sands cover the islands and the mainland near the coast, and a narrow sandy belt extends westward, fringing the swamp land of St. Marys and Satilla rivers. In the central and western parts of the county bluish or greenish muds or clays of Pleistocene age, in places containing oyster shells and calcareous nodules, locally underlie the flatwoods or savannah land. In most of the shallow driven wells the water is obtained from Pleistocene deposits, whose thickness prob- ably does not exceed 50 feet. In places, beneath surficial sands, there are red or mottled argillaceous sands the age of which has not been determined but which probably belong to the Pleistocene. Materials exposed at a few places on St. Marys River (Florida side) and on Satilla River have been referred to the Charlton formation (Pliocene?), but it may be doubted whether in descriptions of mate- rials given in well logs the Charlton formation can be discriminated from the Miocene deposits. Strata of Miocene age underlie the county, but their thickness and their relations to other formations are unknown. They are believed to consist mainly of phosphatic sands and gravels with some soft sandy shell marls and some relatively thin clays. The thickness of the Miocene is inferred to be small because fossils probably indicating the Chattahoochee formation were obtained from a well at Tarboro between the depths of 350 and 400 feet, and because fossil' Bryozoa and Nummulites, probably indicating the Vicksburg formation, were obtained in a well at Kings- CAMDEN COUNTY. 177 land between the depths of 450 and 482 feet. If these correlations are correct whatever representatives there are of the Alum Bluff forma- tion and of the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene must all be in- cluded in a thickness not exceeding 350 feet. Little is known of the character of the deposits at depths greater than 500 feet. The basement crystalline rocks probably lie at a depth of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The domestic water supply is obtained principally from artesian wells and from shallow driven wells. There are a few small springs, but as sources of supply these are of little importance, even locally. Thirty-six flowing wells have been reported from the county — one or more from every town or village at which there is a post office. They furnish an abundance of clear, wholesome water. The under- ground waters are also used in the locomotive boilers and sawmill plants. The principal objection to the artesian waters is that they are slightly hard and emit a rather disagreeable odor of hydrogen sulphide. The wells range in depth from 200 to 500 feet and furnish flows at elevations of 10 to 50 feet above the surface; they are put down at costs ranging from $250 to $800. So far as data have been obtained there has been no decrease in the supply which could be attributed to an overdrain on the artesian reservoirs. (See Table 15.) The shallow wells, 10 to 20 feet deep, driven or dug, furnish soft nonartesian waters which, however, are not so wholesome as artesian waters. Driven or bored wells are preferable to dug wells, because in them the water is protected by the pipe or casing from pollution. The prospects are good for obtaining flowing artesian wells through- out the county. LOCAL SUPPLIES. St. Marys (population 691, census of 1910). — Two artesian wells at St. Marys supply water for domestic use and for all other purposes. McCallie * gives the following account of the public well The deep well at St. Marys, the county seat, is 4 inches in diameter and has a depth of 522 feet. The water-bearing strata occur in this well one at 300 feet and the other at 500 feet. The present water supply is obtained from the lower stratum, the upper stratum being cased off. The water from the former stratum rises 50 feet above the surface, or about 40 feet above high tide. The water is rather heavily charged with hydrogen sulphide and forms a white precipitate about the overflow pipes. A mineral analysis of the water from this well is given in Table 16 (analysis 2). i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 67, 1908. 38418°— wsp 341—15 12 178 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Kingsland (population 190, census of 1910). — Four or more artesian wells at and near Kingsland supply an abundance of wholesome water. Open dug wells, 10 to 15 feet deep, are also used. The deepest artesian well, 647 feet deep, is about 250 yauds north of the railroad station and is owned by the Camden Naval Stores Co., the water being used chiefly for drinking and for condensing in the distillation of turpentine. H. C. Russell, the well contractor, has supplied information relating to the depth and character of the water-bearing strata. The first flow, which was found at 285 feet in a shell bed 6 feet thick, was 3 gallons per minute 4 feet above the surface. A second flow was encountered at 470 feet, the static head of which was 28 feet above the surface. The well was continued to 647 feet, and although the yield increased to 80 gallons per minute there was no increase in the pressure. The material from depths of 470 to 647 feet is fossiliferous or shell-bearing limestone with alter- nating hard and soft layers. (See analysis 1, Table 16.) From another well recently completed at Kingsland borings taken between the depths of 450 and 482 feet contained fossils, chiefly Bryozoa and Nummulites, which according to T. W. Yaughan are of Vicksburg age. Tarboro. — Tarboro, a small village 5 miles southwest of Whiteoak station, has four artesian wells which furnish strong flows. (See Nos. 16-18, Table 15.) The combined flow of three of them is utilized in operating a small rice and lumber mill. (See PL XIX, B, p. 152.) Flows are obtained from two beds, one at about 160 feet and the other between 350 and 400 feet. (See analysis 3, Table 16.) Fossils obtained from one of the wells between the depths of 375 and 400 feet were submitted to T. W. Vaughan, who considers the stratum from which they were taken as probably referable to the Chattahoochee formation. Table 15. — Wells in Camden County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Baileys Mill (near) . . . L.M. Bedell S. W. McCallieo.. E. P. Noyes L. A. Miller O. H. Wade and S.W.McCallie.a U. L. Stafford 1895 1895? 1889? Feet. ?, Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co. 3 Cumberland Island.. Cumberland Island (Dungeness, near the southern end of the island). 6 4 5 W.N.Casey Mr. Clay 1895 40? 6 do 7 do Camden Naval Stores Co. H.C.Russell.... 1910 41 8 9 a Georgia Geol. Survey bull. 16, pp. 67-71, 1908. CAMDEN COUNTY. Table 15.— Wells in Camden County — Continued. 179 No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 10 S. W. McCalliea.. H. W. Mobley 1903 Feet. 20? 11 Pearl (4 miles west of) Satilla Bluff Davis & Brandon... Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co. J. F. Foster Dave Stafford. . . 1? S. W. McCalliea.. 20 13 .do 20 14 15 H.C.Russell.... S. W. McCallieo and J. S. Russell. S. W. McCallieo.. 16 16 Stafford Bros 17 do... J. B. Godley do 1902 IS do W.C.Lang 19 Tarboro (1£ miles northeast of). J. S. Bruce ?n 21 99 Waverly (1 mile south of). Waverly (2£ miles north of). Waverly (4 miles west of). Waverly (600 feet northeast of). Waverly(90feet north of post office). Dr. B. Atkinson Georgia Land Co Dave Stafford... Postmaster 1902? ?3 Dr. B. Atkinson ?4 T.G.Middleton&Co McKinnin & McCar- thy. T,. T. McTHnnon H. R. Lang do 1911 1911 1894 1908? 1909 ?5 ?fi S. W. McCallie a. . 5 27 do.. 5 28 Woodbine Seaboard Air Line H. C. Russell... H. C. Russell 22 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Height of water above surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 200 365 750 680 500 75 647 Inches. 2 2 3 6 Feet. Feet. Feet. Galls. Galls. ? 365 400-500 400 32 20 51 25 Hard, sulphurous. Hard. 3 4 ft 2 350-500 500 Sulphurous. 6 Slight flow Flows 7 3 470-647 285 28 80 Analysis 1, Table 16. 8 q 10 370 465 340 350 2 6 2 2 25 35 Slightly sulphurous. Sulphurous. Slightly sulphurous. Do. n 465 340 350 300 60,210 250 60 i? 13 do 14 15 522 375 350 345 414 4 8 2 2 2 500 375 350 300 175 200 250,300 150 40 50 40 50 50 Sulphurous. Anal- ysis 2, Table 16. Slightly sulphurous. Analysis 3, Table 16. Hard, sulphurous. 16 17 18 19 Do. ?0 21 350 250? 250? 490 490 450 365 444 2 2 10 6-8 ?.?, 23 24 2 2 4 5 5 50 Soft. 25 Do. 26 450 130 Hard, sulphurous. Sulphurous. Do. 27 28 4 436-444 228-332 50 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 67-71, 1908. 180 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 15. — Wells in Camden County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Miocene or Oligo- cene. Chatta h o o c h e e formation? ? Boiler supply, do- mestic. ? Cost of well, S250. 4 do Three other flowing wells, 400 to 700 feet deep, on island. 2-inch casmg, 350 feet. Cost of well, $300. 5 Domestic, boiler supply for loco- motives. Vicksburg forma- tion? 6 7 Domestic, manu- facturing. do Bed of shells Cost of well, $400. s One flowing well. Do. q 10 Domestic, irriga- tion. Domestic, manu- facturing. Chatta hoochee formation? Vicksburg forma- tion? Chattahoochee formation? do n Cost of well, $300. 1? 13 14 15 Domestic, boiler supply. Vicksburg forma- tion? Chatta hoochee formation? do Cost of well, $800. 16 17 do Porous limestone at bottom. well, 1 inch. IS do do 19 do do and 300 feet. ?n ?1 Domestic, boiler supply for lo- comotives. Chattahoochee for- mation. ?,B ?3 Stock ?4 Vicksburg forma- tion? .. do ?5 ?6 do .. 27 do Chattahoochee for- mation? Vicksburg forma- tion? Wt Bed of shells Cost of well, $400; 4-inch casing to 188 feet. Table 16. — Analyses of underground waters from Camden County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 June 7,1911 May 6,1911 Apr. 14,1911 Well of Camden Naval Stores Co. Town well Well of Stafford Bros. Kingsland Tertiary Vicksburg for- mation? Chattahooc h e e formation? Feet. 470-647 500-522 350-375 Edgar Everhart. Do. 3 Tarboro Do. , © a a> 3 » ° C o3 o3 ^a > 51 Remarks. 03 ft .2 3 & a fl 03 o 03 "o1 s o 03 O 03 o s 3 £ 3 o O > O Eh 1 41 2.0 74 35 23 0.0 229 131 26 484 No. 7, Table 15. 2 43 .4 73 8.0 60 .0 152 170 Tr. 33 504 No. 15, Table 15. 3 36 .4 45 26 17 .0 178 92 1.5 14 323 No. 16, Table 15. UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. 181 CHARLTON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Charlton County is in southeastern Georgia and borders Florida. It has an area of 905 square miles and a population of 4,722 (census of 1910). The county is thinly settled and contains no large towns. Lumbering, turpentine distilling, and stock raising are the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The eastern part of the country is a flat sand-covered plain; the western part is covered by the Okefenokee Swamp and is practically uninhabited. St. Marys and Satilla rivers have cut relatively deep courses and are bordered by flat terrace plains about 15 feet above the river levels; both are sluggish and are affected by the tide, the St. Marys to a few miles above Traders Hill and the Satilla to a few miles above Burnt Fort. Although the main streams have cut down almost to grade, the tributary streams, which are few in number, have effected but little erosion and topographically the surface is youthful. Small ponds and swamps are common. The known ele- vations above sea level are Folkston, 80; Racepond, 148 (probably the highest point in the county); Wfinwright, 83; St. George, 78: and Moniac, 114. GEOLOGY. Loose white and yellow quartz sands, probably nowhere exceeding 20 feet in thickness, form the surface over the entire county. These sands are very porous and absorb the rainfall readily. They are underlain by 50 feet or less of red and white sands containing thin bluish clay layers, the age of which is not certainly known but which is believed to be Pleistocene. The surface sands and the under- lying red and white sands furnish the water of the shallow wells. The red and white sands are underlain by the Charlton formation (probably Pliocene), which consists of clays, limestones, and marls that are exposed on St. Marys River from near Stokes Ferry down- stream to Orange Bluff, 2 miles above Kings Ferry, Ga., and on Satilla River at Burnt Fort, on land of W. M. Thrift, 6 miles east of Winokur and on the King plantation, 6 miles south of Atkinson. The Charlton formation probably underlies a small area in the eastern part of the county. Beneath the Charlton are strata of probable Miocene age, and beneath the Miocene are 100 feet or more of sands and clays belonging to the Alum Bluff formation (Oligocene). Un- differentiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls, which belong in descending order to the Eocene and Cretaceous, underlie the Alum Bluff formation. At an undetermined depth, probably 3,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits are believed to rest upon a basement 182 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. of ancient crystalline rocks. Water-bearing beds may be expected in both the Alum Bluff formation and the underlying undifferen- tiated Eocene or Cretaceous deposits. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water supplies in the county are obtained chiefly from driven or dug wells, commonly 10 to 20 feet deep, which can be put down at little expense and which furnish abundant supplies of soft water. In many of the open dug wells the water stands within 2 or 3 feet of the surface and may be polluted. Driven wells, made by driving a small iron tube with a strainer point down to the water-bearing bed are, for hygienic reasons, preferable to dug wells. There are a few unimportant small seepage springs. The waters of the ponds and streams are stained dark brown to black by vegetable matter. Wholesome water can be obtained from deep wells at any place in the county. Wells 200 feet or more in depth, located in the val- leys, on land 70 feet or less above sea level, will flow at the surface. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Folkston (population 355, census of 1910). — Folkston, the county seat and the largest town in the county, is not equipped with a water- supply system but owns a deep well (No. 2, Table 17), from which many of the inhabitants obtain supplies for domestic purposes. This well, which was completed in 1908, is 612 feet deep and 3 inches in diameter. The principal water-bearing bed is reported to be at 510 feet, and the water, which rises to within 12 feet of the surface, is not lowered by pumping. The water is slightly hard but is suitable for general domestic purposes. Burnt Fort. — At Burnt Fort, a small community on the terrace bordering Satilla River, 12 miles northeast of Folkston, a well (No. 1, Table 17) owned by Mr. L. M. Bedell is 200 feet deep and furnishes a strong flow of sulphurous water. Table 17. — Wells in Charlton County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Burnt Fort, 12 miles northeast of Folks- ton. L. M. Bedell Feet. ? H.C.Russell.... W. M. Ollif 1908 80 3 CHATHAM COUNTY. 183 Table 17. — Wells in Charlton County — Continued. No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to princi- pal water- bearing bed. Level of water below surface. How ob- tained. Quality. Use. Geologic horizon of principal water bed. 1 Feet. 200 612 65 Inches. Feet. Feet. Flows. . . Sulphurous Alum Bluff forma- 2 3 510 45 12 Slightly hard Domestic tion? Vicksburg forma- 3 Pumps.. tion? tion? CHATHAM COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Chatham County is on the seacoast in the eastern section of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 370 square miles, and its popu- lation (census of 1910) is 79,690, of which 65,064 live in Savannah. Savannah is an important seaport, exporting chiefly naval stores, raw cotton, and lumber. It contains fertilizer factories, cottonseed- oil mills, cotton cloth mills, ice factories, a brewery, car works, machine shops, a canning factory, and many small plants. TOPOGRAPHY. The lands adjacent to the coast are low and the coast line is irregu- lar. The eastern part of the county contains many low, sand-covered islands separated by sounds, tortuous brackish and salt water creeks and rivers. On the islands and adjacent mainland there are small areas of marsh land. The western part is a flat poorly drained plain, on which low sand hills or sand ridges, bays, and low moist areas are underlain by clay and silt of marine or brackish water origin. The low flat areas are probably the sites of former tidal arms of the ocean. Savannah River forms the eastern boundary of the county and Ogeechee River the western boundary. The water of the Savannah is always more or less turbid and yellowish from suspended silt and clay carried down in suspension from the Piedmont Plateau. Ogee- chee River is rarely muddy, and although its headwater streams are in the southeastern part of the Piedmont Plateau the water has the aspect of the streams which originate in the Coastal Plain. Adjacent to the mouths of both the Savannah and the Ogeechee are salt-water marshes and tidal-swamp lands (see pp. 36-37), which extend several miles above the salt marshes. The only other important stream in the county is Little Ogeechee River which has its source in the Coastal Plain and flows southeastward through the western part of the county. Its water is dark or amber-colored from organic matter, but it carries only a small amount of silt or clay in suspension. On 184 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. account of the youth of the land surface and its low elevation stream erosion has been a minor factor in the formation of the topography. The surface of the greater part of the county lies between 15 and 25 feet above sea level, but there are a few places in the northern part of the county which probably reach a maximum of 50 or 60 feet. GEOLOGY. The greater part of the county is covered by late Pleistocene deposits, belonging to the Satilla formation, which consist of loose, fine, quartz sands rather uniformly distributed, though in places heaped into hills by wind or wave action, and of sandy muds or clays containing organic matter deposited in the swampy flats. The Pleistocene deposits probably do not exceed 25 or 30 feet in thickness, but they are the source of the water obtained in shallow dug and driven wells. Beneath the surficial Pleistocene sands, at a few localities, are red or yellowish sands containing thin bluish clay laminae, which are older than the Satilla formation and probably belong to an older Pleistocene formation. These red and yellow sands are thin and have no important bearing on the water supplies. At Savannah, beneath the Pleistocene deposits and the red and yellow sands of questionable age, the strata, to a depth of about 250 feet, consist of fine more or less argillaceous sands, bluish or greenish sandy clays, soft shell marls, and limestones which are of Tertiary age and are probably younger than the Chattahoochee formation (Oligo- cene), but which have not been differentiated into formations. Locally, these beds are water bearing and supply wells 270 feet or less in depth. Porous, sandy limestones, which may represent in descend- ing order the Chattahoochee, Vicksburg, and Jackson formations, are encountered at Savannah between 250 and 500 feet. These limestones are an important source of artesian supplies in this and adjoining counties. Little is known concerning the character and age of the Coastal Plain deposits existing beneath the limestones, but it is perhaps reasonable to assume that the Claiborne group (Eocene) and the Upper and Lower Cretaceous sands and clays are represented. Beneath the Lower Cretaceous deposits, perhaps at some depth between 2,500 and 4,000 feet, are the crystalline basement rocks. The Eocene and Cretaceous deposits doubtless contain water-bearing beds, some of which would yield potable waters. CHATHAM COUNTY. 185 WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Artesian wells are the chief source of water supply in the county. The city of Savannah, the second largest city in the State, derives its supply from artesian wells. Many private wells have been sunk in the city and throughout the county. Shallow dug and driven wells 6 to 25 feet deep furnish soft but not always wholesome water. Water from driven wells is safer than that from dug wells. Water from Savannah River is used in boilers at many factories at Savannah. Elsewhere in the county surface waters are not used extensively. Springs are few in number, small, and usually unwholesome. Artesian waters may be obtained throughout the county at depths ranging from 50 to 1,500 feet or more. Most wells, especially those exceeding 100 feet in depth, will flow. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Savannah (population 65,064, census of 1910). — The municipal water supply at Savannah is derived from 13 artesian wells (No. 5, Table 18) in the western part of the city. One well is 1,550 feet deep and the others are from 475 to over 500 feet (the average depth is said to be 500 feet). Originally they all flowed, but later the yield decreased to such an extent that it became necessary to pump them; in 1910 the consumption from the 13 wells was 9,500,000 gallons a day. A description of the water-supply system and an explanation of the decreased yield of the wells has been given by C. S. Slichter, 1 the greater part of whose paper is here quoted. Table 19 gives a mineral analysis of the water of the present supply (analysis 1) and an analysis of water from the wells at the old city waterworks (analysis 2) . One of the most carefully planned artesian water supplies of this country is that of the city of Savannah, Ga. A brief account of these wells is of much interest, not only as illustrative of an intelligently designed and well-constructed engineering work, but also because of the valuable lessons to be learned from the way in which difficulties were met and overcome as they arose. The works were planned by Mr. Thomas T. Johnston, consulting engineer, of Chicago, 111., and the following description is taken largely from his paper in Engineering News. 2 Prior to 1887 the water supply of Savannah was taken from the river, but in that year 14 artesian wells were put in use (a fifteenth well being nearly ready) near the old pumping station. Of these wells 2 were 10-inch, 12 were 6-inch, and 1 was 4-inch, and not one was more than 400 feet deep . In 1888 the entire supply of the city was drawn from these wells, the total for the year being 2,135,842,000 gallons, or about 5,850,000 gal- lons per day. At the close of 1889, 5 new wells had been put in use, the 20 wells being distributed very irregularly within a 10-acre lot. About this time, however, it became necessary to open the river supply to some extent. Experience and observation showed conclusively that the water supply was materially affected by the tide, and it i U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 67, pp. 97-101, 1902. "- Eng. News, vol. 29, pp. 527-529, 1893. 186 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PEAIN OF GEORGIA. was supposed that the shallowness of the wells caused a filling by sand to a greater or less extent, thus affecting the supply. But little better results were had, however, from deepening some of the wells, one of them being deepened to 1,009 feet. Two addi- tional 10-inch wells 502 and 505 feet deep were connected with the old works on De- cember 29, 1890, but in November, 1891, it was necessary to again draw water from the river. Nothing resulted from dynamiting the wells. [Wells No. 4, Table 18.] In June, 1891, it was found that water in well No. 1, close to the old pumping station, was 9 feet lower than in well No. 2, distant from well No. 1 about 1,600 feet, and it was determined to abandon the old wells. Twelve new wells in a new location were finally decided upon, and 7 were put in use on December 9, 1892, and the others on March 21, 1893. * * * [No. 5, Table 18.] The wells are arranged along a highway which runs nearly parallel to the ocean and some distance from the old pumping station. They are 300 feet apart and flow into a brick and concrete conduit. * * * Sands and clays were met to a depth of about 250 feet, where a cherty lime rock was found. The rock varies in character at greater depths. The first water was found at 325 feet, and the supply continually increased until the depth exceeded 500 feet. The water-bearing rock is uniformly a porous limestone, or rather one full of cavities, very similar to the rock outcrop from which flow the mammoth Suwanee springs in northern Florida. Water is occasionally found below 500 feet, but not in sufficient quantity to justify deeper wells. The 12 wells of the new waterworks average 500 feet in depth. They are cased to the rock (about 250 feet) with casing of 12 inches internal diameter. Below this there is a 12-inch clear opening. The normal position of water in the wells, as determined by the position in the old wells when first dug, showed that it reached the static level at an elevation of 41 feet above mean low tide. Subsequent wells, bored in a wide range of country, show about the same elevation. After a number of wells had been bored the elevation of this static level was lowered. At the time of an examination in 1890 about 6,000,000 gallons per day were being pumped at the old works. The static level was then 7 feet; at the site of the new works it was at an elevation of 28 feet, while 9 miles south of the old works it was at the original elevation, 41 feet. The influence of the heavy pumpage was noticed to be greater in wells in the same line perpendicular to the shore of the ocean than in wells in a line parallel to the ocean. To predetermine the probable flow from the new wells, the Springfield well, 2,000 feet east of the new station, was examined, with the following results: 1 Flow of Springfield well, Savannah. Elevation of static level Equivalent Flow. Year. above mean head. low tide. Galls, per Feet. Feet. 94 hours. 27.67 25.67 2.00 1890 1890 482, 000 24.40 3.27 623,000 1891 22.77 4.90 1,000,000 1890 22.68 4.99 977,000 1891 21.80 5.87 1,133,000 1891 21.79 5.88 1, 172, 000 1891 20.57 7.10 1,360,000 1890 13.00 14.67 2, 500, 000 1890 It was estimated that about 3,000,000 gallons per day could be obtained with the static head reduced to an elevation of 7 feet, which reduction is practicable at the pump house, as constructed. The old wells spread over an area about 1,700 feet i A section of this well is shown in Eng. News, vol. 30, p. 4, 1893. CHATHAM COUNTY. 187 wide at its largest part, and their flow at an elevation of 7 feet was about 6,000,000 gallons per day. The first seven wells embraced a line 1,800 feet long. Reducing the level to 8 feet, the flow was 6,500,000 gallons per day. The level in wells Nos. 10, 11, and 12 was at this time 14.93, 15.96, and 16.20 feet, respectively. On March 21, 1893, the 12 wells were put into service, with elevation of water at 8 feet, and the flow was 9,500,000 gallons per day. At the beginning of 1897 the flow of the 12 wells had decreased to 6,900,000 gallons per day, and the fear was entertained that the history of the old plant was to be repeated. Mr. Johnston was again called in consultation. The results of his measurements of the flow of each of the 12 wells were as follows: Yield of Savannah wells in 1897. Well. Flow. Well. Flow. No. 1 Galls, per 24 hours. 713, 460 460, 460 543, 950 361,790 485, 760 293,480 452,870 452,870 No. 9 Galls, per % hours. 399, 740 No. 2 No. 10 468, 050 No.3 No. 11 371,910 No. 4 No. 12 485, 760 No. 5 Springfield well No. 6 No. 7 5,490,100 1,019,590 No. 8 From this table it is seen that wells Nos. 4, 6, and 11 showed a very small flow, entirely out of proportion to that of the other wells. It having been determined that the flow of water in some wells was more obstructed than in others, the work of attempting to remove the obstructions was undertaken. The method used was back flushing, or the forcing of a strong reverse flow back into the well. The first effort was made on well No. 2 by means of fire hose attached to a neighboring hydrant. Only a slight improvement resulted. The next attempt was made on well No. 10, fire engine No. 2 being used. But little improvement resulted. A more powerful fire engine (No. 3) was next employed, and the process was tried on well No. 6. A radical improvement was the result, the net gain in the yield of the well being 100,000 gallons per day. Encouraged by this result, the next effort was made on well No. 4, fire engines Nos. 1 and 3 being used. The result was even more radical, the net gain in yield for this well being 200,000 gallons per day. 1 The actual results on well No. 6 were as follows: Results of flushing well No. 6, Savannah waterworks, in 1897. Flow before flushing : Gallons per 24 hours. May 12 295,000 May 18 304, 000 Flow after flushing: May 18 433, 000 May 19 395, 000 May 20 400, 000 May 24 389, 620 After these experiments Mr. Johnston recommended that a special 8-inch water main of the city system be laid along the row of 12 wells, and that it be connected to each well by means of a 6-inch pipe and gate. By opening a gate any well can now be flushed at any time, and Superintendent Kinsey of the waterworks states that all of the wells have been flushed and tested regularly every year since Mr. Johnston's tests in 1897. The following is the record of the test for the year 1900: 1 Report of T. T. Johnston to chairman of water commission, Savannah, Ga., May 24, 1897. 188 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Results of flashing Savannah ivells in 1900. Gallons per 24 hours. Yield before flushing 5, 104, 275 Yield after flushing 5, 850, 878 Gain. 746, 603 The yield before flushing given above is 385,825 gallons less than the total yield before flushing in 1897. The results at Savannah are especially valuable on account of their reliability and the fullness of the information. In the first place, the yield of the wells can be closely relied upon, for they were determined by a special current meter designed by Mr. Johnston, which can at any time readily be lowered into one of the wells. In the second place, it was found by actual measurements at the old waterworks that there had been no lowering of the water table during the years 1892 to 1897 , as the measure- ments made in the two years were in substantial accord. Thus the depreciation of the wells must be referred to the clogging of the pores in the rock in some unknown way, and not to a general depreciation of the basin. The following description of the strata penetrated in the city wells at Savannah in the first 510 feet of depth has been prepared by McCallie: 1 Section descriptive of strata penetrated in city wells at Savannah. Thick- ness. Depth. Fine sandy clay with a few fragments of fossiliferous limestone, more or less rounded by water Dark grayish-green marl containing rounded pebbles and fragments of oyster shells and a few grains of glauconite Very tough dark-colored clays with quartz pebbles and glauconite Brownish clay containing dental plates of rays and minute rhombohedrons of calcite Greenish-gray clay, containing fragments of "shells and sharks' teeth Same; also contains dental plates of rays Greenish-gray clay, frequently indurated Gray marl with round pebbles and glauconite . Microscopic examination shows the marl to consist largely of rhombohedral crystals of calcite Greenish-gray marl, containing water-worn pebbles of feldspar and quartz. Calcite crys- tals are also abundant Dark-gray clay with a few water-worn pebbles Dark-gray marl, containing fragments of corals, sea urchins, etc White, porous, concretionary, fossiliferous limestone, Foraminifera, fragments of oyster shells, and spines of sea urchins More or less compact gray limestone, containing fossils similar to those of the overlying beds; also a few remains of gastropods White concretionary limestone with fossils similar to the above Gray marl, in places hardened into a porous rock containing fragments of oysters, pectens, crinoid stems, Foraminifera, and small crystals of calcite Same; except that it contains fewer crinoid stems Very white, chalky limestone, made up largely of corals Gray coralline limestone, containing glauconite and many crinoid stems Same; glauconite abundant Dark greenish-gray marl, with glauconite filling casts of corals and Foraminifera; also fragments of compact coralline limestone which probably formed thin layers in the marl Feet. 30 40 10 10 10 20 40 Feet. 70 80 90 100 120 160 210 230 290 320 330 400 410 413 440 450 475 The log of a well (No. 6, Table 18) completed in 1905, owned by the Mutual Fertilizer Co., 3 miles west of the post-office building at Savannah, is given by Fuller and Sanford 2 as follows, on the authority of the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., contractors: i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 75, 76, 1908. 2 U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 298, p. 199, 1906. CHATHAM COUNTY. 189 Log of well of Mutual Fertilizer Co., 3 miles west of post-office building at Savannah (No. 6, Table 18). Thick- ness. Depth. Soft dark-brown soil Soft light-gray sand Red and gray clay and fine sand Loose dark-gray sand Hard greenish-gray sandy limestone Tough dark-green sandy marl '. Porous white limestone, slightly sandy; water bearing Soft gray porous limestone Coarser-textured white, brownish, and gray limestone with coarse sand, bits of shells, and dark grains, the latter probably phosphatic; contains Orbitoides (?) identified by Dr. Joseph A. Cushman; water bearing Light-buff limestone; considerable water , Feet. 1 2 17 10 1.5 203.5 10 25 Feet. 1 3 20 30 31.5 235 245 270 310 330 According to the authority cited, the diameter of this well is 8 inches, the length of the casing is 136 feet, and the water is hard and rises to within 4 feet of the surface. A partial set of well borings from the well is on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well No. 380). From materials in this set representing depths between 270 and 290 feet were obtained remains of Bryozoa which, according to R. S. Bassler, are related to the Bryozoan fauna from the Eocene limestone of uppermost Jackson age at Wilming- ton, N. C, but which may indicate the Vicksburg rather than the Jackson age of the formation. Tybee Island. — On Tybee Island there are about 20 artesian wells, which range in depth from 80 to 240 feet. The waters are derived from strata of Tertiary age and appear to be similar in their mineral character to the waters obtained from wells at Savannah. They are used for general domestic purposes, for the manufacture of ice, and in boilers of locomotives of the Central of Georgia Railway. Most of the wells flow at the surface, but the static heads are affected by the tide, some of them ceasing to flow at low tide. A well at the cottage of W. J. Floyd, near Inlet station, is about 160 feet deep, and is cased to a depth of 84 feet, at which depth a layer of hard rock was encountered. It flows continuously 3 feet above the surface and does not appear to be materially affected in its yield by the tide. (See analysis 3, Table 19.) Pooler (population 337, census of 1910). — Pooler derives its water supply in part from an artesian well (No. 3, Table 18) owned by S. H. Oliver, and in part from shallow wells 16 to 40 feet deep. Mr. Oliver's well was drilled in 1890 to a depth of 450 feet with a diam- eter of 3 inches. The water is reported to be derived principally from limestone at 450 feet. At present the water will rise 10 feet above the surface, but since the completion of the well the flow has decreased, owing perhaps to a clogging of the pore spaces in the 190 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. water-bearing bed or to a clogging of the well casing by bacterial vegetable growth. The original rate of flow could probably be partly restored by shooting the well, or by backflushing it in the manner employed at Savannah (pp. 187-188). Montgomery. — H. D. Weed, of Savannah, reports that five artesian flowing wells on a sea island 10 to 16 miles south of Montgomery are 285 to 400 feet deep and 2 to 8 inches in diameter (No. 2, Table 18). In these wells the water rises 10 to 15 feet above the surface. The principal water-bearing bed is porous limestone at 280 feet. The water is sulphurous and is used for general domestic purposes and for irrigation. Burroughs. — An artesian well at Burroughs (No. 1, Table 18) owned by H. A. Fountain is 315 feet deep and flows 20 feet above the surface. The water is used, for domestic purposes. Two other flowing wells are owned, one by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the other by the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Table 18. — Wells in Chatham County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap-. proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 H. A. Fountain, Sa- vannah, Ga. Mr. Corey Edward Corey, Keller, Ga. H. A. Fountain... 1905 Feet. 19 ? Montgomery. 10 to 16 miles south of, on a sea island. 10 S S. H. Oliver 1890 4 City Thomas T. John- ston/zC.S.Slieh- ter,b S. W. Mc- Callie.c do 10.25- 5 .. .do do 18.62 11.30- 6 7 Savannah (3 miles west of). Mutual Fertilizer Co. Hughes Spe- cialty Well Drilling Co., Char 1 e s t o n, S. C. Driller and owner . 1905 20.82 s Tybee Ice, Water & Irrigation Co. U. S. Government, Fort Screven Res- ervation. do S. W. McCaUiec... 13 q do do 10 do do 1902 a Eng. News, vol. 29, pp. 527-529, 1893. b TJ. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 67, pp. 97-101, 1902. c Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 72-81, 1908. CHATHAM COUNTY. Table 18. — Wells in Chatham County — Continued. 191 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 315 285-400 450 380-500 475-1,550 330 80-240 158 80 156 Inches. 2 2-8 3 4-10 12 8 Feet. Feet. Feet. + 20 +10-15 + 10 fa) (a) - 4 Galls. Galls. Flows do... Sulphurous. Do. 2 280 450 30-500 3 ...do 4 Analysis 2, Table 19 Analysis 1, Table 19. Hard. s, 6 7 8 3 1 6 9 10-30 do 10 do No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Clay and sand Cost of well, $115. ? Domestic and irri- gation. do..;:::::::::: ^ Vicksburg forma- tion? do Limestone Cavernous lime- stone. do 4 Old waterworks; 22 wells, nine 10-inch, 5 do Vicksburg forma- tions Vicksburg forma- tion? twelve 6-inch, one 4-inch. New waterworks; 12 wells 475 to 500+ 6 7 Manufacturing Domestic and manufacturing. Boiler supply, irri- gation, domestic. feet deep and 1 well 1,550 feet deep; 12-inch casing to 250 feet. 8-inch casing extends to a depth of 136 feet. Many wells. 8 do q 10 a Original static head 41 feet above mean low tide. 6 The 1,550-foot well probably taps the Cretaceous. Table 19. — Analyses of underground waters from Chatham County. No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water-bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Apr. 11,1911 1886 Apr. 11,1911 1886 1885 Municipal supply from 12 wells 475 to 500+ feet deep and 1 well 1,550 feet deep. Deep wells former- ly municipal supply. Well of W.J. Floyd Artesian well do The wells 475 to 500+ feet, Vicksburg formation? ; the 1,550- foot well, Cretaceous? Vicksburg formation? Tertiary do Feet. 475-500+ and 1,500 500+ 160+ 240+ 240+ 2 3 4 do Tybee Island near Inlet station. C. F. Chandler .a Edgar Everhart. C. F. Chandler.6 <; do do H. C. White.6 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 73, 74, 1908. b Idem, pp. 77-79. 192 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 19. — Analyses of underground waters from Chatham County — Continued. [Parts per million.] o o a ^ ■p. T) 73 o o 03 > a M M ti > •a T3 . t4 o . o 35 O ft a 3 a 3 8 Pn a a *£ 3 o .0 I 6 ' t-i a>co 03 ~ Jz; c3 O 3 'fcH 73 c» 03 03 SB 03 03 Remarks. 35 o o 03 o o ft 03 O 3 3 03 2 3 o O > O 1 58 1.0 26 10 17 2.0 170 8.0 0.4 7.0 220 Wells No. 5, Table 18. •A 55 a. 4 25 7.2 10 1 1.7 11 2.2 11 9.9 229 Trace of P0 4 . Wells No. 4, Table 18. 3 35 .6 23 12 17 .0 159 12 9.0 8.0 202 4 60 a. 4 22 10 17 | 2.6 39 12 12 10 120 Trace of P0<. S 2.1 .1 46 .2 24 77 34 1.7 185 a Fe 2 3 +Al 2 3 . CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Chattahoochee County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 218 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 5,586. Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is included in the topographic division here called the fall-line hills. The surface is mainly a much-dissected Coastal Plain upland of broken hilly aspect. However, in the western part of the county there are two relatively small areas of nearly level land, por- tions of two Pleistocene terrace plains bordering Chattahoochee River. The first (the Satilla plain) covers a few square miles in the extreme western part of the county and lies 40 to 50 feet above low- water level of the river; the second (the Okefenokee plain) covers a somewhat larger area immediately east of the first at an elevation of 140 to 170 feet above the same datum. Chattahoochee River drains the entire county, its principal tributaries being Upatoi, Oswichee, and Hichitee creeks. The maximum topographic relief is approximately 400 feet. GEOLOGY. The deposits of the Coastal Plain rest upon a deeply buried base- ment of ancient crystalline rocks, which, along the northern border of the county, lie 350 or 400 feet below low-water level of Chattahoochee River, and along the southern border probably 700 or 800 feet below the same datum plane. The Lower Cretaceous deposits, which con- sist of 350 or 400 feet of sands and clays, rest directly upon the base- ment rocks. The uppermost strata of this division appear in the bed of Upatoi Creek along the northern border of the county and doubtless extend southward under the entire county. CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY. 193 The Etitaw formation of the Upper Cretaceous rests unconform- ably upon the Lower Cretaceous deposits. The terrane consists of approximately 550 feet of strata, in part irregularly bedded sands and laminated clays and in part massive more or less calcareous and glauconitic sands and clays. Locally, the irregularly bedded por- tions contain lignite and concretions of iron sulphide. Massive marine beds, which make up the upper 120 feet of the formation, have been designated the Tombigbee sand member. Conformably overlying the Eutaw formation is the Ripley forma- tion, which is represented within the county in part by the Cusseta sand member and in part by typical marine strata. The Cusseta sand member consists of about 300 feet of fine to coarse, irregularly bedded sands and subordinate lenses of laminated or massive clay. The typical marine strata are massive, compact, calcareous, and glau- conitic sands and clays. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) Pleistocene terrace deposits consisting of loams, sands, and gravels* 20 to 35 feet thick, cover small areas in two terrace plains in the extreme western part of the county. One of these plains lies along Chattahoochee River 40 to 50 feet above low-water level; the other lies immediately to the east, 140 to 150 feet above the same datum. Of the formations described the Lower Cretaceous deposits, the irregularly bedded portions of the Eutaw formation, and the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation, are the chief water bearers. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water supplies for domestic purposes are derived chiefly from dug wells 20 to 110 feet deep, which tap water-bearing beds in the Upper Cretaceous or in the Pleistocene deposits. Wells located on the ter- races, which cover 15 to 18 square miles in the western part of the county, obtain good supplies from the sands and gravels at the base of the terrace deposits at depths of 20 to 40 feet. Small springs that are conveniently located are used, and many small creeks and headwater branches are important sources of water for stock and for local steam production. The Lower Cretaceous deposits, which pass beneath the Upper Cretaceous beds along the northern border of the county, underlie the entire county. They carry large quantities of water of excellent quality. The Lower Cretaceous water-bearing beds dip southward, and in the upland region in the extreme south they probably lie 1,000 to 1,400 feet beneath the surface. The irregularly bedded sands and clays of the Eutaw formation, which outcrop in the northwestern half of the county and which dip 38418°— wsp 341—15 13 194 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. southeast beneath the younger Cretaceous formations, contain waters of good quality and in considerable quantities. Along the south- eastern border of their outcrop water-bearing strata should be reached at depths of 100 to 300 feet, and to the south or southeast in Stewart County at increasing depths to a maximum of 600 to 1,000 feet. In the southeast corner of the county waters of good quality can be obtained from the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation at depths of 100 to 400 feet. Flowing wells should be obtained on the lower levels bordering Chattahoochee River at elevations less than 50 feet above low-water level and probably also on the bottom lands of Upatoi Creek. A flowing well has been obtained on the opposite side of Chattahoochee River in Russell County, Ala., which adjoins Chattahoochee County on the west. Prof. E. A. Smith 1 describes this well as follows : W. J. McLendon's well, near Chattahoochee River; depth 465 feet. Record: Sand and clay, 20 feet; marl with shell, 65 feet; beds of sand and marl, 15 to 25 feet thick, alternating, to 380 feet; hard rock, 2 feet; sand to 445 feet. Water at this point flowed 12 gallons per minute, but has decreased to 4 gallons. Well lowered 20 feet into sand or hard rock. This well is located on the lowest Pleistocene terrace, at a landing 2£ or 3 miles below the mouth of Euchee Creek. Its curb is about 40 feet above low-water level. The first 20 feet of materials pene- trated are Pleistocene terrace deposits; the materials from 20 to 382 feet belong to the Eutaw formation, and those from 382 to 465 feet to the Lower Cretaceous. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Cusseta (population 34, census of 1910). — Cusseta, the county seat, does not own a municipal water-supply system. Wells on individual properties, for the most part of the dug type, ranging in depth from 45 to 80 feet, are the chief source of water supply. The water-bearing beds tapped are either in the extreme base of the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation or in the uppermost part of the Tombigbee sand member of the Eutaw formation. Rural supplies. — Two deep artesian wells have been reported from this county. McCallie 2 furnishes the following account of one of them: The well which is located on Mr. W. C. Bradley's plantation in the western part of the county, was put down in 1897, and is reported by Mr. Bradley to have a depth of 700 feet. It is 4 inches in diameter, and the water comes to within 90 feet of the surface. The well is said to have a capacity of about 600 gallons per hour. The water is used for general domestic purposes. 1 The underground water resources of Alabama: Alabama Geol. Survey, p. 234, 1907. 2 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 81, 1908. CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY. 195 The formations passed through in boring the well are reported to consist of clay sand, and marl, no hard rock having been encountered. One water-bearing stratum occurs at 285 feet; the depths of the others are not given. The well described by McCallie is on the Okefenokee terrace plain 1^ miles west of Shack. During 1910 a well was drilled on the property of Mrs. L. W. Adams, 5 miles west of Cusseta. W. A. Weems, R. D. No. 2, Cusseta, furnishes the following information concerning it : The well is located on a plain 330 feet above sea level; the depth is 385 feet and the diameter is 3 inches. The depth to the principal water-bearing bed is 110 feet; the water rises to within 35 feet of the surface and is lifted from the well by hand pump; the water is soft and of good quality and is used for domestic purposes and for watering stock. The cost of the well was $900. Rock, marl, red and white sand, and some lignite were encountered. The water- bearing bed tapped at 110 feet is in the Eutaw formation. The following analysis of water from this well, collected March 28, 1911, was made by Dr. Edgar Everhart: Analysis of water from well of Mrs. L. W. Adams, 5 miles northwest of Cusseta. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 40 Iron (Fe) 16 Calcium (Ca) 2.4 Magnesium (Mg) 2.8 Sodium and potassium (Na-f-K) 6.0 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 37 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 22 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 2. Chlorine (CI) 3. 5 Total dissolved solids 126 A log of one of the deeper wells of the dug type is given below, the owner being authority for the lithology: Log of well of A. K. Cook, 2 miles east of Shack. Thick- ness. Depth. Upper Cretaceous, Eutaw formation: Sand Clay Sand rocks and coarse sand Fine white sand, almost as fine as flour and as white as snow. Coarse gravel Coarse red sand, almost as red as blood Feet. 3 18 20 6 53 4 Feet. 3 21 41 47 100 104 196 UNDEEGBOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. CLAY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Clay County is in the west-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 203 square miles and its population is 8,960 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county lies on the border between the physiographic divisions of the fall-line hills and the Dougherty plain. The topography of the fall-line hills is characterized by hills and ridges scored by local washes and gullies, and that of the Dougherty plain by nearly level or gently rolling tracts. The former is developed in the northern part of the county and the latter in the southern, and the two merge in a northeast-southwest belt that extends through the central part of the county. The drainage of the county is chiefly through Chattahoochee River and its tributaries — Pataula, Sandy, Como- chechebbee, Colomokee, and smaller creeks. The maximum surface relief is probably between 250 and 350 feet. Two well-developed Pleistocene terrace plains, the limits of which have not been determined in detail, border Chattahoochee River in the west. The lower (the Satilla plain) lies 40 to 50 feet above low-water level; the higher (the Okefenokee plain) lies 100 to 115 feet above the same datum. The main part of the town of Fort Gaines is built upon the higher plain. GEOLOGY. The Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous outcrops in a very small area along Chattahoochee River and along Pataula Creek, in the northwest corner of the county. The materials consist of beds of massive calcareous, glauconitic, marine sands and clays, with some indurated layers. The thickness of the part of the formation appearing above water level is probably not more than 50 or 100 feet, but its total thickness, including the buried portion, is probably over 900 feet. The formation is underlain by deeply buried, older Cretaceous deposits 1,000 to 1,500 feet or more in thickness, which rest in turn upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Ripley formation dips southward beneath overlying Eocene strata and at Fort Gaines is probably first encountered in wells at a depth of 190 to 200 feet below low-water level of the river. The Ripley formation is overlain in ascending order by the Midway formation, the Wilcox formation, and the Claiborne group, of the Eocene, and by the Vicksburg formation of the Oligocene. The Midway formation consists of several hundred feet of limestones, marls, clays, and sands, which outcrop along Chattahoochee River at CLAY COUNTY. 197 and above Fort Gaines and in small areas in the northwestern part of the county. The Wilcox formation consists of 75 to 100 feet of sandy glauconitic shell marls, dark laminated sandy clays, and gray or dark-gray glauconitic and lignitic sands, which outcrop on Chatta- hoochee River at and below Fort Gaines and extend northeastward through the county in a belt several miles wide. The Claiborne group consists of 150 or 200 feet of clays, sands, and marls, which come to the surface in a belt 4 to 8 miles wide, extending nearly north and south through the county. The Vicksburg formation consists chiefly of sands and clays residual from limestones, containing greater or lesser amounts of sandy and argillaceous impurities and scattered masses of flint which resulted from the partial silicification of the original limestones. The formation outcrops in a small area in the southeast and probably does not exceed 100 feet in thickness. (See PI. III.) Bordering Chattahoochee River thin Pleistocene terrace deposits are present in narrow areas which correspond in extent to the terrace plains. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. In the rural districts water for domestic use is obtained chiefly from shallow dug wells, 20 to 100 feet deep, and from springs. On the hilly areas the average depth of the dug wells is greater than on the terrace plains bordering Chattahoochee River. The numerous creeks and small spring branches supply abundant water for stock and for local steam production. The uppermost beds of the Ripley formation, which underlies the entire county, are a most promising source of artesian water. They furnish strong flows at Fort Gaines at depths of 190 to 300 feet below low-water level of the river. They would be reached at less depths north of Fort Gaines and at slightly greater depths south of that place. The middle and lower beds of the Ripley formation may be regarded as possible sources of artesian waters. Moderate amounts of water suitable for all ordinary purposes are obtainable from the more sandy beds of the Midway and Wilcox for- mations and Claiborne group of the Eocene and from the Vicksburg formation of the Oligocene. Flowing wells can probably be obtained only on the lower of the two terrace plains bordering the river, at elevations less than 50 feet above low-water level of the river, and in the bottom lands of some of the larger creeks. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Fort Gaines (population 1,320, census of 1910). — Several deep wells have been drilled at and near Fort Gaines, the county seat. Water is 198 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. obtained from horizons in the Ripley formation beneath 200 feet or more of Eocene strata. The first deep well drilled is described by McCallie 1 as follows : The well, which has a depth of 650 feet, was constructed in 1885 by the town of Fort Gaines, at a cost of about $2,000. The diameter of the well varies from 3 to 4 inches. The water rises to within 20 feet of the surface. Dr. J. W. Spencer, in speaking of the Fort Gaines well, says: 2 "The record of this well i^ lost; but it reaches a depth of 650 feet. The lower 350 or 400 feet of these strata belong to the Ripley or Upper Creta- ceous system, which is overlain by the impervious beds of the lower Eocene lime- stones." An analysis of water from this well is given in Table 20 (analysis 3). In 1909 a second well was drilled at Fort Gaines under the auspices of the town government. The following information concerning it has been furnished by J. E. Paullin, chairman of the financial com- mittee : The well is 264 feet deep and is located near the Central of Georgia Railway station on the lowest river terrace plain about 40 or 50 feet above low-water level of the river. Water-bearing beds were encountered at depths of 230 and 264 feet, the principal supply com- ing from the greater depth. The 264-foot stratum furnishes a natural flow of 300 gallons per minute, which will rise at least 30 feet above the surface. The cost of the well was $2 : 000. An analysis is given in Table 20 (analysis 4) . The well just described is to be the source of supply for a munici- pal waterworks now (1912) in course of construction. Both water- bearing beds, encountered at 230 and 264 feet are believed to be in the Ripley formation, the upper being at the extreme top of the forma- tion. Mr. Paullin furnishes the following information concerning the proposed water-supply plant: A tank to be installed at the well will have a capacity of 125,000 gallons. From the tank water will be pumped to a reservoir on a hill just east of the town 259 feet above the mouth of the well and 150 feet above the terrace plain on which the business part of the town stands. From the reservoir the water will be distributed by gravity through mains having a total length of about 3 miles. There will be a standpipe pressure of 65 pounds and a direct pressure from the pump of 90 pounds. The number of taps for domestic purposes will be about 100 and for manufacturing about 3; the number of fire plugs will be 25. C. C. Greene, 934 Candler Building, Atlanta, has furnished the fol- lowing information concerning a well in Clay County, 3 miles north- west of Fort Gaines: i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 81, 1908. 2 Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 79, 1891. CLAY COUNTY, 199 The well, which is owned by Mrs. C. W. Greene, of Fort Gaines, was drilled in 1910. It is on the lowest river terrace, about 40 feet above low-water level of Chattahoochee River, has a depth of 365 feet, and is 6 inches in diameter at the bottom. It flows about 165 gallons a minute. The cost was $900. The owner contemplates using the well for irrigation. The well probably penetrated about 175 or 180 feet of strata belonging to the Midway formation of the Eocene, below which it passed through Ripley strata to the bottom. The water-bearing bed is therefore in the latter formation. Henry County, Ala. — Flowing wells have been obtained on the lowest river terrace in Alabama opposite Clay County. G. R. Irwin, of Fort Gaines, Ga., has furnished the following information concern- ing his well, 2\ miles northwest of Fort Gaines, in Henry County, Ala.: The well is 700 yards west of the river, 15 feet above high-water mark, and is 240 feet deep. A flow of 10 or 11 gallons a minute was obtained at 190 to 196 feet and 25 or 30 gallons a minute at 217 to 240 feet. Both water-bearing beds are believed to be in the Ripley formation. The following is a log of this well with a correlation of the strata: Log ofivell of George R. Irwin, in Henry County, Ala., 2\ miles northwest of Fort Gaines, Ga. Thick- ness. Depth. Pleistocene (terrace deposit): Clay and sand Eocene, Midway formation: Soft lime rock Hard lime rock Marl Hard lime rock Marl Coarse sand Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation: Hard sand rock Coarse sand Hard sand rock (first flow of 10 to 11 gallons a minute at this depth; measured from top of pump 7 feet above the surface) Coarse sand Hard sand rock '. Coarse sand Sand rock '. Coarse sand Marl Hard sand rock with some soft spots. At 230 to 235 feet the second flow of 25 to 30 gallons a minute was encountered; flowed from top of 6-inch pipe. Well stopped in the rock Feet. 30 45 50 10 5 30 10 6 4 Feet. 30 75 125 135 140 170 180 186 190 196 202 207 210 212 215 217 23 Bluffton. — According to the owner, J. E. Mansfield, a well at Bluffton, 300 yards west of the post office, 40 feet above the valley of Colomoke Creek, is of the driven type, is 60 feet deep, and is 2 inches in diameter. An abundance of water, yielded by a bed of white sand in the lower part of the well, is used for general domestic 200 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. purposes. A bed of clay containing shells was penetrated at 35 or 40 feet. The water comes from either the base of the Vicksburg formation or from the upper part of the Claiborne group. (See analysis 1, Table 20.) Mr. Mansfield has also furnished information concerning a spring owned by the town of Bluffton, on Main Street, about 300 yards west of the post office. The spring emits a moderate stream of clear water from sand overlain by a bed of sandstone which outcrops at the base of a bluff 40 feet below the general upland level. The water is used for drinking and for general domestic purposes by the people of the neighborhood. (See analysis 2, Table 20.) Table 20. — Analyses of underground waters from Clay County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 June 1,1911 do Well of J. E. Mansfield. Bluffton Spring, owned by the town. Town well do Bluffton Base of Vicks- burg forma- tion or Clai- borne group? Feet. 60 Edgar Everhart. ? do Do. 3 Fort. Gaines do Ripley formation 650 264 4 June 5,1911 Do. a © «> o '-3 T3 o c T3 > a O *3 a 03 M 03^; "5 T3 . o »o o . GQ 03 o 5 a a a a 03 ~03~ - ' P. o a o 03 Ph P. "o3 o s o 03 o 03 o O Ph 03 a s 3 Z Ph o Eh 1 12 0.2 47 2.0 : 4 2.0 158 8.0 0.3 3.0 174 2 36 .4 3.0 Trace. 8.0 .0 18 3.0 4.0 4.0 80 3 16 6 3.6 7.0 1.4 76 9.1 98 9.4 20 6.3 248 4 30 Trace. 10 Trace. t 7 2.0 190 11 12 238 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 82, 1908. CLINCH COUNTY. 6 FeaOs+AlzOs- GENERAL FEATURES. Clinch County is in the southeastern part of the State on the Florida border. Its area is 961 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 8,424. The county has no large towns or cities and is thinly settled. Lumber and naval stores are the chief products. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is a nearly even plain which slopes southward from about 200 feet above sea level in its extreme northern part to 116 feet above sea level at Fargo, in its southeast corner. Alapaha River, CLINCH COUNTY. 201 which forms its western boundary, has cut 50 to 70 feet below the upland plain. Suwanee River flows through a low sand-covered terrace plain between banks or bluffs not over 10 feet high. The streams are sluggish and the waters are dark to almost black from organic matter. A relatively small area in the southeastern part of the county is covered by Okefenokee Swamp. GEOLOGY. Throughout the greater part of the county red and yellow argilla- ceous sands with thin interbedded layers of bluish clay closely under- lie the surface. The thickness of these surficial materials probably does not exceed 75 feet. They are underlain by the Alum Bluff for- mation, comprising 150 to 250 feet of sands and greenish sandy clays, probably locally water-bearing. The Alum Bluff and the overlying beds weather to white or yellowish residual sands which cover the surface to a depth of several feet throughout the greater part of the county. The Chattahoochee formation, which underlies the Alum Bluff, does not appear at the surface but is thought to be 100 feet or more thick and to contain water-bearing beds. The Chattahoochee formation is underlain by limestones belonging to the Vicksburg formation, which is several hundred feet thick and which probably carries large quantities of water. Between the base of the Vicksburg formation and the crystalline basement rocks, the depth of which is not known, there is first a series of limestones, sands, and clays of Eocene age followed in descending order by a series of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age. Both the Eocene and Cretaceous deposits probably contain water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. None of the towns or villages of the county are equipped with public water-supply systems. Domestic water supplies are obtained chiefly from dug and driven wells 10 to 50 feet deep, which afford abundant soft water. The driven wells are preferable to the dug wells because they afford less opportunity for contamination. As there are no hard rocks near the surface driven wells are practicable throughout the county. The waters of ponds and streams are suitable for stock and for boiler supply. There are two deep wells in the county — one at Fargo and one at Council, 6 miles southeast of Fargo. No information has been obtained concerning them except that they are 200 or 300 feet in depth and are nonflo wing. There are numerous seepage springs throughout the county but they yield only small quantities of water and some of them are unpalatable. Some are very high in iron. A sample from a spring 202 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. near Argyle, the source of which is probably the beds overlying the Alum Bluff formation, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart in August, 1909, as follows: Analysis of water from a spring near Argyle. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 7. 7 Iron (Fe) 9. 1 Aluminum (Al) 2.6 Calcium (Ca) 8 Magnesium (Mg) 5 Sodium and potassium (Na4- K) 4.9 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 144 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 1. 4 Chlorine (CI) 10 Total dissolved solids 69 COFFEE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Coffee County is in the so-called long-leaf pine or wire-grass region, in the southeast-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 901 square miles and its population is 21,953 (census of 1910). TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part is rolling to hilly. The hills present smoothly rounded, sand-covered slopes, and the valleys, except that of Ocmul- gee River, are shallow. In the south the surface is flatter, presenting in places poorly drained pine and saw-palmetto flats and small, shallow, cypress ponds, which probably occupy original inequalities that have not been drained by stream erosion. Satilla River and its tributaries form a dendritic drainage system over the greater part of the country. The interstream areas south and north of the divide between the Satilla and Ocmulgee river systems are strikingly unequal, the area south of the divide being much larger than that north of it. A similar relationship exists with respect to the areas northeast and southwest of the divide separating the Satilla and Alapaha drainage systems. The waters, except those of Ocmulgee River, are dark to almost black. The banks of the creeks and branches are low and in places the waters spread out through dense swamps through which there are no definite channels. On the east sides of Seventeenmile Creek and Satilla and Alapaha rivers, at elevations of 40 to 50 feet above low-water level, there are belts of fluviatile sand hills half a mile to 1 mile wide. The known elevations in the county are: Douglas, about 388; Nich- olls, about 306; Ambrose, about 395; Willacoochee, 247; Kirkland, 200; Pearson, 205, and McDonald, 167. COFFEE COUNTY. 203 GEOLOGY. Ferruginous sands, with pockets and thin interbedded layers of drab or bluish clay, form the surface throughout most of the county. These materials are probably Oligocene and are similar to those of the underlying Alum Bluff formation. They are probably not more than 100 feet thick in the county. They weather to yellow or white loose quartz sand, which mantles the surface to depths of 1 foot to 6 feet. Similar sands of alluvial origin have been deposited on the terraces bordering the streams. The surficial sands have some bear- ing on the problems of water supply, for they are the source of small seepage springs and prevent to some extent the rapid surface drain- age of rainfall. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of sandy clays interbedded with sands, underlies the surface materials and probably contains local water-bearing beds. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by several hundred feet of limestones, which probably represent in descending order the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene and the Jackson formation of the Eocene. The limestones are water bearing and constitute the most promising source of artesian water. Nothing definite is known as to the deposits beneath the limestones, but they probably consist of sands, clays, and marls of Eocene and Cretaceous age and rest at an undetermined depth upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The water supply is obtained chiefly from shallow wells 30 to 50 feet deep on the higher lands or hills and 10 to 15 feet deep on the lower levels. The shallow wells furnish abundant supplies of soft water. Ponds and streams afford water for stock and boiler supply. Small seepage springs issue from the surficial sands and sandy layers throughout the county. The most notable is Gaskins Spring, at the base of the sand hills on the eastern edge of the swamp of Seventeenmile Creek, 2 miles east of Douglas, which flows a small stream. The place is a picnic resort and camp-meeting ground and the water is used chiefly for drinking. (See analysis 2, Table 22.) Deep wells have been drilled at Douglas, Broxton, and Willa- coochee. No flowing wells have been reported. The Oligocene and Eocene limestones are abundantly water bearing. They will be penetrated in wells at depths of 300 to 600 feet. The Alum Bluff formation, which overlies the Chattahoochee formation, is locally water bearing, and its waters, if like those from the same formation in Dodge, Telfair, Appling, and Tattnall coun- ties, are less highly mineralized than those from greater depths. 204 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. Conditions for obtaining flowing wells are probably unfavorable except perhaps on the low terrace or bottom lands bordering Ocmulgee Kiver on the north. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Douglas (population 3,550, census of 1910). — The water supply at Douglas is obtained from an artesian well (No. 2, Table 21) owned by the town. The following account of this well is given by M'cCallie: 1 It is a 6-inch well, 409 feet in depth. Water-bearing strata are reported at 325 and 390 feet. The static head of the first stratum is said to be 130 feet below the surface, and the second 170 (?) feet. The record of the well shows that clays and sands were penetrated to a depth of 130 feet, below which sand and hard rock continue to the bottom. The well yields about 75,000 gallons of water a day and would probably yield more. (See analysis 1, Table 22.) Broxton (population 1,040, census of 1910). — In 1908 the Dorminy- Price Lumber Co. drilled a well (No. 1, Table 21) at Broxton to a depth of 400 feet. The water is used for general domestic purposes and for boiler supply at the lumber mill. Willacoochee (population 960, census of 1910). — An artesian well 408 feet deep (No. 3, Table 21) provides the municipal water supply of Willacoochee. The water stands within 160 feet of the surface. The daily consumption is about 25,000 gallons. (See analysis 3, Table 22.) Table 21. — Wells in Coffee County. No. Location. Owner. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Broxton Douglas Willacoochee. Dorminy-Price Lumber Co. Town do B.R. Leggett F. L. Sweat, mayor, and S.W. McCallie.i The mayor and J. Wilcox. 1908 Feet. 388(?) 247 No. Depth. Feet. 400 409 408 Diam- eter. Inches. 4 ■6 Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed Feet. 400 390 350 Depth to other water- bearing beds. Feet. 325 Level of water below surface. Feet. 130 160 Yield per minute. Flow. Galls. Pump. Galls. 50 170 How obtained. Steam engine . Steam engine. Quality. Analysis 1, Table22. Analysis 3, Table 22. Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 82-S4, 1908. COLQUITT COUNTY. Table 21. — Wells in Coffee County — Continued. 205 No. Use. Geologic horizon of principal water bed. Character "of prin- cipal water bed. Remarks. 1 Domestic and boiler supply. Municipal supply ...do Chattahoochee or Vicksburg for- mation. .. ..do ■> 3 .do Cost of well, $1,500; cost of machinery, $1,400. Table 22. — Analyses of underground ivaters from Coffee County . [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Town well Gaskins Spring.. Town well Chattahoochee o r Vicksburg formation. Surflcial depos- its. Chattahoochee or Vicksburg formation. Feet. 390 350 2 3 Apr. 5, 1911 do Douglas, 2 miles east of. Willacoochee Do. Do. CD 55 O 33 03 33 ® B O 6 34 "o? O a '3 "3 o a a "3 a g ■3 o en M a 03 O Oi 4.6 03 M tig. fl o -Q Ui 03 O 03 M 03 m os" -- CO 2 5 3 o O . "3 o Remarks. 1 83 34 7.2 12 0.0 158 2.6 10 266 /Free carbon dioxide (CO2) = 42. \Well 2. Table 21. 2 12 Tr. 2.0 1.0 6.0 .0 11 Tr. 1.0 5.0 3ft 3 36 1 37 11 6.0 .0 160 27 .2 5.0 210 Well 3, Table 21. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 83, 190S. 6 Fe 2 3 -fAr20 3 . COLQUITT COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Colquitt County is in the south-central part of the State. Its area is 529 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 19,789. TOPOGRAPHY. Colquitt County is rolling or gently undulating and there are nowhere rugged or sharply cut features. The streams are small and flow through wide swampy valleys, above which the bordering hills or ridges probably rise not more than 75 feet. No exact determina- tions of elevations have been made within the county, but an estimate based on known elevations in adjoining counties puts the greater part of Colquitt County 200 to 350 feet above sea level. The highest land is in the northwest. 206 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. GEOLOGY. Ferruginous sands with interbedded layers of bluish sandy clay out- crop over the greater part of the county. They contain water-bear- ing beds which are tapped by many shallow wells. Beneath them is the Alum Bluff formation which outcrops in the bottoms and lower slopes of the larger streams, consists of 100 feet or more of greenish and white or drab sandy clays, sands, and sandstones, and is locally water bearing. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by several hundred feet of water-bearing limestones interbedded with sands, which probably represent, in descending order, the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene a.nd the Jackson forma- tion of the Eocene. The aggregate thickness of the limestones probably amounts to 400 or 500 feet and they may be expected to yield large quantities of water. The Jackson formation is known to be underlain by strata of Eocene age and these in turn by strata of Cretaceous age, but defi- nite information concerning the deposits is lacking. The Cretaceous strata probably rest upon a deeply buried surface of ancient crystal- line rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. In Colquitt County dug wells 15 to 50 feet in depth are the chief source of domestic water supply, furnishing an abundance of soft water. As no hard rocjv is encountered such wells are dug at small expense. Small seepage springs exist but are not used extensively. The waters of ponds and streams are used to some extent for stock and for boilers. Deep wells have been reported from Moultrie, Doerun, and Norman Park. The prospects for obtaining artesian water from the Oligocene and Eocene limestones at depths of 300 to 700 feet throughout the county are good, and it is probable that abundant supplies can be obtained at still greater depths from the Eocene and Cretaceous deposits. It is believed that flowing wells can not be obtained in the county. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Moultrie (population 3,349, census of 1910). — Moultrie, the county seat, owns a municipal water-supply system and obtains water from two deep wells. The first well, according to McCallie, 1 was drilled in 1897. It is 571 feet deep and is 6 inches in diameter; the principal water-bearing stratum is at a depth of 486 feet, and the water rises to within 220 feet of the surface. The following log was furnished to T. W. Vaughan by S. S. Chandler, the driller: i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 84-85, 1908. COLQUITT COUNTY. 207 Log of town well at Moultrie (No. 2, Table 23). Thick- ness. Depth. Mostly yellow clay Clay and light-colored sand, the clay at top A thin bed of limestone on top, gray sandstone below Blue clay with layers of sand Layers, with blue clay between (The character of the material interbedded with the blue clay is not known.) Limestone with interbedded strata of other rock, water bearing in part Feet. 30 55 55 180 100 151 Feet. 30 85 140 320 420 571 The following is an analysis, by Edgar Everhart, 1 of water from the well just described: Analysis of water from town well at Moultrie (No. 2, Table 23). Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 23 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 03+Al 2 3 ) 6. 2 Calcium (Ca) 18 Magnesium (Mg) 7.2 Sodium (Na) 24 Potassium (K) 11 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 138 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 12 Chlorine (CI) 9. 5 Total dissolved solids 160 Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 ) 42 According to McCallie, the second well (No. 3, Table 23) was drilled in 1902, is 506 feet deep, and is 8 inches in diameter. The water-bearing bed tapped at a depth of 486 feet in the first well was also tapped in this well. It is believed to be in either the Vicksburg or the Jackson formation. Doerun (population 630, census of 1910). — At Doerun domestic water supplies are derived chiefly from dug wells 25 to 60 feet deep. These wells furnish soft water. The town owns one deep well (No. 1, Table 23), completed in 1910, which is 460 feet deep and is 4 inches in diameter at the top and 3 J inches in diameter at the bottom. The water is reported to come from sand at a depth of 410 feet; it rises to within 18 feet of the surface but is lowered to 25 feet by pumping. The water-bearing stratum is probably in either the Vicksburg forma- tion (Oligocene) or the Jackson formation (Eocene). Norman Parle (population 648, census of 1910). — Norman Park is located on the Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad, in the northern part of the county. The domestic water supply is derived chiefly from dug wells 15 to 40 feet deep. One deep well (No. 4, Table 23), on the campus of Norman Institute, supplies water for the 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 84-85, 1908. 208 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. college and for some of the inhabitants of the village. According to F. E. McCalman this well is 585 feet deep, is nonflowing, and furnishes 350 gallons of water a minute by pumping. ' The water is described as hard and as having a sulphurous odor. This well probably taps a water-bearing stratum in the Jackson formation. Table 23. — Wells in Colquitt County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. 1 M. A. Jarrard. .. J. L. Dowling, mayor S. W. McCallieo 1910 ? do 1897 3 do ....do do 1902 4 Norman Park Norman Institute . . . Mr. Cole F. E. McCalman 1904 No. Depth. Feet. 460 571 506 585 Diam- eter. Inches. 6 Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Feet. 410 486 329-5S5 Level of water below surface. Feet. 18 220 Yield per minute. Flow. Galls. Pump. Galls. 350 How obtained. Gasoline engine. Air-compressor pump . Quality. Sulphurous. Moderately hard; see analysis, p. 207. Hard, sulphurous. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Vieksburg or Jack- son formation. do Sand Cost of well, $600. f, Municipal supply. ...do Limestone? ....do Cased to 42 feet. See log, p. 207. 3 .do 4 Jackson forma- tion? to 329 feet. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 84, 85, 1908. COLUMBIA COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Columbia County is in the eastern part of Georgia on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 350 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 12,328. Agriculture is its chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. A relatively small area in the southern part of the county lies within the Coastal Plain, the remainder forming a part of the Pied- mont Plateau. The Coastal Plain area is on the northern border of the fall-line hills. Most of the drainage is through the headwater streams of Brier Creek and Spirit Creek, tributaries of Savannah CRAWFORD COUNTY. 209 River, but a part of it passes northward, through small creeks which are also tributaries of the Savannah. The surface is hilly, the maximum relief being between 150 and 200 feet. GEOLOGY. The ancient crystalline rocks which outcrop at the surface over the greater part of the county north of the Georgia Railroad are overr lapped in the southern part of the county principally by coarse, irregularly bedded arkosic sands and interbedded light clay lenses of Lower Cretaceous age. The deposits are relatively thin, reaching a thickness of perhaps 150 or 200 feet in the extreme south. On the divide between Boggygut and Sandy Run creeks, and extending northeastward to the vicinity of Grovetown, is an overlap from the south of Eocene sands and clays of the Claiborne group which probably attains a thickness of 75 or 100 feet. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) WATER RESOURCES. In the Cretaceous area small springs and dug wells 10 to 100 feet deep, drawing from sand beds in the Lower Cretaceous, are the chief sources of domestic water supply. Wells at Grovetown and Harlem begin in a covering of Eocene strata of varying thickness, but most of them completely penetrate this and enter the underlying Lower Cre- taceous deposits. The waters from the Lower Cretaceous sands are soft and of good quality, except where contaminated. The deposits of the Coastal Plain do not develop important artesian pressure within the county. The water table is low and only moder- ate amounts of water are available. CRAWFORD COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Crawford County is in the west-central part of the State on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain. Its area is 319 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 8,310. Agriculture and horticulture are the chief industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The portion of the county included in the Coastal Plain forms a part of the fall-line hills. The drainage of the Coastal Plain area is received in part by Flint River through its tributary, Spring Creek, and in part by Ocmulgee River through its tributaries, Echeconnee and Mossy creeks. In general the surface is hilly, but on the divide between the Flint and Ocmulgee river systems there are small areas of the original 38418°— wsp 341—15 14 210 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. upland plain which have been only slightly dissected. The maxi- muni topographic relief probably does not exceed 300 feet. Locally there are thin accumulations of loose, gray, surficial sand which is residual from older formations, but which has undergone more or less shifting by winds and torrents. GEOLOGY. The northern part of Crawford County, embracing less than half the total area, lies within the Piedmont Plateau, and the remainder of the county lies within the Coastal Plain. The crystalline rocks, which appear at the surface in the Piedmont Plateau, pass southward beneath the deposits of the Coastal Plain and form the basement upon which the latter rest. Deposits of Cretaceous, Eocene, and Pleistocene age are present in the Coastal Plain area. The Lower Cretaceous deposits, which consist of several hundred feet of coarse, irregularly bedded, arkosic sands, with subordinate lenses of light drab to white clay, rest immediately upon the crystalline rocks and appear at the surface in a belt 3 to 6 miles wide along the northern border of the Coastal Plain. These deposits are unconformably overlain by irregularly bedded coarse to fine sands and laminated to massive clays belonging to the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation, which may reach a thickness of 150 or 200 feet within the county. The member appears at the surface in a belt several miles wide along the south- eastern side of the county. The Cusseta sand is unconformably overlain, over a part of the area, by 15 to 25 feet of red ferruginous sand referable to the Clai- borne group of the Eocene. In a small area, perhaps a few miles square, known as Rich Hill, about 5 miles southeast of Roberta, Eocene strata belonging to the Jackson formation rest unconformably upon the Lower Cretaceous sands and clays. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) On the lower levels bordering Flint River thin Pleistocene terrace deposits have been laid down in small areas. WATER RESOURCES. No deep artesian wells have been reported from the portion of the county lying within the Coastal Plain. Supplies for domestic purposes are obtained entirely from dug wells 25 to 100 feet or more in depth and from small springs. Waters from both wells and springs are in general of good quahty and are commonly soft. No springs of especial note have been reported. Small springs, emitting as a rule not more than 10 or 12 gallons of water per minute, are fairly numerous. CRAWFORD COUNTY. 211 Detailed information concerning several dug wells is included in Table 24 (Nos. 1-8), and from this an idea may be had of the supply of the region. Logs of two of the wells are given below, the owners being authority for the lithology : Log ofivell of Isaac Miller, 4\ miles northwest of Fort Valley (Crawford County) (No. 1, Table 24). Eocene? : Clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Cusseta sand member Yellow sand White sand with some purple sand Dark gravel and rocks [pebbles ?] Lower Cretaceous ? : "Chalk " [clay] Thick- ness. Feet. 25 50 15 10 Depth. Feet. 25 75 90 100 103 Log of well of J. W. George, half a mile south of Leepope (No. 2, Table 24). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene? : son Stiff red clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Cusseta sand member: "Chalk " [clay] and gravel Coarse sand and gravel, some water Blue "chalk" [clay] Coarse brown sand White and blue sticky "chalk " [clay] Fine sand and gravel, water bearing Sand rock. Feet. 2 20 10 3 12 18 3 4 The clay at the bottom of the section first given may correspond to the clay at the base of the section in the railway cuts north of Zenith. It is therefore tentatively referred to the Lower Cretaceous. Numerous small creeks and branches in the Coastal Plain area afford ample supplies of excellent water for stock and for steam production. The Cretaceous deposits which underlie the southern part of the county, and which include the Lower Cretaceous deposits and tne Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation (Upper Cretaceous), contain numerous coarse beds of sand capable of carrying large quantities of water. These are reached at shallow depths along the northern border of the area and at increasingly greater depths southward. They would be tapped along the southeastern border of the county at depths of 100 to 500 feet. The water from these beds would be soft and of good quality. Although no flowing wells have been reported it may be possible to obtain such in the bottom lands bordering Flint River in the extreme south. 212 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 24. — Wells in Crawford County. Location. Owner. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Fort Valley, 4h miles northwest of Leepope, A mile south of Leepope, imilesoutheast of Leepope Roberta, J mile southwest of Roberta Zenith, 1 mile northwest of Zenith, J mile northeast of Isaac Miller J. W. George L. H. George Leepope Fruit Co. Wm. J. Dent J. S.Sandefur&Co. Phil Ogletree Mrs. C. E. Pearson. Owner do do W. H. McCarty, Leepope, Ga. Owner Wm.J.Dent Owner A. B. Young, Ze- nith, Ga. 1890 Feet. 535 550 540 545 1891 'lS90" 575 575 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per min- ute by pump- ing. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 103 72 56 57 45 30 45 70 Feet. 3 3 Mouth of well 15 feet above Seaboard Air Line Ry. track at railroad station. CRISP COUNTY. Table 25. — Wells in Crisp County — Continued. 217 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 298 278 360 285 250 336 216 360 290 230 735 550 396 155 320 Inches. 6 6 Feet. Feet. Fed. Gaits. Galls. ? + 3 - 6 + 4 + 1.2 + 5 + 4 + 8 + 2J + . 3J 1-32 - 20 - 18 - 57 -120 15 15 Flows s 340 150,225 4 Flows H 34 3" 4 2 4 3 6 240-250 35 do Sulphurous. 6 do 7 200 60,96 6 do..; 8 do q do in 100 500 do Soft. n 1' *735 | 160 \ 400 I 600 Air-lift pump Analysis 3, Table 26. n 8 4 375 67 200+ 17 Analysis 2, Table 26. Analysis 4, Table 26. 14 15 Gasoline engine. . . No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 9 do T do 4 do Marl and coarse sand. •i Domestic and boil- er supply. do 3-J-inch casing to 240 feet. Cost of well, "$250. fi do Limestone do 7 .:...do 8 do t) do 10 do 4 wells. Cost of well, $300. 11 1? Municipal supply. Ripley formation? . Limestone 6-inch casing to 600 feet. Cost of well, $300; cost of machinery, $1,700. 13 Municipal supply. Domestic Vicksburg forma- tion? Alum Bluff forma- tion? Vickburg forma- tion? 14 15 Sand and marl 4J-inch casing to 69 feet. Cost of well and machinery, $750. Table 26. — Analyses of underground waters from Crisp County. No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 2 June 10,1911 Spring of Geor- gia Land Cor- poration. Coney, 2 miles west of. Vicksburg for- mation? do Feet. 375 735 67 Edgar Everhart. Do.<* 3 Apr. 18,1911 May 20,1911 do do Ripley forma- tion? Alum Bluff for- mation? Do. 4 Well of J. "W. Cannon. Cordele, 1 mile east of. Do. o Georgia Geol. Survey BulL 15, p. 92, 1908. 218 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 26. — Analyses of underground waters from Crisp County — Continued. [Parts per million.] , CD CD CD ft ^ O F-1 O "3" a "So a a 73 a>0 T3 03 ■§9 o -a 03 -^ o ■a . OS'S HO 5 o . Remarks. w 5. a aa 3 3 o 5" CD~^ 3 AS 6 3 a o H o o 03 T3 M O OS o 3 ft 3 OQ 3 o o EH 1 34 0. 4 56 0.4 6.0 Trace. 159 9.0 0.2 4.5 196 2 11 a 2. 9 44 1.1 4.6 0.0 134 4.4 5.6 141 No. 13, Table 25. bon dioxide=2. Free car- 3 39 1.2 46 5.2 5.8 .0 195 6.4 5.5 261 No. 11, Table 25. 4 9.0 .2 44 Trace. 11 .0 150 8.0 1.0 3.5 172 No. 14, Table 25 depth, 155 feet. Total a re 2 03+Al 2 03. DECATUR COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Decatur County is in the extreme southwestern part of the State, adjacent to Florida and Alabama. Its area is 823 square miles and its population is 29,045 (census of 1910). Agriculture is important and the production of lumber and naval stores is extensive. Manu- facturing establishments at Bainbridge include cottonseed-oil mills, a foundry, an ice factory, a cooperage works, and smaller plants. TOPOGRAPHY. The eastern and western parts of the county present different topographic aspects. The western part, which lies mainly west of Flint River, but includes also small areas on the east side of the river north of Bainbridge, is nearly level and lies for tne most part between 100 and 150 feet above sea level. Lime sinks and ponds are common, and the area is notable for the absence of small tributary creeks and branches, a part of the drainage being underground. Chattahoochee River has only small, unnamed tributaries within the county. The surface in the eastern part of the comity lies 200 to 300 feet above sea level, is rolling or broken, and is drained by small creeks and branches. This higher land is separated from the lower land in the west by a pronounced escarpment which extends northeastward from the southwest corner of the county to a point within 7 miles of Bainbridge, whence it continues to the northeast corner of the county. The escarpment is well marked west of Climax. The differ- ence in elevation between Bainbridge on Flint River and Climax, 9 miles away, is 175 feet, the greater part of this ascent being in the first 2 or 3 miles west of Climax. The difference between the eastern and western parts of the county is due in part to differences in the surface formations and in part to differences in elevation; in the east the DECATUR COUNTY. 219 surface is higher and is underlain by sands and clays; in the west the low plain is underlain by soft limestones. Chattahoochee River is bordered by two Pleistocene terrace plains, one lying 20 or 30 feet and the other 75 or 80 feet above the river. Flint River is also bordered by two terrace plains, one lying 15 or 20 feet and the other 40 or 50 feet above the river. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation, which consists of at least 400 feet of soft, cavernous, water-bearing limestones, outcrops throughout approxi- mately the northwestern half of the county. The beds dip southward 2 or 3 feet to the mile, passing beneath the Chattahoochee formation, which consists of about 100 feet of limestones, outcropping in an irreg- ular belt 1 to 6 miles wide, extending northeast and southwest through the central part of the county. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 or 150 feet of drab sandy clays and quartz sands, over- lies the Chattahoochee formation and outcrops in an irregular belt 2 to 5 miles wide southeast of the Chattahoochee belt and in the small headwater valleys of Little River in the southeastern part of the county. The deposits contain water-bearing beds. The Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 50 to 75 feet of irregularly bedded sands and clays, in part water bearing, which outcrop over the remainder of the southeastern part of the county. The geologic age of these beds is not positively determined. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated Eocene strata which are water bearing in part and are in turn underlain by undifferentiated Cretaceous strata, also believed to be water bearing. At an unknown depth the Cretaceous rocks rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. (See PI. III.) WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. In the western part of the county the dug wells range in depth from 40 to 75 feet. Wells that penetrate only the residual sands and clays resulting from the weathering of the limestone of the Vicksburg formation yield soft waters, and those that pass through the residual materials and enter the underlying limestones yield hard waters. In the eastern part of the county the wells are somewhat shallower and commonly yield softer waters. In the vicinity of Donaldsonville, Iron City, Brinson, Reynolds- ville, and Boyettville drilled wells ranging in depth from 100 to 500 feet reach the limestones at depths of 60 to 100 feet and obtain water which rises to within 40 or 50 feet of the surface. Many limestone springs and small seepage springs are used locally for domestic purposes. The largest are Russell Springs, near the 220 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. mouth of Spring Creek, and Blue Spring, 4 miles south of Bainbridge, both of which yield large quantities of water and seem to be the out- lets of underground streams. They belong to the type of large lime- stone springs common in southern Georgia and Florida. Most of the springs of the western part of the county yield hard water. The waters of creeks and ponds are utilized in a small way for stock and boiler supply. Artesian water can be obtained throughout the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. With the possible exception of wells 1,200 to 2,000 feet or more in depth the static head will not be suffi- cient to lift the water above the surface. Flint River is bordered by a tract of land lying approximately 100 feet above sea level, hi which flowing wells can probably be obtained from the deeply buried Eocene or Cretaceous deposits which yield flows in the adjoining counties of Baker, Calhoun, and Dougherty. A similar narrow strip of low- lying land borders Spring Creek. It is possible that wells drilled to the greater depths mentioned may yield flows on some of the low, nearly level interstream areas. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Bainbridge (population 4,217, census of 1910). — Bainbridge owns three artesian wells. At present the principal supply is obtained from one well (No. 2, Table 27). The following record of this well was furnished to T. W. Vaughan by S. S. Chandler: Log of city well at Bainbridge (No. 2, Table 27). Thick- ness. Depth. Surface sands and clays Limestone Light-colored sandstone Limestone with shells?. Sand at bottom Feet. 70 165 30 186 1 Feet. 70 235 265 451 452 Spencer 1 gives the following data regarding the old city wells, one of which is 900 feet deep and the other 1,250 feet deep: Log of 900-foot well at Bainbridge (No. 3, Table 27). Thick- ness. Depth. Sand and clayey sand Limestone (the upper 200 feet the softer), no clay layers . Soft limestone Quicksand to bottom of well Feet. lb 700 50 75 Feet. 75 775 825 900 1 Spencer, J. W,, Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, 1890-91, p. 55. DECATUR COUNTY. 221 A second well was sunk within 3 feet of the first, which penetrated below the lime- stone to a depth of 425 feet [total depth, 1,250 feet] in quicksand. Sharks' teeth, lignite, and pyrite concretions came from some of the layers of sand. Several cavi- ties in the limestone were passed through, the deepest being 3 feet. Analyses of the waters from these wells are given in Table 28 (analyses 1 and 2). Donaldsonville (population 747, census of 1910). — Drilled wells ranging in depth from 100 to 500 feet are the principal source of water. The town owns a system of waterworks and consumes about 30,000 gallons of water a day, derived from wells. The wells are reported to enter rock at depths of 75 to 100 feet, and the water is said to rise to within 20 to 30 feet of the surface. An analysis of water (No. 3, Table 28) from a deep well at Donaldson- ville was made several years ago by H. C. White, but the depth from which the water was obtained is not given. McCallie * gives the log of a well at this place as follows : Log of well at Donaldsonville. Thick- ness. Depth. Varicolored sands and clays Sand and limestone, the latter made up largely of Nummulites Fine white sand and clay Feet. 45 5 90 Feet. 45 50 140 Iron City (population 459, census of 1910). — At Iron City drilled wells 150 to 175 feet deep are the principal source of water. These wells, which are reported to enter limestone at 60 to 100 feet, yield hard water. The public supply is pumped from a well and dis- tributed from a tank; the consumption is about 8,000 gallons a day. Lela. — The following log of a well (No. 8, Table 27) owned by the Chattahoochee Lumber Co., at Lela (3 or 4 miles southwest of Iron City), is adapted from a log published by Fuller and Sanford: 2 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 87, 1908. 2 Fuller, M. L., and Sanford, Samuel, Record of deep-well drilling for 1905: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 298, p. 200, 1906. 222 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log of well owned by Chattahoochee Lumber Co. at Lela {No. 8, Table 27). [Samples furnished by Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S. C] Depth. Soft white clay with red streaks; coarse white sand and fine gravel Soft gray and buff sandy clay; soft water in large supply Soft, creamy-white, sandy limestone, containing Nummulites Soft brownish limy sandstone containing Nummulites Soft light-brown, sandy limestone, containing Nummulites Soft light-gray limestone, containing dark-green grains Soft white to light-buff sandy limestone containing Nummulites, Orbitoides, and Bryozoa. Soft greenish marl containing Nummulites? and Bryozoa Hard white to grayish-brown sandy limestone containing Nummulites and Bryozoa Soft white marl, may contain glauconite Fine gray sand; contains glauconite and bits of shells; some water Hard, light-brown, sandy limestone containing Nummulites and Orbitoides Medium to fine, light-gray sand; contains glauconite and bits of shells; has hard layers. . . Same sand, with very little glauconite Fine to medium gray sand containing layers of rock (probably white limestone) and very few grains of glauconite Same sand and rock with more glauconite Soft dark marl (no sample); water bearing at 737 feet 580 720 918 Rig used, hydraulic. Diameter of well, 6 and 2 inches. Casing used, 600 feet of 3-inch. Main supply of water from 737 feet. Water rises within 10 feet of surface. Yield, about 15 gallons per minute. The well probably penetrates to the lower part of the Eocene deposits or to the upper part of the Cretaceous deposits. A partial set of borings from the well is on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well No. 817). Specimens of Bryozoa obtained between 200 and 260 feet are related, according to R. S. Bassler, to the bryozoan fauna of Jackson age (Eocene) obtained from limestone at Wilmington, N. C, and may indicate either a Jackson or a Vicks- burg age. Specimens of Nummulites obtained from the same set of borings between the depths 60 and 400 feet, identified by Dr. J. A. Cushman, indicate, according to Dr. Vaughan, the Vicksburg age of the strata to this depth. Table 27. — Wells in Decatur County . No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 A. Conn & Co Feet. ? City Mr. Van Fleet... T. B. Maxwell 1900 no 3 .do.... do 118 4 do ...do do 118 5 Mr. Mosley R. F. Kinley 6 139 7 do 8 Chattahoochee Lum- ber Co. Hughes Special- ty Well Drill- ing Co., Char- leston, S. C. Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co. of Charles- ton, S. C, and the postmaster of Iron City. 1905 q o Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, pp. 54-55, 1891. DECATUR COUNTY. Table 27. — Wells in Decatur County — Continued. 223 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 700 452 900 1,250 150 500 175 91S 200 Inches. Feet. Feet. Feet. 200 50 50 50 15 20-30 40 } '» Galls. Galls. Air-lift pump Steam engine 2 Soft. 3 280-370 370 150 / 40 \ 50-60 Analysis 1, Table 28. 4 Analysis 2, Tablo 28. 2 100 500 150 737 200 Hard. 15 15 25 Slightly hard. 8 9 Hard. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Municipal supply, manufacturing. Municipal supply. 9 See log, p. 220. Do. 3 4 do 5 Domestic, manu- facturing. Boiler supply, do- mestic. Domestic, manu- facturing. Abandoned Domestic Vicksburg forma- tion. Cost of well and machinery, $150. 6 7 Vicksburg forma- tion. 8 8-inch casing to 80 feet; 3-inch casing to 9 Vicksburg forma- tion. 602 feet; 2-inch casing to 740 feet. See log, p. 222. Table 28. — Analyses of underground waters from Decatur County. [Parts per million.] No. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing-stratum. Depth of well. Analyst. 1 Town well Bainbridge do Feet. 900 1,250 (?) H. C. White, a ■?, do Eocene(?) Do. 3 Well of Chattahoochee Lum- ber Co. Do. CD CD CD CD *0 O "3 T3 O <3 > O a a c3 M a M T3 03^, OS'S u OS o . ™2 Remarks. CO 03 CD a 3 .3 CD a 3 a o CD CO 'o3 v ^ CD w CD .a c3 ea 5 e oS P, o o m O 03 o C3 3 o o O 3 +3 2 O o > o Eh 1 3.9 9.J8 62 4.6 2 s 85 58 21. 293 No. 3, Table 27. 2 4.0 .1 29 .1 57 82 32 17 1.0 221 No. 4, Table 27. 3 38 b.A 26 6.3 8.3 1.4 11 1.0 9.1 Total hardness as CaCC>3, 71; per- manent hardness as CaCC>3, 32. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 87-89, 1908. b Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. 224 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN" OF GEORGIA. DODGE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Dodge Comity is in the north-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Eastman, the county seat, is 63 miles a little east of south of Macon. The area of the county is 431 square miles and, the popu- lation (census of 1910) is 20,127. Agriculture is the principal industry, but lumber and naval stores are produced in important quantities. The chief industrial use to which water is put is for boiler supplies at cotton gins and sawmills. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level to slightly rolling or undulating. The valleys are shallow and their slopes gentle. Limestone lies near the surface in the west and some lime-sink depressions occur. With the exception of the bottom lands along Ocmulgee Eiver, which are probably less than 200 feet above sea level, the elevation of the county is estimated to be 300 to 400 feet. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation (of Oligocene age), which consists of 100 feet or less of limestones with interbedded layers of sand and clay, outcrops in the valley of Ocmulgee River in the northwestern part of the county; the strata dip slightly southward and underlie the remainder of the county beneath younger formations. The Vicksburg formation is overlain by probably not more than 100 feet of the lithologically similar Chattahoochee formation (of Oligo- cene age), which outcrops in the valley of Ocmulgee River in the southwest. Both the Vicksburg and Chattahoochee formations con- tain important water-bearing beds. In the southern part of the county the Chattahoochee formation is overlain by the Alum Bluff formation (of Oligocene age), which con- sists of 150 or 200 feet of bluish sands and clays, in part water bearing. Overlapping the Alum Bluff, Chattahoochee, and Vicksburg for- mations and constituting the surface deposits throughout the greater part of the county is 75 feet or ]ess of irregularly bedded sands and clays, with subordinate lenses of claystone and conglomerate, the geologic age of which is not positively known. The water obtained in the shallow wells is derived from these surficial deposits. The Vicksburg formation is probably underlain by limestones belonging to the Jackson formation, which is in turn underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated deposits of Eocene age. The Eocene is underlain by 1,000 feet or more of undifferentiated deposits of Cretaceous age, which rest upon a basement of ancient DODGE COUNTY. 225 crystalline rocks. Although the Eocene and Cretaceous deposits do not appear at the surface within the county, they contain deeply buried water-bearing beds of importance. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells, 10 to 50 feet deep, are the principal source of water for domestic use. They supply a water that is reported to be soft and that should be wholesome if the wells are properly located and pro- tected from surface drainage by casing and curbing. There are some small springs, most of which are unimportant as sources of water supply, though two of them, Jaybird Spring, 4 miles east of Chauncey, and Wild Rose Mineral Spring, near Southerland, supply waters that are sold for drinking. (See p. 226; also Table 30, analysis 2.) Deep wells have been drilled at Eastman, Chauncey, Chester, and Rhine. Artesian water can be obtained from the limestones of the Chatta- hoochee, Vicksburg, and Jackson formations, and from the deeply buried Eocene and Cretaceous deposits, but the prospect for obtain- ing flows is poor, except perhaps on the low terrace lands bordering Ocmulgee River and in the swamps of Little Ocmulgee River in the extreme southeastern part of the county. It is believed that the water from the deeply buried Cretaceous deposits is softer than that from the overlying Eocene and Oligocene formations. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Eastman (population 2,355, census of 1910). — The water-supply system of Eastman is owned by W. E. Davidson. The water is derived from a nonflowing artesian well (No. 5, Table 29) 640 feet deep, in which it rises to within 100 feet of the surface, or about 257 feet above sea level. The water is considered hard but is otherwise suitable for a municipal supply. McCallie x gives the following data on another well at Eastman (No. 4, Table 29): The well at Eastman is 529 feet deep. Its diameter is 4 and 6 inches, and the water rises to within 115 feet of the surface. Two or three different water-bearing strata are reported in the well, but the present water supply is said to be obtained from sand 529 feet from the surface. No record of the well borings was kept and nothing is known of the formations penetrated further than that they consist of sand, clay, and hard rock, the latter being most abundant and in places consisting largely of bowlders, which greatly interfered with the drilling. The well, which was put down in 1894, furnishes daily, to supply the town of Eastman, about 30,000 gallons of water. Chester (population 278, census of 1910). — Dug wells 25 to 35 feet deep are the principal source of water. One artesian well (No. 3, i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. CO, 1908. 38418°— wsp 341—15 15 226 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 29) owned by the Carson Naval Stores Co. is 158 feet deep, 8 inches in diameter, and yields 6,000 gallons of water per hour. The principal flow is from a cavity in limestone at a depth of 158 feet, the water from which rose to within 109 feet of the surface. An analysis of the water is given in Table 30 (analysis 1). Partial log of well at Chester (No. 3, Table 29). [Authority, W. J. Floyd, driller.] Thick- ness. Depth. Sand Clay Lime or sand rock White clay Lime or sand rock Soft white clay Hard flint rock, 8 inches thick Open cavity, hard limestone at bottom. Feet. 3 93 14.5 5.5 11.5 13.5 • 6§ 16. 3 j Feet. 3 96 110.5 116 127.5 141 141.6| 158 Chauncey (population 350, census of 1910). — Chauncey is located on the Southern Railway in the southeastern part of the county at an elevation of 300 feet above sea level. Dug wells 15 to 50 feet deep are the principal source of water. McCallie 1 states that one well (No. 1 , Table 29) owned by the A. B. Steele Lumber Co. is 525 feet deep and that water rose to within 70 feet of the surface. Jay Bird Spring. — Jay Bird Spring (No. 2, Table 29), owned by T. A. McMillan, is at the edge of Little Ocmulgee River swamp, 4 miles east of Chauncey. The spring is in reality a shallow flowing well formed by driving a pipe into the earth about 15 feet. The water flows 8 gallons a minute and will rise 8 feet above the surface. The water has a reputed therapeutic value and is used at the spring for drinking and bathing and is also bottled and sold. (See analysis 2, Table 30.) Wild Rose Mineral Spring. — Wild Rose Mineral Spring is a small spring near Southerland, owned by the Wild Rose Mineral Spring Co. Its water has reputed therapeutic properties and is sold in small quan- tities for medicinal use. (See analysis 3, Table 30.) Rhine. — A well at Rhine (No. 6, Table 29), owned by the town, is 150 feet deep. Its curb is about 20 feet above the level of the railroad station. Water stands within 30 feet of the surface but is lowered 30 feet by pumping. It is reported to be muddy in rainy weather. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 90, 1908. DODGE COUNTY. Table 29. — Wells in Dodge County. 227 No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 A. B. Steele Lum- ber Co. T A. McMillan R.J. Edingfield. S. W. MeCalliea.. Feet. +300 Jay Bird Spring, 4 miles east of Chauncey. T. A. McMillan ... 3 Carson Naval Stores Co., Savannah,Ga. W. J. Floyd, Savannah, Ga. W.J.Floyd S.W.McCailiea... 1910 1894 ( b ) 4 357 5 do 357 6 (c) Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. -Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 525 15 158 529 640 150 Inches. 6 Feet. 300 Feet. Feet. - 70 + 8 -109 -115 -100 - 30 Galls. Galls. ? 8 100 20 Flows Analysis 2, Table 30. 3 4 8 4 158 529 Deep-well pump . . Analysis 1, Table 30. 5 6 3 ±100 10 Gasoline engine . . . Hard. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Drinking and bathing. . 2 Alum BlufE forma- tion? Vicksburg forma- tion. T Cavity in lime- stone. 8-inch casing to 143 feet. Cost of well $850; cost of machinery, $350. See log, p. 226. 4 ..do 5 .. do do 6 Domestic and boiler supply. Chattahoochee or Vicksburg for- mation? Clay and rock n Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 90, 1908. b Elevation 12 feet lower than track of Wrightsville & Tennille R. R. at station. c Elevation 20 feet higher than track of Seaboard Air Line Ry. at station. 228 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 30. — Analyses of underground waters from, Dodge County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. Feet. 1 1910 Vicksburg for- mation. 158 Edgar Everhart. Naval Stores Co. 2 Jan. 13, 1913 Jay Bird Spring (e shallow well). Chauncey, 4 miles east of. Alum Bluff for- mation ? 15 Do. 3 Apr 8, 1910 Wild Rose Min- Southerland do Do. eral Spring. o a (B a) o -a a a &2 T3 T3 O ° 03 a ^ M t-t 1-1 • ■a •3 . o . 6 SZ5 o m a o O a 'o o a a 03 a o a o Ph o £i 03 O 03 3 CM 03 ft 03 So +^> 03 l-i o .a 3 Q T3 o> 03 c3 > "1 "oS o Remarks. 1 28 1.4 35 1.4 2.4 0.5 112 1.3 4.2 132 No. 3, Table 29. 2 21 2.0 56 4.0 14 0.0 210 14 0.0 4.0 211 No. 2, Table 29. 3 5.0 .4 1.3 .5 1.5 1 .5 36 .2 3.5 17 DOOLY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Dooly County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, between Flint and Ocmulgee rivers. Vienna, the county seat, is 56 miles by rail south of Macon. The area of the county is 397 square miles and its population is 20,554 (census of 1910). Agri- culture is the chief industry. Lumber and naval stores are pro- duced, but these industries are declining. TOPOGRAPHY. The surface of Dooly County is nearly level except in the west, where some rolling land has been produced by the erosion of small tributaries of Flint River. Lime sinks and ponds are numerous. The highest part of the county is a belt of country 350 to 400 feet above sea level extending north and south through the center of the county and forming the divide between Flint and Ocmulgee rivers. The Georgia Southern & Florida Railway traverses this divide. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation, which consists chiefly of limestones that weather to red argillaceous sands containing fragmental beds of flint, appears at the surface over the greater part of the county west of the Georgia Southern & Florida Railway and in a small area east of that railroad. Its thickness probably does not exceed 100 or 150 feet in the north but increases southward. The formation is an DOOLY COUNTY. 229 important aquifer. Fifty to 100 feet of sands and clays, of unde- termined age, overlie the Vicksburg formation and constitute the surface deDOsits in the eastern and southeastern parts of the county. The Vicksburg formation is believed to be underlain by limestones belonging to the Jackson formation, although this formation has not been certainly identified in either surface outcrops or well borings. Sands and clays with subordinate interbedded layers of sandstone and limestone belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene outcrop in the banks of Flint River and extend eastward beneath the Jack- son formation; these beds are estimated to be 100 feet or more in thickness. The Claiborne group is probably underlain by Eocene sands and clays belonging to the Wilcox or Midway formations, or to both, and at still greater depths the Eocene deposits are underlain by sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age. At an unknown depth, probably between 900 and 1,200 feet, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. All the formations described, except perhaps the surficial sands and clays, may be considered possible sources of artesian water. The general lithologic character of the strata is indicated by the logs of wells at Byromville (p. 230) and Unadilla (p. 231). WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Wells 30 to 60 feet deep are the principal source of water supply in the rural districts. There are many small springs. Numerous small streams afford abundant water for stock and for boilers. Several wells range in depth from 130 to 1,100 feet. Artesian waters can be obtained from the Vicksburg formation, or at greater depths from the Eocene and the Cretaceous deposits. Flowing wells can probably be obtained only on the- lower lands bor- dering Flint River and its larger tributaries. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Vienna (population 1,564, census of 1910). — The town of Vienna owns a public water-supply system, which 'draws 800 gallons a min- ute from an artesian well (No. 8, Table 31) 213 feet deep. The water is used for domestic purposes and for fire protection and to some extent for boiler supplies. McCallie x mentions a well at this place 180 feet deep, in which the water rises to within 12 feet of the sur- face. Some wells are 30 to 60 feet deep. For the purpose of determining the quality of water from the Vicksburg formation a sample from an artesian well 137^- feet deep (No. 9, Table 31), owned by J. T. McNeese, 5 miles northwest of 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 96, 1908. 230 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Vienna, was analyzed. (See Table 32, analysis 3.) The water is ob- tained from hard rock at a depth of 136 feet and rises to within 16 feet of the surface. Unadilla (population 1,003, census of 1910). — At Unadilla the public water-supply system is owned by the town. McCallie l gives the following information regarding the well (No. 7, Table 31) from which it draws : The deep well at Unadilla was completed in 1896. It is 3£ inches in diameter and 189 feet deep. The water rises to within 80 feet of the surface. Mr. E. J. Wilson, the well contractor, has furnished the following notes: Log of town well at Unadilla. Feet. Red, sandy clays to 50 Rock in the form of bowlders to 66 Clay to 150 Sand interstratified with hard rock to 189 At the depth of 150 feet from the surface the water used in washing out the drill borings disappeared. This was accounted for by the cavernous limestone struck at that point. The only water-bearing stratum occurs near the bottom of the well. Three thousand gallons of water per hour, the capacity of the pump, have been ob- tained from this well without lowering the static head. The water, which contains hydrogen sulphide, is used for general domestic purposes. It is believed that the well draws from the Jackson formation. An analysis is given in Table 32 (analysis 2). The Georgia Southern & Florida Railway owns an artesian well at Unadilla, the water from which is used in the boilers of locomotives. Byromville (population 300, census of 1910). — The main source of the water supply of Byromville is an artesian well (No. 1, Table 31) which was completed in 1902. The well is 1,100 feet deep, 8 inches in diameter" at the top and 5 inches at the bottom, and contains water that rises to within 16 feet of the surface. McCallie 2 gives the following log : i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 95, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 96, 97. DOOLY COUNTY. Log of town well at Byromville {No. 1, Table 31). 231 Sandy clay Red gravel White sand Coarse sand Blue marl Sand Rock Marl Sand rock Blue marl Sand Hard rock Sand Rock Sand rock Marl and clay Blue marl Sand and marl... Lignite and water Marl and sand Hard sand Sand and water.. Marl Sand Marl Thick- ness. Feet. 40 10 60 23 25 37 15 3 5 5 4 3 185 23 12 4 160 16 15 204 70 15 76 37 53 Depth. Feet. 40 50 110 133 158 195 210 213 218 223 227 230 415 438 450 454 614 630 645 849 919 934 1.010 1.047 1,100 The well penetrates all the Eocene deposits and enters the under- lying Ripley formation of the Cretaceous for probably several hun- dred feet. The principal water-bearing bed is said to be at 320 feet. An analysis is given in Table 32 (analysis 1). Pinehurst (population 451, census of 1910). — At Pinehurst an artesian well (No. 4, Table 31) 318 feet deep is the principal source of domestic supply. The water rises to within 8 feet of the surface. The Georgia Southern & Florida Railway Co. owns an artesian well at Pinehurst but has abandoned it. RichiDood. — Richwood obtains its water supplies from dug wells 20 to 30 feet deep and from artesian wells. McCallie 1 says: The Parrott Lumber Co. some years ago put down two deep wells at Richwood to obtain water for steam and general domestic purposes [No. 5, Table 31]. These wells are 6 inches in diameter and 170 feet deep. The first water-bearing stratum is said to have been struck in the wells at a depth of 85 or 95 feet, but the main water supply was obtained from a stratum at a depth of from 130 to 170 feet, from which the water rose to within 40 feet of the surface. During the time the Parrott Lumber Co. was operating its plant at Richwood these wells are reported to have furnished about 75,000 gallons of water daily. Long droughts are said not to have materially lowered the static head of the water in either of these wells. Hard rock is reported from 60 feet to the bottom of these wells. A third well at Richwood [No. 6, Table 31], owned by Mr. H. R. Teal, has a depth of 100 feet. It is 4 inches in diameter, and the water rises to within about 35 feet of the surface. Mr. Teal gives the following record of his well: [Log of well of H. R. Teal, at Richwood.] Feet. Clay with some sand to 90 Limestone to 96 Sand, water-bearing to 100 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 94, 95, 1908. 232 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Booting. — Wells 8 to 60 feet deep are the principal source of water for domestic use at Dooling. In one artesian well, 600 feet deep (No. 2, Table 31), the water rises to within a few feet of the surface and is said to be ferruginous. The mouth of the well is about 4 feet lower than the surface at the railroad station. Table 31. — Wells in Dooly County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Town W. E. Dawson.... A . English 1902 1908 1891 Feet. 290? 9 266 3 S.W.McCallieo... do 4 390 ■S do 358 fi ....do H. R. Teal ....do 358 7 E. J. Wilson... ..do... 1896 1895 1910 412 8 do Mr. Van Fleet. . . Cole & Hagsett. . D. L. Henderson, mayor. 350 q Vienna (5 miles northwest of). J. T. McNeese 350 No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to principal water- bearing bed. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute by pump- ing. How obtained. Quality. 1 Feet. 1.100 600 160 318 170 100 189 213 137J Inches. 5 Feet. 320 600 Feet. 16 Galls. 2, 300 9 Analysis 1, Table 32. ?, Gasoline engine Ferruginous. S 8 20 8 40 35 80 12 16 4 5 6 4 •3i 6 3 130-170 100 fi 7 189 200 136 50 800 13| Analysis 2, Table 32. 8 Air-lift] Force p lump. Hard. 9 Analysis 3, Table 32. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Eocene? . Ripley for Cost of well, S1,000; cost of machinery, 9 manufa Domestic cturing. S500. See log, p. 231. Cost of well, S800; cost of machinery, 3 $250. 4 5 Vicksburg forma- tion. ....do 2 Avells. Another water-bearing bed fi at a depth of 85 (or 95) feet. See log, p. 231. Do. 7 Domestic Jackson formation? Vicksburg forma- tion? 8 Cost of well, $400; cost of machinery, Q manufacturing. Hard rock 81,500. 3-inch casing to 85 feet. tion. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 94-97, 1908. DOUGHERTY COUNTY. Table 32. — Analyses of underground waters from Dooly County. [Parts per million.] 233 No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 May 30,1911 June 5, 1911 July 10,1911 Town well do Byromville Unadilla Jackson forma- tion? Vicksburg for- mation. Feet. 320 189 / 136- \ 137.5 E. Everhart. Do. 3 Well of J. T. McNeese. Vienna (5 miles northwest of). | Do. ■ to o . '■3 s "ol Remarks. o 02 o u 1—1 03 o 03 o CO 03 O £ 3 CO g 3 o O 1 22 0.2 24 12 8.0 0.0 88 20 0.1 15 137 No. 1, Table 31. 2 16 1.0 45 1.0 5.0 .0 158 7.0 .2 3.5 134 No. 7 Table 31. 3 20 Tr. 48 8.0 6.0 .0 170 3.0 .1 5.0 181 No. 9, Table 31. DOUGHERTY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Dougherty County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Albany, the county seat, is 100 miles by rail southwest of Macon and 88 miles southeast of Columbus. The area of the county is 342 square miles and the population (census of 1910) is 16,035. Dougherty County is a rich agricultural district; cotton, corn, melons, and fruit are the principal products. The county is also the center of the pecan-growing industry of the State. At Albany there are large fertilizer factories, a cotton-cloth mill, cottonseed-oil mills, an ice factory, and a brick plant. The production of lumber and naval stores is important. TOPOGRAPHY. Topographically the county may be divided into two parts. West of Flint River, which flows southward through the eastern part of the county, the general surface is nearly level and is typical of the physiographic division known as the Dougherty plain. This area is closely underlain by the limestones of the Vicksburg formation, and as a result of underground solution and the collapse of solution cav- erns, the otherwise nearly level surface is dotted with lime-sink depressions (some of which support a growth of cypress), which appear as ponds, as chains of sinks, and as long sinuous depressions. Creeks and small branch streams are few in number and the drainage is partly effected by underground streams through the lime sinks. Coolewahee, Kiokee, and Chickasawhatchee creeks, in the western 234 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. part of the county, have very shallow valleys and flow sluggishly through wide swamps. The Dougherty plain west of Flint River is probably 225 to 260 feet above sea level, and the swamps and streams of the same area are thought to be 175 to 200 feet above the same datum plane. East of Flint River, except a narrow area along the river, the sur- face is rolling and is typical of the physiographic division described in this report as the Altamaha upland and locally known as the long- leaf pine or wire-grass region. The general upland here is probably 300 feet above sea level. The surface materials consist chiefly of sands and clays residual from the Vicksburg, Chattahoochee, and Alum Bluff formations. Flint River is bordered by two narrow, nearly level, Pleistocene terrace plains. The elevation of the bed of the river at the crossing of the Central of Georgia Railway at Albany is 127 feet. The lower plain lies about 20 feet above the stream bed, and the higher plain, on which the greater part of the city is located, lies about 60 feet above the same datum plane. The elevation at the Union Station, which is on the higher plain, is 184 feet above sea level. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation appears at the surface over all but a rela- tively small area in the eastern part of the county and is an impor- tant aquifer. The formation, which consists of 150 to 200 feet or more of white limestones interbedded with sands and clays, weathers to red argillaceous sands and clays containing fragments of flint. In the eastern part of the county the Vicksburg formation is overlain by the Chattahoochee formation, which consists of sandy limestone and calcareous sands and clays, probably less than 100 feet thick, and which weathers to sands and clays that outcrop in a belt a few miles wide extending east of north through the county. The Chatta- hoochee formation is overlain by less than 100 feet of greenish-drab sands and clays belonging to the Alum Bluff formation, which out- crops in a relatively small area in the southeast corner of the county. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by 200 or 300 feet of Eocene water-bearing sands, clays, and marls, in interbedded, thin, indu- rated layers which do not appear at the surface within the county. The Eocene deposits are underlain by the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous, which consists of calcareous and glauconitic sands, clays, and marls, probably aggregating a thickness of 800 feet or more and which contain water-bearing beds. At Albany, the Ripley formation is first encountered in wells at a depth of 500 feet, the deepest well (1,320 feet) probably ending near the base of the terrane. The Ripley formation is underlain by undifferentiated deposits of Cretaceous age which, at an unknown depth, probably DOUGHEETY COUNTY. 235 between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, rest upon a basement of ancient crys- talline rocks. WATEE EESOUECES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. In the rural districts water for domestic use is obtained from dug wells 20 to 60 feet deep and from drilled wells 75 to 150 feet deep. The source of the water in both types of well is limestone of the Vicks- burg formation, which is cavernous and contains large quantities of water. Some of the dug wells fail during times of drought. Wells less than 100 feet deep are apt to be contaminated from surface sources. Deep wells have been drilled at Albany, Kioka Place (10 miles southwest of Albany), Ducker station, Putney, Pretoria, and near Walker station. Small seepage springs are scattered throughout the county and a few limestone springs emit bold streams, but as a whole the springs are not important. Blue Spring, the largest in the county, is de- scribed on page 240. The waters of ponds and streams are used locally for stock and in boilers. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 75 to 1,500 feet or more. The prospects are good for obtaining flows from Eocene strata on the terrace plains bordering Flint River and in the valleys of the small streams in the western part of the county. The deeply buried Cretaceous deposits will probably yield flows throughout the greater part of the county west of Flint River. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Albany (population 8,190, census of 1910). — Three artesian wells furnish the public water supply at Albany, and 12 or 15 others are owned by individuals or companies in and near the city. Four principal artesian water-bearing beds are tapped : The first is at depths of 300 feet or less in cavities or beds of sand in the Vicksburg forma- tion; the second is between the depths 660 and 710 feet, probably in the Ripley formation; the third is between the depths 840 and 900 feet in the Ripley formation; the fourth is between the depths 1,310 and 1,320 feet in the Upper Cretaceous and probably in the Ripley formation. The municipal wells are at the pumping station, 218-222 North Street, where the elevation above Flint River is estimated to be 60 feet. Well No. 1 is 750 feet deep, well No. 2 is 1,320 feet deep, and well No. 3 is 940 feet deep. Originally all three wells flowed but now only No. 2 does so. Nos. 1 and 3 are pumped by air lift, each yielding 450 gallons per minute. In well No. 1 the water is lowered 90 feet by continuous pumping, and as the well is old it is thought that some water is lost through leaks in the casing. 236 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The following log of city well No. 2 was furnished by C. W. Tift. 1 The attempted correlations are based on the fossils obtained from the well and determined, except as otherwise indicated, by T. W. Vaughan. Log of city artesian well No. 2, Albany (No. 2, Table 33). Tertiary: Feet. Red clay 0- 20 Light-colored clay 20- 23 Coarse sand ( Vicksburg) 23- 25 Light-colored clay and coarse quartz sand 25- 35 Limestone, Orbitoides sp. at 150 feet, and from 190 to 200 feet 35- 200 Gray limestone, Orbitoides sp., echinoid, Bryozoa, Terebratulina lachryma Morton (identified by W. H. Dall), some shale from 230 to 240feet 200- 280 Gray sand with comminuted shells (Ostrea) 280- 285 Some shale, coarse sand, shells, and sharks' teeth at 311 Hard layer, Ostrea divaricata Lea 318- 320 Ostrea divaricata Lea at 330 Ostrea alabamiensis Lea at 340 Shale or marl, water vein at 350 Ostrea divaricata Lea and Ostrea alabamiensis Lea at 363 Bed of lignite at 367 Bed of lignite at 400 Sand 400- 470 Stiff blue clay, echinoid spines, Lamna sp. (teeth) 470- 475 Stiff blue clay 475- 480 Hard gray sandstone 485- 488 Upper Cretaceous, Bipley formation: Ostrea sp. and Exogyra costata Say (?) 500- 510 Pyrite and small oysters at 520 Greensands and greenish micaceous shales 530- 540 Gray sands with black particles at 600 Water-bearing horizon, limestone, with pieces of hard gray sandstone between 785 and 790 feet 690- 790 Hard rock 790- 800 Clay shales, white limestone between 835 and 840 feet 800- 850 Limestone, shales, etc; at 880 feet limestone or calcareous sand, also light-gray micaceous sand 850- 890 Grayish sand, calcareous fragments, hard black pieces of pebbles, Ostrea sp., Anomia argentaria Morton. [Gryphsea vesicularis La- marck (young)] at 890 feet; water-bearing, micaceous sandstone between 920 and 930 feet 890- 940 Blue micaceous clay at 950 feet, thick-shelled oyster, Gryphaea sp., the same also at 1,080 feet; at 1,100 feet gray sand with Ostrea sub- spatulata Forbes, Exogyra costata Say 940-1, 100 Stiff blue clay, micaceous sandstone, Ostrea cretacea Morton (?) 1, 100-1, 200 Very stiff blue clay at 1,255 feet, streaks of sand and shells, a small flow of water; from 1,240 to 1,260, soft shiny blue clay 1, 200-1, 260 Marl, gray sand, sandstone lumps, shells 1, 260-1, 270 Gray and black sand, sandstone lumps 1, 270-1, 310 Black, irregular, water- worn pebbles, with hard crystalline fracture; coarse and fine quartz sand, shells, decayed wood, fourth water- bearing stratum; 50 gallons per minute 1, 310-1, 315 Well ends in quartz sand at 1, 320 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 98, 99, 1908. DOUGHERTY COUNTY. 237 A sample of material taken from 1,300 to 1,315 feet in the well just described consists of light-gray, medium-grained very micaceous (muscovite) sand, with numerous fragments of dark irregular glau- conitic sandstone, some partly water worn; several angular fragments of gray calcareous sandstone; numerous fragments of lignite and shells of invertebrates. The following species were identified by Mr. Stephenson: Vermes : Hamulus major Gabb. Molluscoidea: Fragment of poorly preserved Bryo- Mollusca: Ostrea larva Lamarck. Ostrea sp. (irregular form). Gryphsea vomer (Morton). Exogyra ponderosa Roemer. Pecten quinquecostatus (Sowerby). Plicatula sp. Fragments of undetermined gastro- pods and pelecypods. In terms of the Chattahoochee River section the fossils listed indicate that the containing strata correspond in position to beds low in the Ripley formation. A public flowing well known as the Coffey well, not connected with the pumping station, is at 201 Commerce Street. It was originally 715 feet deep but was later drilled to a depth of 840 feet. The water is used for drinking and domestic purposes. It rises 10 feet above the surface and flows 40 gallons a minute. It is soft, clear, and palatable but emits an odor of hydrogen sulphide. (See analysis 3, Table 34.) According to Mr. Tift the water comes from a stratum tapped at the bottom of the well and is therefore from the Ripley formation. Spencer 1 gives the following data concerning a well at Albany (name of owner not stated) : Several wells have been sunk at Albany and flowing water has been obtained. The record of one of these was furnished by Mr. Charles Tift, and also samples of borings from several depths. This well has an elevation of about 20 feet above the railway station: [Log of well at Albany (No. 7, Table 33).] Feet. Surface soil and red clay to 23 Light clay, white sand, colored clays, and white lime rock to 55 Flinty rock to 60 Limestone with clay seams to 315 Thick rock to 319 Quicksand with a rocky stratum at 440 feet, and lignite just above rock, to 480 Black sand — thin layer. Blue marl strata to 678 Porous water-bearing beds to 732 : Spencer, J. W., Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, pp. 75-77, 1891. 238 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Samples were taken and examined as follows: Marl at 26 feet; limestone at 40 feet; oolitic or coral sand from 110 to 115 feet; a lime rock, 5 feet thick, at 160; gray rotten limestone from 180 to 200; shell rock at 310; shell marl at 315 to 320; lignite at 340; coarse quartz sand with chips of gray limestone, 350; shell limestone, 360; clean sharp white sand in different beds between 360 and 425; lignite at 440; green, slightly calcareous fine sand, with a little clay between, 485 and 678; a water-bearing coarse quartz sand, with calcareous particles, at 660. Through T. W. Vaughan Mr. C. W. Tift has also furnished what seems to be another log of the same well (No. 7, Table 33) : Log of well owned by Nelson Tift, Albany (No. 7, Table 33). Thick- ness. Depth. Surface soil Red clay Coarse white sand Black and brown clays White limestone Flinty rock Limestone with interbedded seams of clay Hard rock Quartz sand with several harder layers in upper 20 feet; shells at 225 feet; thin, hard layer at 440 feet Blue marl; layer of black sand 6 feet below top Porous layer of shells and gravel Feet. 2 23 5 10 15 5 256 4 160 198 54 Feet. 2 25 30 40 55 60 316 320 678 732 Mr. Tift has furnished the following information concerning the artesian well at the ice factory of the Atlantic Ice & Coal Co. : The well was bored in 1885 and is 710 feet deep; it was recased to 660 feet in 1901. At a depth of 320 feet water was encountered, which rose to within 42 feet of the surface and this static head was maintained until the water-bearing stratum at 660 feet was reached, when the static head rose to 26 feet above the surface. The amount of the flow has since greatly decreased and the static head is thought to have been affected by a well 708 feet deep, completed in 1910, at the Albany Cotton Mills, a mile north of the ice factory. The principal water- bearing stratum in the Albany Cotton Mills well is between the depths of 680 and 708 feet. Log of well owned by the Atlantic Ice & Coal Co. (No. 6, Table 33). Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Limestone Sand Limestone with layers of sand. Limestone with clay seams Shell marl, oyster shells Pure quartz sand Principally blue marl (calcareous clay) flow begins Porous cellular water-bearing rock, limestone Feet. 30 80 7 33 150 20 112 228 50 Feet. 30 110 117 150 300 320 432 660 710 DOUGHERTY COUNTY. 239 KioJca Place. — A 725-foot flowing well (No. 8, Table 33) known as the Williams irrigation well, located at Kioka Place (10 miles south- west of Albany), is owned by Mr. John P. Fort, of Albany. The well was completed in 1911 and is used for the irrigation of 14 acres of land planted to onions, corn, and cotton. It yields 40,000 gallons of water a day, which is stored for distribution in an earthen reservoir holding 400,000 gallons. Mr. Fort states that the returns on the 14 acres have been exceptionally large, the yield of corn being estimated at 200 bushels per acre, and he thus demonstrates the possibilities of irri- gation in the areas of flowing wells in Georgia. Mr. Fort has furnished the following log, which is a carefully prepared record of the materials penetrated as drilling progressed: Log of Williams irrigation well at Kioka Place, 10 miles southwest of Albany (No. 8, Table 33). Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Red sand White chalky material Red sand Red sand, water bearing Cream-colored limestone Blue "soapstone" (shaly clay ?) Blue sandstone Flint Blue sand Flint Sand Rock Rock and sand Blue marl Sand and soft sandstone Very hard rock Hard to soft rock , Blue marl Blue "soapstone" (shaly clay?) Blue marl Blue "soapstone " (shaly clay?) Blue marl Hard sandstone Fine green sand Sand, marl, and rock Sand and rock, water bearing; flows 2 gallons a minute Sandstone, marl, and rock, water bearing White milky rock; at this depth the water flows 6 gallons a minute Hard white milky rock, water bearing; flows 15 gallons a minute White grayish rock, water bearing; flows 20 gallons a minute Grayish sandstone with biack grains and shells, poorly water bearing; water flows 25 gallons a minute Grayish rock and indurated blue marl, water bearing; water flows 50 gallons a minute. . Grayish, water-bearing rock and indurated blue marl; water flows 60 gallons a minute.. Feet. 4 26 10 30 5 77 20 23 6 27 24 26 1 14 8 43 10 6 30 1 30 1 37 16 20 2 3 47 12 20 21 80 15 30 Feet. 4 30 40 70 75 152 172 195 201 228 252 278 279 293 301 344 354 360 390 391 421 422 459 475 495 497 500 547 559 579 600 680 695 725 A 6-inch casing extends to 80 feet; 4^-inch casing to 277 feet; 3^- inch casing to 120 feet and from 371 to 444 feet; 2^-inch casing from 120 to 500 feet. The well starts in the Vicksburg formation and probably pene- trates that terrane to at least 152 feet, beyond which to 725 feet it probably penetrates Eocene strata doubtless belonging to several formations. However, it may enter the upper part of the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous. 240 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Ducker station. — The first flowing well in Georgia was drilled near Ducker station, 16 miles west of Albany, by J. P. Fort, in 1881. It is 547 feet deep and flows 10 feet above the surface. Spencer 1 gives the following log: Log of well of John P. Fort at Ducker station (No. 9, Table 33). Thick- ness. Depth. A few feet of surface clay, followed by limestone bowlders Limestone with silicifled layers containing shells and traversed by subterranean streams. Blue marl (clay?) Shell rock, sand rock, and marl (clay); water rose to within 14 feet of surface Sand, tinted blue; layer of very fine "white sand at 370 feet, below which some coarse sand with shell fragments and sharks' teeth Blue clay and sand rock in alternate layers Blue clay with soft sand rock to flowing water Sand and clay, forming water-bearing stratum Hard rock (thickness not reported) Feet. 65 85 15 95 120 30 80 40 17 Feet. 65 150 165 260 380 410 490 530 547 At Ducker station artesian water has recently been used for irrigation. Putney. — From Putney (Hardaway station), on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad just east of Flint River, 8 miles south of Albany, one well owned by F. F. Putney has been reported. The depth of the well is about 315 feet, and the water in it rises to within 50 feet of the surface. It is probable that by deeper drilling flowing wells can be obtained at this place, for the elevation is only 183 feet above sea level. Pretoria (population 369, census of 1910). — At Pretoria two artesian wells supply the village with water for all purposes. One well is 650 feet deep and flows, the static head being 12 feet above the surface. The other well is 350 feet deep and does not flow. The water is distributed from a tank. Blue Spring. — Blue Spring, 4 miles south of Albany, on the east side of Flint River, and about 300 yards back from the river bank, is believed to be the largest spring in the State. (See PI. XX, A.) Discharge measurements made at different times 2 show yields ranging from 26.4 to 135 second-feet, or approximately 18,000,000 to 87,000,000 gallons every 24 hours. The water, which rises under considerable pressure from several small openings in limestone of the Vicksburg formation and has a faint bluish tinge, is very clear and is said to remain clear, although the supply varies with the rainfall. The main spring is 20 or 30 feet deep, and the temperature of the water is 69° F. An analysis of the water is given in Table 34 (analysis 5). The water is used locally for drinking. 1 Spencer, J. W., Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 77, 1891. 2 Hall, B. M. and M. R., Water resources of Georgia: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 197, p. 236, 1907. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 3+1 PLATE XX A. STREAM FLOWING FROM BLUE SPRING, 4 MILES SOUTH OF ALBANY, DOUGHERTY COUNTY. Yields more than 18,000,000 gallons a day. Photograph by S. W. McCallie. B. PUBLIC FOUNTAIN AT AMERICUS, SUMTER COUNTY. Photograph by S. W. McCallie. DOUGHERTY COUNTY. Table 33. — Wells in Dougherty County. 241 Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Albany (well No. 1 at pumping station). rAlbany(wellNo.2at i pumping statin). Albany (well No. 3 at pumping station). Albany, 201 Com- merce Street, 1J miles north of city water-supply plant. Albany ....do City }....do.... ..do.... C. W. Tift. E. F. Joyce C. E. Edwards. .do. . do. C.E.Ed wards and C. W. Tift. C.M.Clark .do. Kioka Place, 10 miles southwest of Al- bany. Ducker station Putney (Hardaway station). Pretoria ....do ....do Albany Cotton Mills. /Atlantic Ice & Coal \ Co. Nelson Tift John P. Fort M. B. Matthews C. W. Tift. Owner M. A. Jarrard. C. W. Tift.... ....do Owner. ....do F. F. Putney. S.W.McCalliea... do 1904- 1906 1907 1903 1910 1885, 1901 1885 1911 1881 Feet. 184 184 184 210 Walker station (1 mile north of). Red Cypress Lum- ber Co. H. J. Lamar W. A. Bierman... do S. W. McCalliea.. 1902 .do. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 9 Feet. 750 1,320 940 840 708 710 732 725 547 315 350 650 585 146 Inches. 10 12 10 6 3-£ 4 2£ 2 6 Feet. 680 660-71o| 680 Feet. 300 840-900 1,320 Feet. +10 | +20 + 8 + 10 +26 Galls. 125 80 40 100 Galls. 450 450 Air-lift pump /Analyses 1, 2, Table \ 34. Analysis 3, Table 34. 3 4 Air-lift pump Flows 5 680-708 660 678 500-725 180 320 do 6 do Analysis 4, Table 34. 7 105 do 8 28 do Soft. q + 10 -50 -16 +12 do 10 11 Slightly alkaline. Do. i? 35 Flows i? 4 580-585? 375 do 14 -35 Sulphurous. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 101-103, 1908. 38418°— wsp 341—15 16 242 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 33. — Wells in Dougherty County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 2 3 Municipal supply. do do Ripley formation.. do do Porous rock Porous sandstone. Porous rock 10-inch casing to 680 feet. Cased to 1,300 feet. See log, p. 236. 8-inch casing to 710 feet. Cost of well, $4,000. "Coffey" well. Si-inch casing to 480 feet. Cased to 660 feet. See log, p. 238. See logs, pp. 237,238. Cost of well ; $2,500. Caving sand has reduced yield from 60 to 30 gallons a minute. See log, p. 239. See log, p. 240. 4 do 5 do do White, porous rock fi do 7 do Gravel and shells. . Sand, limestone, and marl. 8 q do Midway forma- tion? Vicksburg forma- tion. in ii i? do do 13 14 Vicksburg forma- tion. Table 34. — Analyses of underground waters from Dougherty County. [Parts per million.] No. Dale of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 City well No. 2. . do Ripley forma- tion. do Feet.. 660-710 1,320 840 660-710 20-30 H. C. Whiter O 53 £ O a 3 a o EH 1 9.3 6 2.6 46 1.9 2 4 140 7.1 0.2 3.6 7.8 160 From water-bearing stratum at 660-710 feet, No. 2, Table 33. From water-bearing stratum 2 14 6 1.8 4.3 1.8 463 29 576 1.4 69 1,159 at 1,320 feet, No. 2, Table 33. A traceof P0 4 . 3 22 4.0 5.0 3.0 60 7.0 160 25 .4 4.0 174 No. 4, Table 33. 4 16 1.0 13 6.8 41 .0 178 14 1.2 3.5 19S No. 6, Table 33. 5 12 .4 49 2.4 3.8 1 .0 178 2.0 1.5 3.5 139 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 99-100, 1908. 6 Fe 2 3 +Al 2 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. 243 EARLY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Early County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, adjacent to Alabama. Its area is 524 square miles and its population 18,122 (census of 1910). Cotton, corn, lumber, and naval stores are the chief products. TOPOGRAPHY. The county presents two types of topography. The eastern three- fourths falls within the physiographic division known as the Dough- erty plain; its surface is nearly level to gently undulating, streams are few in number and flow through wide swampy bottoms, and it has many cypress ponds. The Dougherty plain, which is approximately coextensive with the surface occurrence of the Vicksburg formation, is well developed in the adjoining counties of Calhoun, Baker, Miller, and Decatur. In the western part of the county, and particularly in the north- west, the surface is hilly. Chattahoochee River, which forms the western boundary, has cut its valley 150 to 200 feet lower than the general upland. Small tributary streams, which enter from the east, have cut deep narrow valleys, thus producing a broken topography which extends 5 to 6 miles back from the river. Chattahoochee River is bordered by two Pleistocene terraces; the lower (Satjlla plain) is nearly level, is about one-half mile wide, and lies about 40 feet above the river; the upper (Okefenokee plain) lies about 100 feet above the river and is not so well preserved as the lower. Unlike the other large rivers of the Coastal Plain of Georgia the Chattahoochee is bordered by few swamps. At the station of the United States Weather Bureau at Blakely the elevation is 300 feet above sea level. Exact determinations of level have not been made elsewhere in the county, but it is probable that the greater part of the area is less than 300 feet above sea level. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation outcrops in an area approximately coex- tensive with that of the Dougherty plain. It consists of interbedded limestones and sands which weather to red or mottled argillaceous sands and clays containing masses of flint. The unweathered lime- stones generally lie 50 feet or less below the surface and outcrop at a few places. The thickness of the formation is believed to be 75 to 150 feet in the north, but it increases to the east and south and probably reaches a maximum of 250 or 300 feet. The formation is an important aquifer. 244 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Jackson formation, which consists principally of soft limestones of relatively small thickness, underlies the Vicksburg formation and in the southwest outcrops in a small area bordering Chattahoochee River. The Jackson formation, and the Vicksburg where the Jackson is absent, is underlain by the Claiborne group of the Eocene. The Claiborne group consists of 200 to 250 feet of sandy marls with subor- dinate thin interbedded layers of hard sandy limestone and glau- conitic calcareous sandstone overlain by red and varicolored sands with subordinate thin interbedded layers of clay. These beds imme- diately underlie the surface in the western part of the county and are well exposed in the bluffs of Chattahoochee River. They probably include representatives of the McBean formation and the Barnwell sand, into which the group has been subdivided elsewhere in the State. The group contains water-bearing beds. The Claiborne group is underlain by an undetermined thickness of undifferentiated Eocene deposits which do not reach the surface within the county. The Eocene is underlain by 800 or 900 feet of more or less calcareous and glauconitic sands, clays, and marls that contain water-bearing beds and are referable to the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous. In the deep well at Blakely fossils of Ripley age were first encountered at a depth of 500 feet. The Ripley formation is underlain by undifferentiated Cretaceous deposits of unknown thickness, and at some undetermined depth, probably between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water for domestic use is supplied chiefly by dug and bored wells 20 to 75 feet deep. In the western part of the county bored wells should be preferred to dug wells, for if properly cased they are less likely to be contaminated by surface water. Small springs are scattered throughout the county and are a source of domestic supply. Cedar Spring, one-half mile east of Cedar Springs post office, is reported to yield about 80 gallons a minute of soft water, which is used for general domestic purposes and in the condensers at a turpentine distillery. Artesian water can probably be obtained anywhere in the county. Water-bearing beds occur in the Vicksburg formation and also in the underlying Eocene and Cretaceous sands and marls. Waters from the Cretaceous deposits are apt to be softer than those from the Vicks- burg formation. In wells on the lowest terrace bordering Chattahoochee River waters from Eocene or Cretaceous strata will probably flow. This is EAELY COUNTY. 245 probably true also of wells 600 feet or more in depth in the valleys of some of the larger creeks, although this remains to be tested. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Blakely (population 1,838, census of 1910). — Blakely owns a muni- cipal water-supply system and obtains water from a well 812 feet deep (No. 3, Table 35). T. W. Vaughan obtained notes and well borings from the driller, S. S. Chandler, from which the following description and partial log were prepared: The well was completed in 1902 at a cost of $3,000; the diameter at the top is 10 inches and at the bottom 6 inches. Water-bearing beds were encountered at depths of 250, 570, and 812 feet. The municipal supply is taken from the 812-foot level, the water from which rises to within 19 feet of the surface and is not lowered per- ceptibly when pumped 290 gallons a minute. Partial log of town well at Blakely (No. 3, Table 35). Thick- ness. Depth. Red sandy clay Coarse grayish sand Coarse light-yellowish sand .- Yellowish ctierty limestone ( Vicksburg) Yellowish or grayish sandstone Light-colored, almost white, calcareous sandstone Gray sands, darker at bottom Greenish sands, with Ostrea divaricata Lea Fine gray sand, hard ledge at bottom, water bearing at a depth of 250 feet Fine sand; some clay Bluish clay Quartz sand, with glauconite Hard sandstone, with glauconite. Two oysters, apparently Gryphaca sp. and Exogyra costata Say (Ripley formation) Grayish or bluish sands, water bearing at a depth of 570 feet Feet. 10 10 10 10 10 20 70 20 125 5 200 10 10 70 Feet. 10 20 30 40 50 70 140 160 285 290 490 500 510 580 From 580 feet to the bottom of the well the beds encountered are said to have been limestones interstratified with sands and clays, the water-bearing bed at 812 feet being a coarse sand. Fossils of Ripley (Cretaceous) age were identified from the sandstone at 500 to 510 feet. An analysis is given in Table 36 (analysis 1). An artesian well (No. 4, Table 35) owned by the Callahan-Powell Co., 6J miles east of Blakely, is 485 feet deep and contains water that rises to within 50 feet of the surface. The elevation of the well above sea level is reported to be 250 feet. The water-bearing bed is proba- bly in the Midway formation of the Eocene. An analysis of the water is given in Table 36 (analysis 2). Damascus. — Damascus obtains water for domestic use chiefly from wells 20 to 60 feet deep. The deeper wells yield hard water and prob- ably reach the unweathered limestone of the Vicksburg formation. Notes on a deep well (No. 6, Table 35) at this place are given by McCallie. 1 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 107, 1908. 246 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Mr. C. C. Green's well at Damascus is 2 inches in diameter and 547 feet deep. Con- siderable hard rock is reported in this well, but the exact thickness and character of the various formations were not ascertained. Two water-bearing strata were struck in the well, one at 200 and the other at 547 feet. Water from the former rises to within 20 feet of the surface, and from the latter to within 7 feet of the surface. Both strata are said to furnish a good supply of water. Cowarts station. 1 — The following log of a well (No. 5, Table 35) 120 feet deep at Cowarts station has been furnished by W. R. Carter, the owner. Log of W. R. Carter's well, Cowarts station (No. 5, Table 35). Thick- ness. Depth. Reddish clay Sand Limestone; water from 7-foot cavity struck at depth of 113 feet, rose immediately to within 27 feet of the surface Feet. 30 2 Feet. 120 Oilier localities. — A well (No. 1, Table 35) on the plantation of H. G. Smith, 6 miles west of Arlington, is 160 feet deep. The principal water-bearing bed is limestone at 160 feet. The water rises to within 12 feet of the surface and is used for general domestic purposes. A well (No. 2, Table 35) on the plantation of James Johnson, 3 miles south of Arlington, is 360 feet deep and 1\ inches in diameter. According to the driller it penetrated little hard rock. The well yields an abundance of water sufficient for the needs of a large planta- tion. At Saffold, in the southwestern part of the county, nonflowing wells from 350 to 490 feet deep are reported. Table 35. — Wells in Early County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Arlington, 6 miles west of. Arlington, 3 miles south of. Blakelv H. G. Smith James Johnson Town J. G. Chason M. A. Jarrard S. S. Chandler... J. G. Chason 1910 Feet. (a) 3 S. S. Chandlers ... W. A. Kitchen S. W. McCallieb .. do 1902 1903 1897 300 4 Blakely,6^ miles east of. Cowarts station (Kara). 250 5 W. R. Carter fi C C. Green 7 Hilton 8 do Q Saffold do 105 a Elevation 20 or 30 feet above the bed of Spring Creek. b Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 105-107, 1908. » McCallie, S. W., loc. cit. EAKLY COUNTY. Table 35. — Wells in Early County — Continued. 247 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 160 360 812 4S5 120 5-17 75 190 490 Inches. 4£ 2£ 6 4 4 2 Feet. 140-160 Feet. Feet. 12 Galls. Galls. Hand pump Pump Slightly sulphurous. 2 3 812 250, 570 19 50 27 290 Analysis 1, Table 36. Analysis 2, Table 36. 4 Gasoline engine, deep-well pump. 5 113 547 200 6 Good. 7 Hard. 8 40 Do. q Pump Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 9 Domestic Plantation use Municipal supply. Vicksburg forma- tion? Marl See log, p. 245. Limestone cavity at 113 feet, p. 246. 3 4 Eocene; Midway 5 Vicksburg forma- tion. See log, 6 7 do 8 Domestic, boiler supply. Vicksburg forma- tion. Eocene? 9 Table 36. — Analyses of well waters from, Early County. • [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron (Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) . Sulphate radicle (SO4) Nitrate radicle (NO3) Phosphate radicle (PO4) Chlorine(Cl) Total dissolved solids Free carbon dioxide (CO2) . . 8.0 6.7 5.4 2.0 42 9.1 .0 114 11 18 4.0 47 6.0 13 .0 200 8.0 .5 Trace. 14 140 55 4.0 208 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 106, 190S. b FesOs+AlsOs. 1. Town well at Blakely (No. 3, Table 35). Depth of principal water-bearing stratum, 812 feet. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Well of Callahan-Powell Co. (No. 4, Table 35). Sample collected June 1, 1911. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 248 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. ECHOLS COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Echols County is in the southern part of the State along the Florida border. Its area is 362 square miles and its population 3,309 (census of 1910). The county is sparsely settled and has no large towns or cities. Lumbering and turpentining are the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level, is poorly drained, and lies 125 to 170 feet above sea level. Alapaha and Suwannee rivers have cut their valleys 40 to 60 feet below the general upland level, and each is bor- dered by a flat sand-covered terrace lying 10 to 15 feet above low- water level. Suwanoochee and Toms creeks and the other small streams of the county have low banks and flow through broad swampy flats. GEOLOGY. The Chattahoochee formation (Oligocene), which, consists of 100 feet or more of limestones of greater or less purity, outcrops on Alapaha River below Statenville and probably underlies the whole county beneath younger formations. The Alum Bluff formation (Oligocene), which probably consists of 75 feet or less of phosphatic sands and greenish sandy clays, overlies the Chattahoochee forma- tion and outcrops over the southern two-thirds of the county and in the valleys of Alapaha River and other smaller streams. In the interstream areas in the northern part of the county "the Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 50 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays of undetermined age. The Alum Bluff formation weathers to gray or white sands, which cover the surface to a depth of several feet. On the terraces bor- dering Alapaha and Suwannee rivers a thin covering of sand of Pleistocene age has been deposited. The limestones of the Chattahoochee formation are believed to be underlain in descending order by similar water-bearing limestones referable to the Vicksburg formation (Oligocene) and the Jackson formation (Eocene), but these formations have not been accurately differentiated. Beneath the limestones in descending order is a series of undiffer- entiated sediments of Eocene and Cretaceous age, which at an unknown depth, perhaps 2,500 feet or more, rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. These sediments contain important water-bearing beds. EFFINGHAM COUNTY. 249 WATER RESOURCES. Abundant soft water for domestic purposes is obtained chiefly from shallow dug and driven wells, in some of which the water stands within 4 or 5 feet of the surface. The few springs yield only small quantities of water. The waters of the streams are dark to almost black from organic matter. The population of Statenville, the county seat, is 210 (census of 1910). The town has no water-supply system and obtains water for domestic use chiefly from wells 20 to 30 feet deep and from four deep wells, the deepest of winch is said to be 160 feet. One well, informa- tion concerning which has been obtained from L. C. Solomon, the driller, is owned by the Garbutt Lumber Co. It is 148 feet deep and is cased to a depth of 71 feet, at which depth rock was entered. The water, which rises to within 40 feet of the surface, is probably derived from the Chattahoochee formation. A sample collected June 7, 1911, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart: Analysis of water from, vjell of the Garbett Lumber Co., Statenville. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 34 Iron (Fe) 2 Calcium (Ca) 25 Magnesium (Mg) ■ 11 Sodium and potassium (Na-f-K) 12 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) ' .0 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 136 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 12 Chlorine (CI) 12 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Trace. Total dissolved solids 182 Abundant supplies of artesian water should be obtained anywhere in the county at depths less than 700 feet. Flowing wells can prob- ably be obtained on the low terraces bordering Suwannee and Alapaha rivers. EFFINGHAM COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Effingham County is in the eastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, its southern boundary being about 25 miles west of the Atlantic coast. Its area is 448 square miles and its population (cen- sus of 1910) is 9,971. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level, varying in elevation from 150 or 175 feet above sea level in the north to less than 50 feet in the south. The county is bounded on the east by Savannah River. A series of 250 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. high bluffs overlooks the river on the Georgia side, and at the foot of the bluffs are a few relatively small patches of swamp lying 8 to 10 feet above low-water level. On the South Carolina side the river is bordered by a tract of swamp several miles wide. Ogeechee River, which forms the western boundary, is bordered by a large area of low and partly swampy land. The water of Savannah River is always more or less muddy from suspended sediment; that of the Ogeechee is muddy only when the river is at flood stage. Small streams are few in number and the county is dotted with small cypress ponds and bays. GEOLOGY. The surface deposits in the northern two-thirds or three-fourths of the county consist of 100 feet or less of argillaceous sands and clays which weather to white or yellow sands, the latter covering the surface to a depth of a few inches to several feet. These deposits are mapped as undifferentiated Oligocene-Pleistocene. In the south- ern part of the county the surface is covered with a thin veneer of gray or white Pleistocene terrace sands. The undifferentiated deposits are underlain in the eastern part of the county by 75 feet or less of sands, clays, and marls of Miocene age, which outcrop in the bluffs of Savannah River and which have been subdivided into the Marks Head marl and the Duplin marl. Stratigraphically beneath the Miocene deposits is the Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of sands, clays, and marls, probably water bearing, and which outcrops on Savannah River north of Efhngham County and on Ogeechee River in the western part of the county. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by a series of undifferenti- ated limestones, sands, clays, and marls, which, in descending order, are of Oligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous age. At an undetermined depth, probably between 2,000 and 3,500 feet, the Cretaceous depos- its rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Oligo- cene, Eocene, and Cretaceous deposits contain important water- bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The main source of domestic water supply is wells of the dug or driven type, ranging in depth from 10 to 40 feet. These yield an abundance of soft water which, however, is not as desirable from the sanitary standpoint as the waters of deep artesian wells. Artesian wells have been reported from Eden, Meldrim, Egypt, Guyton, Pine- ora, and Springfield; those at Eden and Meldrim flow. Springfield is the only town in the county owning a public water-supply system. EFFINGHAM COUNTY. 251 Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 200 to 800 feet or more. Flowing wells can be obtained in the southern part of the county and on the terraces bordering Ogeechee and Savannah rivers at places where the surface is 75 feet or less above sea level. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Springfield (population 504, census of 1910). — Springfield, the county seat, is in the central part of the county. An artesian well owned by Mr. Elliot Mingledoff supplies the town with water for general domestic purposes. The well is in a valley in the northern part of the town about 30 feet below the general level of the surround- ing country and is 400 feet deep. Marl (rock) is said to have been encountered at a depth of 290 feet. The principal water-bearing bed is at the bottom of the well and the water will rise 8 feet above the surface. A hydraulic ram installed at the mouth of the well forces the water to a tank 70 feet above the surface, from which it is distributed to the consumers. A well owned by G. M. Brinson in the southern part of the town, at a point where the surface is about 100 feet above sea level and about 30 feet higher than the surface at the mouth of the Mingledoff well, is 500 feet deep. The water stands within 24 feet of the surface. Eden. — Wells at Eden are described by McCallie 1 as follows : There are two wells located at this place, one 280 feet and the other 311 feet in depth. Each well has a diameter of 6 inches and furnishes a flow of several gallons of sul- phureted water per minute, which rises 12 feet above the surface. Only one flow is reported in the well and this was struck at about 275 feet. The strata penetrated are said to have been clays and marls, with thin layers of hard rock. Egypt. — A well at Egypt is described by McCallie * as follows: This well was sunk by the Central of Georgia Railway. It is reported to be 750 feet deep and 4 inches in diameter. Water rises to within 45 feet of the surface. Water- bearing strata were penetrated at 300 and 750 feet from the surface. The strata passed through are said to have been clay, sand, and marls, followed by limestone. Guyton. — A well at Guyton is described by McCallie * as follows : Mr. J. T. Wells's well, which is located about a mile east of Guyton post office, was completed in 1895 at a cost of $400. The well is 3 inches in diameter and 400 feet deep ; it furnishes hard, sulphureted water, rising to within 18 feet of the surface. The principal water-bearing stratum, which consists of sand, was struck at 300 feet. An incomplete record is as follows: Well of J. T. Wells at Guyton. Feet. Clay - 200 Rock 200 -201$ Rocks in beds (sharks' teeth and shells) 201^-396 Quicksand 396 -400 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 107-108, 1908. 252 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Meldrim.- -Wells at Meldrim are described by McCallie 1 as follows: There are two deep wells at Meldrim, one of which was sunk by the Central of Geor- gia Railway. It is reported to attain a depth of 538 feet. It is 6 inches in diameter and furnishes a good flow, rising 4 feet above the surface. The daily capacity of this well is said to be about 40,000 gallons. The water is used to supply the locomotives of the Central of Georgia Railway and for general domestic purposes. The other Meldrim well, owned by Mr. C. B. Guyer, is located about 300 yards west of the post office. It is 6 inches in diameter and 350 feet deep; it flows about 50 gal- lons of sulphureted water per minute. The water is said to rise 50 feet above the surface. It is used at present only for general domestic purposes, but Mr. Burnham, who furnished these data, notes that it is Mr. Guyer 's intention to use the water soon for irrigation. Table 37. — Wells in Effingham County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Eden S. W. McCallie * . . Feet. 34 9, do do 3 Central of Georgia Ry. J. T. Wells do 143 4 Guy ton (1 mile east of).. W. W. Barnhami S.W. McCallie i . . 1895 5 Central of Georgia Ry. C. B. Guyer 39 fi .... do do 7 8 Springfield Springfield (J mile southeast of the post office) . Elliott Mingledofi . . . J. W. Showalter. H. B. Webb J. H. Hodge 1910 1908 100 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 280 311 750 400 538 350 400 500 Inches. 6 6 4 3 6 6 6 8 Feet. 275 275 750 300 Feet. 300 Feet. +12 +12 -45 -18 + 4 +50 + 8 -24 Galls. 2-3 2-3 Galls. Sulphurous. Do. ? do ? 4 Hard, sulphurous. 5 28 50 110 Flows fi do Slightly sulphurous. 7 400 do 8 Force pump i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 107-109, 1908. EMANUEL COUNTY. 253 Taple 37. — Wells in Effingham County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 a do 3 Boiler supply of locomotives. 4 See log, p. 251. fi Boiler supply of locomotives and domestic. R 7 do Oligocene? Ogeechee River a short distance west of Meldrim. 8 Domestic; manu- facturing; gen- eral. EMANUEL COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Emanuel County is in the northeast-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia in the area popularly known as the wire-grass region. Its area is 935 square miles and its population 25,140 (census of 1910). Cotton, lumber, and naval stores are the principal products. Manu- facturing establishments are few in number and small. Water is not extensively used industrially. Artesian water is used in the manu- facture of ice at Swainsboro. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is rolling to slightly hilly. Creeks and branches are numerous and occupy shallow valleys. Accurate determinations of altitude have not been made, but the upland is thought to be from about 250 to 400 feet above sea level. The highest land is the upland in the northern part of the county; the lowest is in the valleys of Ogeechee, Ohoopee, and Canoochee rivers, which are bordered by terrace plains 200 feet or less above sea level. GEOLOGY. The surface terrane throughout practically all the county consists of probably less than 100 feet of ferruginous coarse sands with sub- ordinate clay lenses, locally indurated to hard sandstones or clay- stones. These materials weather to loose gray sands which cover the surface to depths of 3 to 25 feet. The surface sands absorb rain- fall rapidly and their contained waters are tapped at a few places by shallow wells. Many small springs issue from the contact between the gray sands and the underlying unweathered materials. The surficial deposits are underlain by the Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of bluish to drab sandy clays and 254 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. sands with interbedded thin layers of sandstone and which outcrops in the valley of Ogeechee River in the north. The Alum Bluff for- mation is underlain by Oligocene limestones which probably belong in part to the Chattahoochee and in part to the Vicksburg formation and which are believed to be water bearing. Although nothing definite is known of the character of the strata a-t still greater depths, the succession of formations outcropping north of Emanuel County probably justifies the assumption that the Vicksburg formation is underlain by several hundred feet of sands, clays, marls, and limestones of Eocene age, representing in descending order the Jackson formation and the Claiborne group, and that the Claiborne group is underlain at still greater depths by 800 feet or more of sands and clays of Cretaceous age. The Eocene and Creta- ceous deposits probably contain important water-bearing beds. The Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystal- line rocks which would probably be reached at about 1,200 feet in the north and at 1,500 feet or more in the south. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER, Wells 20 to 50 feet deep are the principal source of water for domestic use. The waters are commonly soft and should be whole- some, except where drawn from wells not properly protected against surface pollution. Small springs are numerous but are not used extensively. Gillis Spring, 3 miles southeast of Norristown; Beldon Spring, at Gray- mont; and Magnolia Spring, 4 miles southeast of Stillmore, are locally reputed to possess therapeutic qualities. The following is an analysis of a sample of water from Magnolia Spring, Edgar Everhart, analyst: Analysis of water from Magnolia Spring. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 1 5. Iron (Fe) 1.0 Calcium (Ca) 2 Magnesium (Mg) 3 Sodium (Na) 1.6 Potassium (K) 1 5 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 4. 2 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 4 Chlorine (CI) , 4.0 Total dissolved solids 15 The prospects for obtaining artesian water throughout the county are considered good. Flowing wells can probably be obtained on the lowlands bordering Ogeechee, Ohoopee, and Canoochee rivers. Deep EMANUEL COUNTY. 255 wells have been drilled at Swainsboro, Stillmore, Adrian, Garfield, Summertown, and Summit. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Swainsboro (population 1,313, census of 1910). — The public water supply at Swainsboro is obtained from an artesian well. Three or more artesian wells are owned by individuals, and shallow dug wells are also used. Details concerning several wells will be found in Table 38 (Nos. 8, 9, and 10). Stillmore (population 645, census of 1910). — The town of Stillmore has no public water-supply system, supplies for domestic use being obtained chiefly from dug wells ranging in depth from 20 to 65 feet. Two deep wells are described in Table 38 (Nos. 5 and 6). Adrian (population 816, census of 1910). — At Adrian there is a public waterworks system owned by T. J. James. The water is derived from an artesian well 300 (?) feet deep (No. 2, Table 38) and the daily consumption is 7,000 gallons. The artesian wells of the town range in depth from 250 to 500 feet. A well (No. 1, Table 38) on low land about a mile northeast of the town, also owned by Mr. James, flows 40 gallons a minute 30 feet above the surface. Garfield (population 319, census of 1910). — Water for domestic use is obtained chiefly from dug wells 15 to 60 feet deep. An artesian well (No. 4, Table 38) 400 feet deep, owned by the Garfield Oil Mills, also supplies water for general domestic purposes. Table 38. — Wells in Emanuel County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 A. E. Smith Postmaster 1903 Feet. 290 ?, do do 290? 3 do 4 Garfield Garfield Oil Mills. R. N. Gay, post- master. J. R. Warren 1905 5 Stillmore E. A. Edenfield, of Stillmore, and Geo. M. Brinson, of Springfield. Ephraim Eden- field. 312 6 do S. W. McCalliea.. 300? Summertown Swainsboro do do Rum mitt. 300 8 9 Jesse Thomson, sr. . . R. J. Williams Henry Loyd Jesse Thomson, sr. S. W. McCallieo.. 1894 in do n Wm. E. Hughes, Charleston, S.C., and J. T. Byrd. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 110, 111, 1908. 256 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 38. — Wells in Emanuel County — Continued. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below sui'face. Yield per minute. How obtained. JSJo. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 350 300? 110 400 600 679 300 400 400 889 400± Inches. 4 Feet. Feet. Feet. +30 Galls. 40 Galls. 10 5 Soft ? 3 + 2 -80 -50 -70 ii 4 S 6 3 6 100 100 Pumped; gasoline engine. Steam engine and air-lift pumps. Do. fi Hard 7 8 6 2 370 -90 -90 Deep-well pump.. 9 10 11 4 / 300- \ 400± } -85 60 Air-lift pump Sulphurous. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Domestic Vicksburg forma- tion? do ?, Municipal supply 3 Alum Bluff for- mation? do 4 Domestic, manu- facturing. Domestic, manu- facturing, boiler- supply. Cost of well, $500; cost of machinery, $150. 5 6 do 7 Domestic 8 Domestic, manu- facture of ice. Eocene Cost of well, $800; cost of machinery, $200. Operated by the Swainsboro 9 do 10 Public supply Manufacturing Cretaceous? 11 $500; 4-inch casing to 300 feet. The well was repaired (not drilled) by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S.'C. GLASCOCK COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Glascock County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 170 square miles and its population is 4,669 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is included in the physiographic division of the Coastal Plain known as the fall-line hills. The surface, which was at one time an upland plain, has become hilly as the result of the erosive action of Ogeechee River, Rocky Comfort Creek, and the numerous tributaries of the two streams, by which the county is drained. The topographic relief of the county probably does not exceed 200 feet. GLASCOCK COUNTY. 257 GEOLOGY. Crystalline basement rocks, which are exposed in the beds of the streams at a few places, underlie the sediments of the Coastal Plain throughout the county. Lower Cretaceous deposits, consisting of coarse, irregularly bedded, arkosic sands with interbedded lenses of light-colored massive clay, rest upon the basement rocks and prob- ably reach a maximum thickness of 200 or 300 feet in the extreme south. One hundred feet or less of sands and clays belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene rest upon the Lower Cretaceous de- posits over a considerable part of the county, especially in the south- east and east. The Claiborne strata at one time covered the entire area but have been partly removed by erosion. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Wells 15 to 100 feet deep, commonly of the dug type, and springs are the chief sources of water for domestic use. They draw from porous beds of sand in the Cretaceous or Eocene deposits. Both wells and springs yield waters well adapted for domestic and indus- trial purposes. The waters of the numerous streams are excellent for stock and for making steam. Lower Cretaceous deposits underlie practically all the county, but their maximum thickness is probably not more than 200 or 300 feet. Beds of porous sand are numerous and contain considerable quan- tities of excellent water. Over parts of the area it is necessary to drill through overlying Eocene strata before reaching the underlying Lower Cretaceous beds. The Eocene deposits, which in places prob- ably reach a thickness of 100 feet, also carry moderate amounts of water in interbedded layers of sand. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Gibson (population 367, census of 1910). — Gibson, the county seat, owns a public artesian well which taps a water-bearing bed in the Lower Cretaceous. Mayor T. A. Walden has furnished the following information : The well was completed in 1909, and is in the public square in front of the courthouse. The depth is 151 feet and the diameter 4 inches. The only water-bearing bed recognized was entered at 150 feet, and yielded water rising to within 20 feet of the surface. Casing extends to the bottom of the well. The water is lifted by a force pump having a capacity of 10 gallons a minute, which is operated by water power furnished by a near-by stream. A sample of the water, collected May 31, 1911, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart as follows: 38418°— wsp 341—15 17 258 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Analysis of water from town well at Gibson. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 41 Iron (Fe) 4. Calcium (Ca) 9. Magnesium (Mg) 1.0 Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 15 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 74 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 6. Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 1 Chlorine (CI) 4. Total dissolved solids 121 GLYNN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Glynn County is one of the seacoast counties in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 439 square miles and its population 15,720 (census of 1910). Lumber, naval stores, and railroad crossties are the principal products. The rural districts are rather sparsely settled, the greater part of the population being centered at Brunswick, the county seat. Agriculture is not earned on as extensively as in the inland counties. TOPOGRAPHY. The greater part of the county is a low, flat, terrace plain covered by extensive swamps and lying less than 25 feet above sea level. A narrow northeast-southwest area in the western part of the county is 50 or 60 feet above sea level. The streams enter the ocean through "drowned" valleys that have been submerged by the sea in geo- logically recent times. This submergence also caused the forma- tion of low islands, a network of tidal waterways, and large areas of salt marsh. The effects of the ocean tides are felt in Altamaha River, which forms the northern boundary of the county, to a point about 15 miles above Darien, the river being bordered by tidal swamps that extend several miles above the salt marshes. Little Satilla and Turtle rivers are short tidewater streams. Tributary creeks and branches are few in number and have only slightly dissected the sur- face, which is topographically youthful. GEOLOGY. The surface formations of the county are of Pleistocene age. On the islands and on much of the mainland, especially near the coast, they are fine white or yellowish quartz sands, and in the extensive swamps and so-called flatwoods in the western part of the county they are mainly clays. The Pleistocene deposits do not exceed 50 GLYNN COUNTY. 259 feet in thickness and over the greater part of the area are probably much thinner. They are the source of the water obtained in most of the shallow wells. In the marshes mud or silt of Recent age over- lies the Pleistocene deposits and the beaches and islands are covered with Recent sands. The thin covering of Pleistocene deposits is underlain by an unde- termined thickness of Miocene sands, in part phosphatic, and clays with thin interbedded layers of indurated marl and limestone. The Miocene is underlain by a series of sands, clays, marls, and limestones, in descending order of Oligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous age, which have never been completely penetrated by well borings and whose aggregate thickness is therefore unknown. At some unknown depth, probably 3,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous de- posits are believed to rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Wells, mostly of the driven type, ranging in depth from 6 to 30 feet, are common. Throughout the greater part of the county the water table stands within a few feet of the surface, so that small suction pumps suffice to lift the water from the wells. The waters obtained are soft, but owing to the low, swampy condition of most of the county they are considered less wholesome than artesian waters. On the islands, soft waters of fair quality are obtained at depths of 6 to 25 feet. There are a few small seepage springs of no importance. The waters of ponds, streams, and swamps are used to some extent for stock and for steam production. Many flowing artesian wells from 300 to 1,000 feet deep, on both the mainland and the islands, yield large quantities of water. The artesian waters are moderately hard and emit rather strong odors of hydrogen sulphide, but are potable and are more wholesome than waters from other sources. It is practicable to utilize the waters for irrigation, but it should be remembered that an extremely heavy drain on the artesian reservoirs at local points may lower the static head sufficiently to cause the wells to cease flowing. Brunswick is the only large town in the county and the only town having a public water-supply system. Artesian wells have been drilled at all the post offices and villages and are the chief source of water for domestic purposes. Flowing wells of large yield can be obtained throughout the county at depths of 300 to 1,000 feet or more. 260 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Brunswick (population 10,182, census of 1910). — The present mu- nicipal water supply of Brunswick is obtained from a flowing well (No. 5, Table 39) 1,003.5 feet deep owned by the Mutual Light & Water Co., at 1525 Grant Street. The public water supply at Brunswick was formerly obtained from three artesian wells (No. 4, Table 39) at the waterworks pumping station. Originally the wells supplied the needs of the city, but the yield decreased so greatly that it became necessary to install pumps. The cause of the de- crease is not known, but it can not be attributed to a general over- draft on the underground supply, for other wells in the city and county continue to yield large flows, and it is probably due to a local overdraft in the immediate vicinity of the pumping station. In addition to the city wells there are many flowing artesian wells in and near the city, which range in depth from 300 to 1,000 feet and yield large quantities of wholesome water. The following log of a well (No. 10, Table 39) recently drilled by H. J. Linniman for the Southern Naval Stores Construction Co. has been furnished by Mr. Robert June: Log of well No. 3 of the Southern Naval Stores Construction Co., Brunswick (No. 10, Table 39). Thick- ness. Ft. in. 53 37 7 1 2 11 10 9 6 3 73 6 84 60 100 30 20 10 20 40 440 Depth. Sand Hard and soft limestone Sand, water bearing : . . . Hard limestone Bed of shells Hard limestone Gravel, composed of small black and white pebbles Marl Hard marl Marl, with thin, indurated layers Mud and fine sand; first flow at 300 feet Marl, with thin indurated layers and soft sandstone Limestone Porous limestone; second flow Hard limestone Sand Massive white limestone Porous limestone and layers of sand; contain shells; third flow at 650 feet Ft. 53 90 97 98 110 110 117 190 196 280 340 440 470 490 500 520 560 1,000 A sample from a depth of 650 feet consists of a porous phosphatic sand cemented by silica and calcium carbonate. It contains frag- ments of oyster shells and other fossils, none of which are well enough preserved for specific identification. The flow at 300 feet exerts a pressure of one-half pound per square inch at the surface; the sec- ond flow, between 470 and 490 feet, exerts a pressure of 8 pounds ; and the third flow, at 650 feet, exerts an estimated pressure of 22 pounds. When this well was completed the yield of well No. 2 (No. 9, Table 39), distant about 200 feet, the depth of which is 650+ feet, GLYNN COUNTY. 261 decreased, from 700 to 500 gallons per minute. McCallie x gives the following additional information concerning wells at Brunswick: Col. C. P. Goodyear's well, for instance, located in the southern part of the city, is reported to reach a depth of 822 feet. This well penetrated water-bearing strata at 302, 425, and 525 feet, the latter stratum furnishing a flow of 250 gallons per minute. The water from these different horizons rises about 12, 28, and 57 feet, respectively, above the surface. Mr. Fred Baumgartner, the well contractor, who put down many of the Brunswick wells, has furnished the Survey the following record of the high-school well [No. 6, Table 39]: [Log of high-school well at Brunsivich (No. 6, Table 39).] Feet. Yellow sand 0- 55 Thin layers of sandstone interlaminated with clay 55-112 Blue clay or marl 112-212 Soft porous limestone with shells 312-332 Coarse sand and pebbles 332-357 Hard rock 357-359 Blue marl or clay 359-459 Thin layers of limestone with clay and sand 459^179 Very fine white sand at 479 An analysis of water from trie high-school well is given in Table 40 (analysis 2) . Thalman. — W. A. Morgan, of Eastman, owns a flowing well (No. 18, Table 39) at Thalman, the water of which is notable for its large content of sulphate. The well is about 50 yards south of the depot, is reported to be 400 feet deep, and flows several feet above the surface. The water emits a very strong odor of hydrogen sul- phide. (See Table 40, analysis 8.) It is used principally for drinking. Jointer Island. — According to George Kennedy, one of the original owners, a flowing well (No. 15, Table 39) on Jointer Island, 4 miles south of Brunswick, penetrated sands, gravels, and layers of shells, with interstratified layers of hard flintlike rock at intervals of about 15 feet. Water was found beneath a layer of hard rock at 260 feet, in a cavity or in soft sand which allowed the drill to drop about 15 feet. (See analysis 6, Table 40.) St. Simons Island. — Wells on St. Simons Island are described by McCallie 2 as follows : There are four artesian wells reported on St. Simons Island, varying in depth from 438 to 465 feet. The only one of these wells from which anything like a detailed account has been preserved is the Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co.'s well at St. Simons Mills. This well, which was sunk in 1886, is 6 inches in diameter and 438 feet deep. It furnishes 250 gallons of sulphureted water per minute. The water rises 40 feet above the surface. It is largely used for steam purposes. The first flow in this well was struck at 350 feet. It yielded 8 gallons per minute. The second flow began at 435 feet and gradually increased to the bottom of the well. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. Ill, 112 ,1908. 2 idem, pp. 115, 116. 262 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. The following notes on the different strata penetrated in the well on St. Simons Island (No. 16, Table 39) were made by Mr. McCallie 1 from a series of borings furnished by the Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co.: Log of Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co.'s well on St. Simon Lsland (No. 16, Table 39). Feet. Very fine gray sand to 10 Dark-colored marsh mud containing fragments of shells to 20 Rather coarse gray sand with fragments of oyster and other shells to . . 40 Quite similar to overlying sand, somewhat coarser, with only a few shells to 50 Coarse gray sand and water-worn pebbles of quartz and feldspar to . . 60 The pebbles are often an inch or more in diameter. Very coarse sand and water-worn pebbles of quartz and feldspar to . . 70 The pebbles are often an inch or more in diameter. Moderately coarse sand and pebbles and comminuted shells to 80 Fine dark-gray sand and pebbles to 90 Fine brown sand and a few angular quartz pebbles with clay to 100 Fine dark -gray sand, similar to that found at 90 feet 110 A conglomerate of quartz pebbles and coarse sand with clay matrix to 115 There occur in the conglomerate a few dark or brown-colored, small, rounded particles, consisting largely of calcium phos- phate. Coarse gray sand and fragments of shells to 120 The sand granules are well rounded and consist of feldspar of dark color. The same as above except that the fragments of shells are more abundant to 125 Fine gray sand with some mica to 133 Fine gray sand and quartz pebbles to 143 Similar to the above except darker and with less clay to 153 Fine gray sand with mica to 170 Fine gray sand to 180 Fine light-gray sand with much mica to 190 Fine dark-gray, clayey sand with mica, diatoms, and spicules of sponges to 200 The same as above but darker to 230 Fine sand with numerous diatoms and spicules of sponges to 250 Diatomaceous earth, containing an innumerable number of micro- scopic rhombohedral crystals of calcite to 310 Fine light-gray, micaceous sand with mica and small teeth resem- bling those of the gar pike to 320 Rather coarse gray sand containing sharks' teeth, dental plates of rays (?), fragments of bones, and small pieces of clay containing diatom shells and sponge spicules to 324 Gray sandstone or quartzite containing casts of shells and glauconite to 327 Moderately coarse gray sand to 330 Coarse water-worn sand with small sharks' teeth to 350 The same as above except that it contains fragments of shells to . . . 360 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 115-116, 1908. GLYNJST COUNTY. 263 Feet. Dark-gray marl made up largely of microscopic crystals of calcite to . . 400 Very compact, fine, dark-gray clay, slightly tinged with green, to . . 410 Fine dark-gray clay, frequently indurated, glauconite more or less abundant, to 420 Coarse, dark-colored, glauconitic sand containing small teeth of sharks to 430 Coarse dark sand with rounded pebbles of quartz and feldspar to. . . 435 Fine white sand to 438 Bladen. — A well at Bladen (No. 1, Table 39) is described by McCallie 1 as follows: The Bladen deep well, owned by Mr. J. A. Ward, has a depth of 480 feet. It is 3 inches in diameter, and flows about 100 gallons per minute. The water, which is used for domestic and steam purposes, rises 30 feet above the surface. It is hard and sul- phureted. Water-bearing strata are reported at 160, 260, and 475 feet, respectively. Nothing is known of the strata penetrated in the well, except that they consist of clay and sand, with a few beds of rock and oyster shells. Everett City.— A well (No. 12, Table 39) at Everett City is de- scribed by McCallie x as follows : Mr. R. H. Everett's well, at Everett City, was put down in 1894. It is 460 feet deep and 2 inches in diameter, and it furnishes a flow 38 feet above the surface. The water is hard and sulphureted and is used for domestic and steam purposes. No record of the well was secured. Crispin. — McCallie describes a well near Crispin (No. 7, Table 39) as follows : 2 A flowing well, owned by Mr. Harry Gignilliat, and located 6 miles northwest of Brunswick, on the road leading to Crispin, has a depth of 377 feet. It is 4 inches in diameter and it furnishes 50 gallons of sulphureted water per minute. Water-bearing strata are reported at 200 and 270 feet, respectively. Water from the first stratum is said to rise to within 8 feet of the surface, and from the last 14J feet above the surface. Mr. L. L. Deering, the well contractor, gives the following record of the Gignilliat well: [Log of well of Harry Gignilliat, near Crispin {No. 7, Table 39).] Feet. Sand 0- 4 Clay 4-12 Sand 12-14 Clay 14-26 Sand 26-36 Clay 36-46 Sand and shells 46- 66 Rock 66-68 Clay 68-88 Sand rock 88-100 Clay 100-130 Rock '. . 130-133 Clay 133-163 Sand 163-168 i Georgia Geol. Surrey Bull. 15, p. 117, 1908. 2 Idem, p. 118. 264 UNDERGKOUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Feet. Clay 168-188 Rock 188-191 Sand and shells, water bearing 191-220 Clay 220-230 Sand : 230-272 Clay 272-280 Sand 280-288 Clay 288-304 Rock 304-310 Clay 310-325 Rock 325-327 Clay 327-357 Rock 357-362 Clay 362-370 Rock, water bearing 370-377 Evelyn. — A well at Evelyn (No. 11, Table 39) is described by McCallie 1 as follows: Mr. T. J. Dent's well at Evelyn, in the northern part of Glynn County, has a depth of 420 feet. It is 2 inches in diameter, and the water rises 14 feet above the surface. The first flow was struck at 370 feet from the surface; but the well was continued to 420 feet without increase of flow. The water is sulphureted, and is used for farm and general domestic purposes. Jekyl Island. — A well on Jekyl Island (No. 14, Table 39) is de- scribed by McCallie 2 as follows: The well of the Jekyl Island Club, which furnishes 250 gallons per minute, is 6 inches in diameter and 480 feet deep. The flow of the well is said to have perceptibly decreased since its completion. Whether this decrease is due to an accumulation of sand in the casing or to an overdraft on the water-bearing stratum is not known. [See analysis 5, Table 40.] Table 39. — Wells in Glynn County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 J. A. Ward S. W. McCallie 3.. do.3 1894 Feet. 15? fl H. W. Loyd Fred Baumgart- ner. 14? 3 Brunswick, 2 miles north of. Brunswick (three city wells). do. 3 4 City do.3 14? 5 Mutual Light & Water Co. City. Southern Con- tracting Co. H. F. Dunwoody, mgr. Mutual Light & Water Co. S. W. McCallie 3 . . 1912 20 fi Brunswick public high school. Crispin, near, 6 miles northwest of Bruns- wick. 14? 7 L. L. Deering... do.3 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 119, 1908. 2 Idem, p. 114. 3 Idem, pp. 111-119. GLYNN COUNTY. Table 39. — Wells in Glynn County — Continued. 265 No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 8 Brunswick, 1J miles northwest of. do Southern Naval Stores Construc- tion Co. (well No. D- Southern Naval Stores Construc- tion Co. (well No. 2). Southern Naval Stores Construc- tion Co. (well No. 3). T. J. Dent Feet. 12 do 12 10 do H. T. Tinniman . do 1911 12 11 S.W. McCallieo... R. H. Everett 1894 1905 16 13 Everett City (Ocean View Hotel). W. H. Crofton 16 M Jekyl Island Club S. W. McCallieo.. 15 Jointer Island, 4 miles south of Brunswick. St. Simons Island St. Simons Island (Ocean View Ho- tel). Thalman, at depot Leon E. Robarts, Brunswick. Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co., St. Simons Mills. George and Oli- ver Kennedy, Brunswick. 1900 1886 6 16 S.W. McCallieo... A. T. Arnold 17 Fred Baumgart- ner, Bruns- wick. ±20 man. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Height of water above surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 480 822 485 300-500 1,003.5 479 377 650 650+ 1,000 420 460 350± 480 275 438 500 400 Inches. 3 4 Feet. 475 525 Feet. 160, 260 302, 425 Feet. 30 57 27 Galls. 100 250 Galls. Hard, sulphurous. Do. 9 do 3 do Hard, sulphurous; analysis 3, Table 40. Hard, sulphurous. Analysis 1, Table 40. Analysis 2, Table 40. Hard, sulphurous. 4 Pump 5 10 540- 1,002.5 250- 300 2,794 Flows 6 7 4 4§ 6 10 2 2 2 6 3 6 270 650? 650? 650 370,420 200 14| 50 +600 +500 +3,500 Flows 8 do 9 do in 320,490 14 38 30 do ii do Hard, sulphurous. Do. 12 ...do 13 ...do Analysis 4, Table 40. Hard, sulphurous; analysis 5, Table 40. Analysis 6, Table 40. Hard, sulphurous. Analysis 7, Table 40. Sulphurous; analy- sis 8, Table 40. 14 250 ...do In 260-275 435-438 350 30 40 do Ifi 250 ...do.... 17 18 400 40 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 111-119, 1908. 266 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 39. — Wells in Glynn County — Continued. No. Use. Domestic, boiler supply. Irrigation Former municipal supply. Municipal supply. Distillation wood. do .do. Domestic; farm. Domestic. Domestic Boiler supply, etc. Domestic and irri- gation. Drinking Principal water bed. Geologic horizon. Tertiary. ....do... Tertiary. ....do... .do.... .do.... .do.... .do. .do. .do. .do. .do. .do. .do. .do. .do. .do. Character. Limestone, sand, etc. Porous limestone. ....do .do. Sand. Remarks. 2 wells on Smith plantation. Flowed when first drilled. Cost of well 85,476; 12-inch casing to 440 feet; the first good flow was obtained at 560 feet; flow increased to 800 feet, also considerably between 900 and 1,002.5 feet. Well finished in hard, white limestone, which was pene- trated 1 foot. See log, p. 261. See log, pp. 263-264. 6-inch casing to 200 feet; 4J-inch casing to bottom. Cost of well $3,000; 8-inch casing to 200 feet; 6-inch easing to bottom; yield decreased from 700 to 500 gallons a minute when well No. 3 was drilled. Discharges 7 feet above surface. 14-inch casing to 195 feet; 10-inch casing to bottom. Discharges 4 feet above surface. See log, p. 260. Cost of well, $300. 3-inch casing to about 75 feet. 3 other artesian wells on the island range in depth from 438 to 465 feet. See log, pp. 263-264. Table 40. — Analyses of underground waters from Glynn County. No. Date of collection. Dec. 18,1912 June 2, 1911 Feb. 17,1913 June 10,1911 Dec, 1909 Source. Well of Mutual Light & Wa- ter Co. High school well. Well of H. W. Loyd. Well of W. H. Crofton. WelloftheJekyl Island Club. Well of Leon E. Robarts. Well of W. Ar- nold. Well of W. A. Morgan. Location. Brunswick. .do. Brunswick, 2 miles north of. Everett City Jekyl Island. Jointer Island, 4 miles south of Brunswick. St. Simons Island at Ocean View Hotel. Thalman (at de- pot). Principal water- bearing stratum. Tertiary. do... ....do... ....do... .do. .do. do... .do. Depth. Feet. 540- 1,002.5 302 485 350 480 260- 275 500 400 Analyst. Edgar Everhart. Do.o Do. Do. H. C. White.o Edgar Everhart. Do. Do. T3 > o . Sg "3 o Eh Remarks. 1 2 3 4 s 39 24 15 14 1.2 47 28 12 2.0 5.4o 27 o .1 42 31 33 37 62 43 11 24 25 18 7.5 4.0 2.0 23 1.0 15 1 23 50 6 31 5 7.6 2.4 7 .8 0.0 .0 Tr. 83 .0 .0 163 126 120 172 212 164 128 91 64 84 103 69 128 16 101 Tr. Tr. 0.7 .3 .0 .0 Tr. 17 17 27 17 16 17 18 28 22 304 271 308 340 287 389 202 291 Well 5, Table 39. Total depth, 479 feet. Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 )=7. Well 6, Table 39. Free carbon dioxide (CO 2 )=.0. Well 3, Table 39. Well 13, Table 39. Well 14, Table 39. 6 7 8 8.0 Tr. 1.5 5.0 3 5 52 4 7 .5 Well 15, Table 39. Well 17, Table 39. Well 18, Table 39. o Fe 2 Os+ A1 2 3 . GRADY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Grady County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, along the Florida border. Its area is 444 square miles and its population 18,457 (census of 1910). Cotton, corn, sugar cane, lumber, and naval stores are the chief products. The manu- facture and shipment of "Georgia" cane sirup is an important local industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county is nearly level to gently undu- lating, and for the most part has the characteristic topography, soil, and vegetation of the Altamaha upland or wire-grass region. South of Cairo and Whigham the relief becomes stronger, and in places the surface is hilly though not rugged. Throughout the county lime sinks and lime-sink ponds characterize the topography. Most of the county is drained by Ochlockonee River and its tributaries, but a small area in the northwest drains into the "Big Slough" — a narrow area of lowland about 20 miles long lying principally in Mitchell and Decatur counties, but touching the northwest corner of Grady County. The valleys of the small creeks and branches are shallow and the waters of the streams spread out through the swamps which border their courses. Ochlockonee River is a sluggish, black-water stream which flows canal-like through a terrace plain half a mile to a mile wide lying 10 to 15 feet above the river level. The altitude at Cairo is 237 feet and at Whigham 265 feet above sea level. The surface north of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad is somewhat higher and south of it is somewhat lower than at Whigham. 268 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation, which consists of 200 feet or more of porous and cavernous water-bearing limestones, underlies the entire county, but appears at the surface only in one small area in the extreme northwest. This limestone is overlain by the Chattahoochee formation, which consists of approximately 100 feet of cavernous water-bearing limestones and which outcrops in a narrow area in the northwest and on Ochlockonee River in the south, and is exposed in both sections in the walls of numerous lime sinks. The Chattahoochee formation is overlain by 100 feet or less of sandy clays and sands belonging to the Alum Bluff formation, which outcrops in a narrow area in the northwest, in a somewhat larger area in the south, and in the valleys of Ochlockonee River and its tributaries from the Florida line to the northeastern corner of the State. Throughout the greater part of the county the Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 50 feet or less of irregularly bedded argilla- ceous sands and sandy clays of undetermined age. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by limestones belonging to the Jackson formation, and the latter is underlain in descending order by undifferentiated Eocene and Cretaceous strata, probably having an aggregate thickness of 2,000 feet or more, which do not appear at the surface within the county. The Cretaceous deposits rest upon a deeply buried basement of crystalline rocks. The Eocene and Cretaceous deposits contain water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. In the rural districts water supplies for domestic use are obtained chiefly from dug wells ranging in depth from 20 to 50 feet. Small springs scattered through the county are used locally for general domestic purposes. One artesian well each has been reported from Cairo, Whigham, Calvary , and Beachton. Artesian water can be reached throughout the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more, but it is doubtful if any flows can be obtained. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Cairo (population 1,505, census of 1910). — A public water-supply system is owned by the town of Cairo. Water is derived from an artesian well (No. 2, Table 41) 10 feet above the level of the track at the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station. The depth of the well is 750 feet, and the water is reported to come from a rock stratum, probably of Eocene age, at the bottom. The static head is 200 feet below the surface, and the yield by pumping is 125 gallons per minute. The sulphate content is much greater than has been noted GEADY COUNTY. 269 in most other Coastal Plain waters of Georgia. A sample taken on May 13 , 1911, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart, with the following results : Analysis of water from town well at Cairo (No. 2, Table 41). Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 24 Iron (Fe) 4 Calcium (Ca) 54 Magnesium (Mg) 12 Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 28 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 173 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 112 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 2 Chlorine (CI) 19 Total dissolved solids 342 WJiigJiam (population 627, census of 1910). — The principal source of water supply at Whigham is an artesian well (No. 4, Table 41) 432 feet deep owned by the town. Two water-bearing beds are reported to have been penetrated, one at 200 feet and the other, the principal one, at 430 feet. The well is cased to 250 feet and the water rises to within 30 feet of the surface. Calvary (population 225, census of 1910). — A well at Calvary (No. 3, Table 41), owned by the village, is 372 feet deep, and the water, which stands within 63 feet of the surface, is reported to be of satisfactory quality for domestic use. Rock was encountered in the well at a depth of 100 feet. Beachton. — McCallie 1 gives the following data relating to a well (No. 1, Table 41) near Beachton, a small village in the southwestern part of the county: This well, owned by Mr. S. M. Beach, is located in the southern part of the county near the Georgia-Florida line. It is 6 inches in diameter and 110 feet deep; it fur- nishes a copious supply of water, rising to within 40 feet of the surface Solid rock was struck at 85 feet. The only water-bearing stratum reported occurs at the bottom of the well. Table 41. — Wells in Grady County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 S. M. Beach S. W. McCallie * . . Feet. 9, Public William Miller.. K. P. Wright 1906 247 3 4 do 265 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 180, 181, 1908. 270 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 41. — Wells in Grady County — Continued. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- Depth to other water- bearing beds. Leve of Yield per minute. Mo. cipal water- bearing bed. u :itcr below surface. Flow. Pump. How obtained. Quality. 1 Feet. 110 750 372 432 Inches. 6 3 Feet. 110 750 Feet. Feet. 40 200 63 30 Gaits. Galls. 2 3 125 Air-lift pump See analysis, p. 269. 4 6 430 200 Sulphurous. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 2 m Eoc Vic ation? Rock 3-inch casing to 350 feet. Cost of well, $1,200; cost of machinery, §1,500. 3 factu Domes do. ring. 4 tion. do Rock 6-inch casing to 250 feet. Cost of well, SI, 200; cost of machinery, 8275. HANCOCK COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Hancock County is in the northeast-central part of Georgia on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 530 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 19,189. Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. Less than half the county is within the Coastal Plain all of this portion lies south of the Georgia Railroad, the falling within the Piedmont Plateau. The Coastal Plain a part of the physiographic division known as the fall-line surface is hilly, having been considerably dissected by streams of Town and Buffalo creeks, tributaries of Oconee by headwater streams of Ogeechee River, which drain it. mum surface relief is probably between 250 and 350 feet. GEOLOGY. and nearly remainder area forms hills. The headwater River, and The maxi- Crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau region outcrop at the surface over the northern half of the county. In the southern half the southward-sloping surf ace of the crystalline rocks is buried beneath deposits of the Coastal Plain except where they are exposed by ero- sion in the beds of the larger streams. The deposits of the Coastal Plain are for the most part of Lower Cretaceous age and consist of coarse irregularly bedded sands with interbedded lenses of massive HOUSTON COUNTY. 271 light-colored clays, reaching a probable maximum thickness of 150 or 200 feet in the extreme south. In a limited area in the southeast the Lower Cretaceous deposits are unconformably overlain by a rela- tively thin overlap of sands and clays which belong to the Claiborne group of the Eocene. (See PL III, p. 52.) The texture, composition, and structure of the Lower Cretaceous strata are favorable to the absorption and circulation of waters in moderate quantities, the amount available at any given place being determined by the thickness of the deposits and the local drainage conditions. WATEE RESOURCES. In the Cretaceous area in the southern part of the county water for domestic use is obtained from dug wells 10 to 100 feet deep, which tap the water-bearing sands of the Lower Cretaceous deposits, and from small springs. The wells, as a rule, are fitted with bucket and rope for lifting the water to the surface. The waters from both wells and springs are soft and of excellent quality except at places where insanitary surface conditions are close enough to cause contamination. The Lower Cretaceous deposits probably do not attain sufficient thickness within the county to afford water which can be classed as artesian under the topographic conditions. Along the extreme south- eastern border the deposits are perhaps 150 to 200 feet thick and doubtless contain water-bearing beds of some importance; but they probably develop little artesian pressure within the county. North- ward, toward the Piedmont border, the quantity of water carried by the beds is less, and only moderate supplies for domestic purposes can be obtained. Over the greater part of the area wells sunk more than 100 feet would enter the underlying basement crystalline rocks. HOUSTON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Houston County is located in the north-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 585 square miles and its population is 23,609 (census of 1910). Agriculture and horticulture are the chief industries. TOPOGRAPHY. From the latitude of Grovania northward the county is included within the physiographic division of the fall-line hills and is part of a dissected upland plain, much of which has been rendered hilly by stream erosion. However, a tract surrounding Fort Valley in the northwest has been but slightly dissected and presents a nearly level plain. The remainder of the county south of the latitude of Gro- vania falls within the physiographic division of the Dougherty plain. 272 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Ill the extreme south this plain is characterized by nearly level tracts 75 to 100 feet lower than the plain at Fort Valley. The Dougherty plain is not sharply separated from the fall-line hills, the two types of topography merging gradually. In the valley of Ocmulgee River two relatively narrow terrace plains of Pleistocene age have been developed, one lying 10 to 20 feet and the other 60 to 75 feet above low-water level. The county is drained chiefly by Ocmulgee River through its tribu- taries, Echaconnee, Big Indian, Tuscawhachee, and several smaller creeks. A relatively small area in the southwest is drained into Flint River through Hogcrawl Creek. The surface relief of the county probably does not exceed 300 feet. GEOLOGY. Deposits of Cretaceous age underlie the whole county, but are concealed from view by overlapping Eocene strata except where the Eocene beds have been removed by erosion, in the valleys of Ocmulgee River, Echaconnee Creek, Indian Creek, and their tributaries in the northern half of the county. In a belt several miles wide, along the northern border of the area, the partly buried Cretaceous beds belong to the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation, and to the south of this, in a belt several miles wide extending east and west across the county, they belong to the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. The Providence sand rests conformably upon the Cusseta sand, but the two divisions have not been accurately dis- criminated owing to similarity of materials and paucity of exposures. Underlying the Cusseta sand at unknown depths, perhaps 300 or 400 feet in the northern part of the county, are Lower Cretaceous deposits which at still greater depths rest upon a basement of crys- talline rocks. A well at Fort Valley 1,075? feet deep failed to reach the crystalline rocks. (See No. 3, Table 42.) The Cretaceous formations are overlain throughout the greater part of the county by Eocene strata, consisting, in ascending order, of the Claiborne group, composed of red, ferruginous, and more or less argillaceous sands and the Jackson formation composed of massive limestones, marls, and calcareous glauconitic clays. Upon the Eocene lies the Vicksburg formation, of Oligocene age, consisting of white limestones, sands, clays, and residual sands and clays with masses of flint. The total thickness of the Eocene and Oligocene formations in the southern part of the county is probably 300 or 400 feet. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) In relatively narrow areas bordering Ocmulgee River thin terrace deposits of sand, gravel, loam, and clay of Pleistocene age rest upon Cretaceous or Eocene strata HOUSTON COUNTY. 273 WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water for general domestic purposes is obtained chiefly from dug or bored wells from 40 to 125 feet deep. The waters are commonly soft and of satisfactory quality, although they are more or less strongly mineralized. Small springs emitting as a rule less than 10 gallons per minute are fairly numerous throughout the greater part of the county, although locally they are reported scarce or absent. In places the spring waters are very soft and are low in mineral content. Norwood Spring, owned by Mrs. J. B. Clarke, of Marshallville, Ga., rises from dark mud in a marsh lh miles northeast of Myrtle and is visited by the inhabitants of the surrounding region because of its reputed beneficial qualities. (See analysis 2, Table 43.) At many places creeks and branch streams are available as sources of supply for the use of domestic animals and for steam making. Logs of several dug wells are given in the succeeding paragraphs, the owners being the authorities for the lithology. Log of well of J. W. Epting, 1\ miles southwest of Power sville (No. 9, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene, Claiborne group: Clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation: "Chalky" [clayey] strata, gradually becoming sandy (some water) Clay Sandy, "chalky" [clayey] strata, yellowish Coarse, white sand, water bearing Feet. 30 30 25 23 2 Feet. 30 60 85 108 110 Log of well of T. N. White, 3 miles south of Dunbar (No. 2, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene?: Red clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation: White sand, except two layers of "chalk' in lower 3 feet Feet. 20 Feet. [clay] each 1 foot thick, water bearing 20 106 Log of well of W. A. Stubbs, 4\ miles east of Wellston (No. 13, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene, Claiborne group: Solid red clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Providence sand member: Yellow and white sand, in part flne, alternating with "chalk" [clay], water bearing in sand in lower 3 feet Feet. 20 Feet. 20 38418°— wsp 341—15- -18 274 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log ofivell of T. W. Leverett at Wellston (No. 14, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene, Claiborne group: Stiff, hard , red clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Providence sand member: Coarse sand with numerous flint rocks [pebbles] as large as end of thumb, water bear- ing in lower 8 feet Feet. 40 Feet. 40 The Upper Cretaceous sediments which underlie all the county and the Lower Cretaceous strata which lie buried beneath the Upper Cretaceous deposits, the whole aggregating a thickness of more than 1 ,000 feet, are composed in part of beds of water-bearing sand. Several wells in the county which tap these beds have yielded waters more or less ferruginous, but it is believed that in general the waters are not excessively charged with mineral matter. The wells from which the municipal water supply at Fort Valley is obtained tap water-bearing beds in the Cretaceous deposits. In the interstream areas in the northern part of the county it is necessary to drill through a relatively thin covering of red ferru- ginous sand of Eocene age before entering the Cretaceous strata. The Eocene beds thicken southward and in the extreme south it would probably be necessary to drill through 300 or 400 feet of strata of this age to reach the Cretaceous water-bearing beds. In the southern part of the county beds of sand in the Eocene formations carry moderate amounts of potable water, which should be reached at depths of 50 to 400 feet. Although no flowing wells have been reported in the county it is probable that flows can be secured in the valley of Ocmulgee River and its tributaries at elevations not exceeding 40 or 50 feet above low-water level. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Fort Valley (population 2,697, census of 1910). — The town of Fort Valley is provided with a water-supply system concerning which the following information has been furnished by J. L. Fincher, superintendent of waterworks. The system, which is owned by the town, is supplied with water from two wells, Nos. 1 and 2, 364 and 400 feet deep, respectively, located at the pumping plant. (See Nos. 4 and 5, Table 42.) For- merly the supply was obtained from a group of seepage springs on the Fagan plantation, 3 miles to the east. The water is lifted to a 50,000-gallon tank by duplex steam pumps having a daily capacity of 450,000 gallons. The length of the distributing mains is 4J miles. The tank pressure is 42 pounds, and the possible direct pressure from the pumps is 70 pounds. There are 200 taps for domestic purposes, 10 for manufacturing purposes, and 35 fire hydrants. The quantity HOUSTON" COUNTY. 275 of water used daily for domestic purposes is 100,000 to 125,000 gallons and for manufacturing, 50,000 gallons. The wells are 150 feet apart. The 364-foot well is 8 inches in diameter, and when first drilled an 8-inch casing was inserted to the bottom. A strainer 64 feet long and 6 inches in diameter was inserted from 300 feet to the bottom of the well. The 8-inch casing was then withdrawn 60 feet so that its lower end was just below the top of the strainer. The 400-foot well was constructed in the same manner as the 364-foot well, except that 100 feet of 6-inch strainer was inserted in the lower 100 feet of the well. Because of the greater length of the strainer in the second well it yields more water than does the first well. The wells are not pumped to their full capacity, the yield being more than sufficient to supply the present needs of the town. An analysis of water from the 400-foot well is given in Table 43 (analysis 1). Logs of the two wells just described were not prepared, but Mr. Fincher states that the material penetrated in the first 25 or 30 feet is red, ferruginous, case-hardened sand, below which the section consists of fine to coarse quartz sand with some thin interbedded layers of clean white clay or kaolin. The sands are for the most part light gray, but some layers are stained yellow or red with iron oxide. There is at the water plant an old abandoned well said to have been drilled to a depth of 1,075 feet (well No. 3, Table 42). The following is a partial log: 1 Partial log of well at Fort Valley (No. S, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Sand White clay Yellow sand White clay Quicksand with pebbles. Hard rock Quicksand. Feet. 20 20 8 40 10 400 (?) Feet. 20 40 (?) Except for the upper 25 or 30 feet, which is probably referable to the Claiborne group of the Eocene, the beds penetrated are of Cre- taceous age. The Ripley formation (Cusseta sand member) of the Upper Cretaceous, which immediately underlies the red Eocene stratum at the surface, was probably entirely penetrated, and the underlying Lower Cretaceous deposits were probably penetrated to a depth of several hundred feet. If the depth reached is as great as given (1,075 feet), the bottom of the well is probably very near the basement crystalline rocks. 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 120, 1908. 276 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Perry (population 649, census of 1910). — Perry, the county seat, owns a water-supply system that obtains water from Indian Creek, a near-by stream. The distributing tank has a capacity of 50,000 gallons. (See analysis 4, Table 43.) The following record of one well (No. 6, Table 42) at Perry, drilled by the town, has been published by McCallie: 1 Log of well at Perry (No. 6, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Red massive clay White clay Yellowish sand with 4 inches of impervious iron ore at its base Sand, with thin partings of clay Dark carbonaceous material — possibly lignite Coarse gravel Feet. 10 so! 82 4 2 Feet. 10 10J 50 132 136 138 An undetermined upper portion of the section is referable to the Claiborne group of the Eocene, and the remainder, the greater part, including the water-bearing gravel at the bottom, to the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. Zinc, a very unusual con- stituent of Georgia waters, is reported in the water from this well (No. 3, Table 4). The analysis is old and no more reasonable explanation of this phenomenon presents itself than the doubt that the analysis is correctly reported. The Southern Mortgage Co., of Atlanta, Ga., owns a 381-foot well (No. 8, Table 42) 4f miles southwest of Perry. Detailed informa tion concerning this well was furnished by the S. S. Chandler Arte- sian Well Co., from whom also the following log was obtained: Log of well of Southern Mortgage Co., 4$ miles southwest of Perry (No. 8, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Sand Chalk [marl?] Yellow sand Red clay Quicksand Marl Sand and marl Hard rock White sand, water bearing Feet. 69 10 40 20 11 180 20 20 6 5 Feet. 79 119 139 150 330 350 370 376 381 Water, which rose within 56 feet of the surface, was obtained from the white sand between 376 and 381 feet. The yield was tested with a 4-inch pump for 5 days at 50 gallons per minute; the maxi- mum yield was not determined. An analysis is given in Table 43 (No. 5). The well probably penetrated the basal Eocene strata of this area and entered the upper part of the Ripley formation. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 121, 1908. HOUSTON COUNTY. 277 Other localities. — Detailed information concerning several deep wells is given in Table 42. The water obtained from most wells of this type has proved unsatisfactory. The well at Perry (No. 6, Table 42) is used but little because the water has a strong ferrugi- nous taste. The water of the well 3| miles west of Wellston (No. 12, Table 42) is satisfactory for drinking and for steam producing, but not for cooking and laundering, probably because of the iron in it. Mr. Smith, the owner, says concerning it: The water is not perfectly clear and contains some mineral properties which render it unfit for washing clothes or for cooking. A golden yellow color is imparted to rice or hominy cooked in it, and linens washed in it are turned to a similar color. The well at Byron, owned by J. H. Peavey (No. 1, Table 42), was abandoned for reasons not given. The following is its log: x Log of well of J. H. Peavey, at Byron (No. 1, Table 42). Thick- ness. Depth. Upper Cretaceous: Sands and "chalk" (kaolin) Quicksand and "chalk" (kaolin) in 3-foot layers, sand Water-bearing stratum, coarse Feet. 250 Feet. 250 310 It is probable that all the beds penetrated belong to the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation. Table 42. — Wells in Houston County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 S. W. McCallies.. 1902 1885 Feet. 515± 9 Dunbar, 3 miles south of. Fort Valley T. N. White 3 H. C. Harris S. W. McCalliea.. 525 4 Fort Valley (well No. 1). Fort Valley (well No. 2). J. L. Fincher do J. L. Fincher do 1911 1911 525 <> do 525 6 S. W. McCalliea.. 7 Perry, 1 mile east of. . Perry, 4| miles south- west of. Powersville, 1J miles southwest of. Powersville, 1 mile north of. Powersville, 1 mile northeast of. Wellston, 3| miles west of. Wellston, 4£ miles east of. Wellston (near post office). D. H. Culler 1868 1911 1875 1820? 1908 1903 1890 Onhill. 8 Southern Mortgage Co., Atlanta, Ga. J. W. Epting S~. S. Chandler Artesian Well Co. q 500± 10 J. P. Newell . .do 11 W. E. Saeger .do 425± i?, J. A. Smith N. M. Brewer, Dawson, Ga. do .. .do 13 W. A. Stubbs 14 Thos. W. Leverett.. do 320± » Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 122, 1908. 2Idem, pp. 120-122. 278 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 42. — Wells in Houston County — Continued. No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per min- ute by pump- ing. How obtained. Quality. 1 Feet. 310 106 1, 075? 364 400 138 45 381 110 109 95 216 93 6S Inches. 36 36 4 8 8 4 48,36 4 36,24 36 48 3 36 36 Feet. 103 300 300-364 300-400 136 40 376-381 108 105 95 207 90 60 Feet. f 210 \ 275 I 310 (?) 180 ISO Feet. i 185 103 100 120 120 42 50 gallons ■ ? Small Bucket and rope. . Abandoned Air-lift pump .... 3 4 5 100 gallons 180 gallons Soft. Soft; analysis 1, Table 43. Strongly ferrugi- nous; analysis 3, Table 43. 6 Hand pump Force pump do 7 Small 8 60 15 180 58 56 106 103 88 118 90 56-64 50+ gallons Analysis 5; Table 43. Soft. q Small Force pump, gaso- line engine. Bucket and rope. . 10 Small Do. 11 Small Do. 12 13 3 to 5 gallons... Air-lift pump Bucket and rope.. do Somewhat ferrugi- nous. Slightly ferrugi- nous. 14 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Ripley formation (Cusseta sand member). Coarse sand do Cost, $335. Well abandoned; see log, p. 277. Dug. Cribbed in part with wood. Cost, S50. See log, p. 273. Well abandoned. See log, p. 275. ?, 3 Ripley formation.. Ripley formation (Cusseta sand member?). Sand 4 Municipal supply, .do do 5 .do fi Ripley formation (Prov i d e n c e sand member). do Coarse gravel Water is little used. See log, p. 276. Dug. Cost of well, $20; of pump, $60. 8-inch casing to 56 feet; 6-inch casing to 330 feet; 4-inch casing to 3S1 feet. See log, p. 276. Dug. Cost of well, $100; of pump, $250. See log, p. 273. Dug. Cribbed in part with wood. Dug. Cribbed in part with wood. Cost, $60. Drilled. Length of casing, 207 feet. Cost of well, $300; of pump, $300. Unfit for laundry and cooking. Dug. Cribbed 75 feet. Cost, $40. See 7 S do Ripley formation?. Cusseta sand do White sand Coarse white sand. do q do in do 11 ....do do l? Boiler and drink- ing. Upper Cretaceous. Ripley formation (Pro v i d e n c e sand member). do 13 do 14 do.. Coarse pebbly sand. log, p. 273. Dug. Cost, $45. See log, p. 274. IRWIN COUNTY. 279 Table 43. — Analyses of underground waters from Houston County. [Parts per million.] No. Dale of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. May 20,1911 .do. Town well No. 2. Norwood Spring Fort Valley. Myrtle (1£ miles northeast of) . Town well . May 5, 1911 May 30,1911 Big Indian Well of South- ern Mortgage Co. Perry Near Perry. Ripley forma- tion (Cusseta sand mem- ber?). Ripley forma- tion (Provi- dence sand member ?). Ripley forma- tion (Provi- dence sand member) . Feet. 400 Perry (4 J miles southwest of). Ripley forma- tion? 376-381 Edgar Everhart. Do. W. H. Hollings- head.o Edgar Everhart. Do. > o o g> a> -a o 6 3, "c3 Q T3 03 T3 03 3° T3 -3 . 03^ ^2 o o . Remarks. d 03 o m o 3 .a < a o a 03 o an o ,Q H 03 O 03 5 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 123, 124, 1908. JEFF DAVIS COUNTY. 281 This well, which was put down in 1900 at a cost of $1,200, is 6 inches in diameter and 512 feet deep. The water rises to within 40 feet of the surface, but by continuous pumping it is lowered to 120 feet. The maximum yield is 35 gallons per minute. The water is used with surface water, after being treated with boiler compound, for steam purposes. Water-bearing strata are reported at 312 and 496 feet, respectively. The following record of the well is from memory: [Log of well at mill of Ensign Oslcamp Co., at Ocilla.] Feet Soil and clay 0-60 Soft rock 60-76 Sand 76-105 Rock - 105-300 Very hard rock 300-312 Porous limestone with cavities 4 feet deep 312-512 JEFF DAVIS COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Jeff Davis County is in the central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia in the long-leaf pine or wire-grass section. Its area is 300 square miles and its population is 6,050 (census of 1910). Agri- culture, lumbering, and turpentining are the principal industries. The county is sparsely settled and Hazelhurst, the county seat, is the only town of importance. TOPOGRAPHY. Over the greater part of the county the surface is nearly level to slightly rolling. Altamaha River and its tributary, Ocmulgee River, which form the northern boundary, have cut their valleys 150 to 200 feet below the upland level to the south; the Southern Railway track at Hazelhurst is approximately 170 feet higher than the low-water level at Lumber City. Altamaha and Ocmulgee rivers are bordered by two Pleistocene terrace plains, one lying 10 to 20 feet and the other 40 to 50 feet above low-water level. These plains are better developed on the north side of the valley than on the south side in Jeff Davis County, where in many places they are narrow or absent. Through- out its extent along the northern border of the county the river valley is separated from the upland to the south by an abrupt escarpment. The interstream areas are poorly drained, and small cypress ponds and bays characterize the topography. The elevation above sea level at Hazelhurst, the county seat, is 256 feet. GEOLOGY. The surface deposits throughout the entire county, except in a few relatively small areas in the north, consist of 100 feet or less of irregularly bedded sandy clays and sands, with subordinate, inter- 282 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. bedded layers of argillaceous sandstone and quartzite. They are underlain by 100 feet or more of soft sandy clays and sands with inter- bedded thin layers of sandstone and quartzite belonging to the Alum Bluff formation, which outcrops in the bluffs of Ocmulgee and Alta- maha rivers. Pleistocene terrace sands and clays have been laid down in narrow areas bordering Ocmulgee and Altamaha rivers. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain in descending order by a series of undifferentiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls of Eocene and Cretaceous age, probably aggregating several thousand feet in thickness, which contain important water-bearing beds. In an oil- prospecting well 8 miles southwest of Hazelhurst, water-bearing lime- stones which may represent in descending order the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations (Oligocene) and the Jackson formation (Eocene) were penetrated from 400 to 815 feet. At an undetermined depth the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crys- talline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The main sources of domestic water supply throughout the county are dug wells 15 to 60 feet deep. The waters of the shallow wells are derived from beds of sand that are either surficial or belong to the underlying Alum Bluff formation. The waters are soft and if pro- tected from surface contamination are of satisfactory quality for domestic purposes. Springs are small and few and are unimportant. Ponds and streams are utilized for stock and for boiler supply. Artesian water can probably be obtained anywhere and flowing wells are possible on the terraces bordering Altamaha and Ocmulgee rivers. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Hazelhurst (population 1,181, census of 1910). — Hazelhurst, the county seat, is on the flat divide between Ocmulgee and Satilla rivers 256 feet above sea level. The water supply of the town is derived from a public artesian well and from shallow dug wells owned by individuals. The public well (No. 3, Table 44), completed in 1911, is 643 feet deep and 8 inches in diameter. The water is reported to be derived from cavernous limestone below 482 feet, to which depth the casing extends, and to rise to within 171 feet of the surface. A small yield of water was obtained from a pebble bed at 140 feet, and a second supply at about 460 feet. The static head is said to be lowered 20 feet when the well is pumped continuously 125 gallons per minute. The water is hard, clear, and colorless, has a faint odor, and has JEFF DAVIS COUNTY. 283 proved satisfactory for domestic use. The limestone from which the water is derived is referable questionably to the Vicksburg for- mation. A sample collected April 6, 1911, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart with the following results: Analysis of water from the public artesian tvell, Hazelhurst (No. 8, Table 44). Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 24 Iron (Fe) 4 Calcium (Ca) 52 Magnesium (Mg) 4. Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 18 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 2. 5 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 178 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 9.0 Chlorine (CI) 9. 5 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Trace. Total dissolved solids 231 Another well at Hazelhurst, near the bottling works, is reported to be between 400 and 500 feet deep and to tap a water-bearing bed at about 400 feet. Three oil-prospecting wells 8 or 9 miles southwest of Hazelhurst have been drilled by Mr. L. F. Hinson, but only meager data have been obtained concerning them. In one well 828 feet deep, on the Hinson farm, water rises to within 125 feet of the surface. One of the drillers has furnished the following log: Log of oil-prospecting well 8 miles southwest of Ha&elhurst (No. 5, Table 44). Thick- ness. Depth. Surface clay and sand Soft clayey sand Bluish clay and sand Hard rock (limestone), shells at top . Principally limestone Black sandstone Feet. 25 200 175 15 400 13 Feet. 25 225 400 415 815 828 Goldsmith. — At Bird's turpentine distillery near Goldsmith a well was drilled to 700 feet. Gas is reported to have been found at a depth of 550 feet. On the bank of Hurricane Creek near Goldsmith and about three- quarters of a mile north of the Georgia & Florida Railway trestle is a well 300 feet deep, the water of which is said to stand within a few feet of the surface. 284 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 44. — Wells in Jeff Davis County. No. Location. Owner. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Depth. Diam- eter. 1 Goldsmith, neai Goldsmith (on Feet. Feet. 700 300 643 400 828 Inches. ? Hurri- 3 cane Hazelh do. ?reek). City 1911 256± 8 4 f> L. F. Hinson Well driller southwest of). No. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. How obtained. Horizon of prin- cipal water bed. Remarks. 1 Feet. Feet. Feet. 9 3 4 482-643 400 140,460 171 Pumped Vicksburg forma- tion? do surface. City supply. See analysis, p. 283. <\ 128 Two other oil-prospecting wells have been drilled in vicinity. JEFFERSON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Jefferson County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, between Oconee and Savannah rivers, 12 to 15 miles south of the fall line. Its area is 720 square miles and its population 21,379 (census of 1910). Agriculture and the production of lumber are the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county, which lies within the physio- graphic division known as the fall-line hills, is somewhat broken or hilly, and the interstream areas are thinly covered with residual gray sand. The southern part contains nearly level areas underlain by limestone and characterized in places by lime sinks and ponds. The county is drained chiefly by Ogeechee River and its tributaries. In the north the interstream areas lie about 500 feet above sea level. The upland surface inclines slightly southward, descending to about 300 to 350 feet above sea level in the southern part of the county. At the junction of Williamsons Swamp creek with Ogeechee River in the extreme southeast the elevation above sea level is about 200 feet. JEFFERSON COUNTY. 285 GEOLOGY. The Claiborne group of the Eocene, which appears at the surface throughout the greater part of the county, has been subdivided into two formations, the McBean formation and the Barnwell sand. The McBean formation consists of 300 to 400 feet of sands, clays, marls, and limestones containing important water-bearing beds; the Barnwell sand, which overlies the McBean formation, consists of 100 feet or less of red sands with interbedded thin layers of sandstone and gravel. In the southwest, south of Williamsons Swamp creek, the Clai- borne group is overlain by a small thickness of irregularly bedded sands and clays of undetermined age. The Claiborne group is under- lain by 500 to 1,000 feet of irregularly bedded sands and clays of Cretaceous age, which contain numerous water-bearing beds and con- stitute an important source of artesian waters in the region; these beds appear at the surface only in a few small areas in the northwest. The Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks which lie at depths of 200 to 300 feet in the north but descend to probably 1,200 to 1,500 feet in the extreme south. In the oil- prospecting well 3^ miles southwest of Louisville (see p. 287) the basement rocks were struck at 1,140 feet. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Wells ranging in depth from 25 to 75 feet are the chief source of domestic water supply, and where protected from surface contami- nation they yield waters of good quality. In the southern part there are limestone springs of considerable size, and in the hilly area in the north small springs are common. Springs, however, are not exten- sively utilized. An analysis of water from Omaha Spring, near Avera, collected June 3, 1911, is given in Table 46 (analysis 1). Although Cretaceous deposits appear at the surface only in small areas along the extreme northwestern boundary, they can be reached throughout the remainder of the county by drilling through from 100 to 500 feet of overlying Eocene strata. As they contain numerous beds of porous sand abundant supplies of water should be obtained from them. The water-bearing beds would be tapped at 100 to 300 feet in the extreme north and at 400 to 1,200 feet or more in the extreme south. The static head of the water in the Cretaceous deposits in the valleys of Ogeechee River and its tributaries in the central and southern parts of the county should be great enough to produce flows. 286 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN' OF GEORGIA. Water-bearing beds of sand in the Claiborne group are tapped at 50 to 100 feet in the north and at 50 to 500 feet in the south. Flow- ing weUs are obtained from the Claiborne group in the valleys of Ogeechee River and its tributaries in the southern part of the county. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Louisville (population 1,039, census of 1910). — At Louisville shallow dug wells are the chief source of domestic water supply, though artesian wells are owned by several residents. The town has no system of waterworks. An analysis of water from an artesian well at the fair grounds is given in Table 46 (analysis 2). McCaUie * gives the following information concerning wells at Louisville: There are five artesian wells in or near Louisville varying in depth from 350 to 450 feet. Water-bearing strata were struck in these wells at 200 and 300 feet, the main water supply being obtained from the latter stratum. Only those wells which are located on low ground furnish a flow. The following notes on the strata penetrated in putting down the Louisville deep wells were obtained from Mr. G. H. Harrell of Louisville: [General log of wells in and near Louisville {No. 3, Table 45).] Feet. Red motley clays 25 Fine yellow sand 40 Quicksand 6 Marl, with fragments of shell 8 Blue marl 100 Flint 0. 5 Marl, honeycombed rock, and lignite 100 Coarse sand with mica (?) In addition to the wells above noted, there is also another well located at a water station, 2 miles south of Louisville, on the Louisville & Wadley Railroad. This is a 4-inch well, 325 feet deep, and it furnishes 20 gallons of water per minute. Two water-bearing strata were struck in this well, one at 150 and the other at 300 feet from the surface. The former furnishes only a small flow, while the water from the latter rises 20 feet above the surface. An oil-prospecting well (No. 5, Table 45) 3^ miles southwest of Louisville completely penetrates the deposits of the Coastal Plain, including the Cretaceous and Eocene strata. Although the facts recorded furnish no direc fc information as to the character of the water- bearing strata encountered, the log of the well is instructive on account of the light which it throws on the structure of the region. The log, as furnished to McCallie 2 by James Tague, contractor, is as follows: i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 125, 126, 1908. ' 2 Idem, pp. 128-131. JEFFERSON COUNTY. 287 Log of oil-prospecting well 3% miles southeast of Louisville (No. 5, Table 45). Mixed clay and sand Sand and rock Blue clay Blue clay and sand Blue clay Sand Hard rock Soft sand rock Sand Hard rock Sand Soft rock Hard rock Blue clay Sand rock Sand and clay Blue clay Sand Blue clay and shale Hard rock Blue clay and sand layers Hard rock Sand Hard rock Blue and white clay Hard rock Sand Shale Sand Blue clay and shale Fine sand Clay and shale Fine sand Sand Red clay Red and white clay Red clay Sand White clay Hard clay Clay Sand with gas Sand with hard layers Mixed clay Sand Mixed clay Sand Clay Sand Tough clay Sand Hard layer Sand Sandy clay Sand Mixed clay Sand Mixed clays Sand Clay White and yellow sand. . . White clay Sand Shale Clay Sand Clay Hard layer Blue clay Sand Clay Sand Shale Sand Clay Clay and shale Very hard shale Cemented gravel Hard rock Thick- ness. Ft. in. 2 4 13 10 1 1 9 10 198 4 10 7 62 5 4 38 10 37 2 10 8 1 16 8 14 8 2 5 2 8 3 5 3 9 7 2 10 20 7 8 16 6 6 4 6 9 20 22 3 Depth. Ft. in. 68 8 74 8 76 8 91 93 96 96 99 113 114 116 119 120 132 142 150 169 171 176 177 184 188 11 204 4 205 10 208 10 209 6 213 6 219 9 223 9 269 6 275 6 298 307 10 505 10 510 5 532 11 562 2 581 6 583 10 584 6 588 599 661 665 704 741 751 759 775 783 798 798 800 10 843 853 870 8 896 11 913 4 929 4 948 7 955 4 965 4 976 4 979 11 999 1 1001 1 1006 1 1006 11 1027 6 1035 1052 1058 1062 1068 10SS 1111 1133 1140 1143 288 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Fossils characteristic of the Claiborne group of the Eocene were ob- tained at 250 feet. A fragment of a turtle supposed to be of Upper Cretaceous age was obtained at 380 feet. On the basis of these fos- sils the contact between the Cretaceous and Eocene deposits is here placed tentatively between 250 and 380 feet. Diorite gneiss, encoun- tered at 1,140 feet, doubtless represents the rock of the crystalline basement on which the deposits of the Coastal Plain rest. The prob- able total thickness of Cretaceous strata penetrated is therefore 790 feet. The Upper and Lower Cretaceous strata, both of which are be- lieved to be represented in the section, could not be differentiated. Wadley (population 872, census of 1910). — The town has no public water-supply system, but has about 15 artesian wells, owned by indi- viduals, which range in depth from 300 to 500 feet and flow 3 to 15 feet above the surface. Although the waters are moderately hard and emit strong odors of hydrogen sulphide they are potable. An analysis of water from one of the artesian wells is given in Table 46 (No. 4). McCallie 1 has published, on the authority of M. M. Caldwell, the following log of an artesian well at Wadley: Log of artesian well at Wadley. Thick- ness. Depth. Yellow clay Blue marl Sand Marl and limestone . Sand. Feet. 60 100 2 250 Feet. 60 160 162 412 Bartow (population 384, census of 1910). — Bartow is in the south- ern part of the county on a terrace plain a few feet above the swamp of Williamsons Swamp creek and 237 feet above sea level. The town has no system of waterworks, and water is obtained from arte- sian and shallow wells owned by individuals. The artesian wells range in depth from 160 to 525 feet and most of them flow small streams. They tap water-bearing strata in the Claiborne group (Mc- Bean formation) of the Eocene. McCallie 2 has published the fol- lowing log of a well at Bartow, prepared from memory by L. B. Clay, the driller: i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 126, 127, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 127-128. JEFFERSON COUNTY. 289 Log of deep well at Bartow (No. 2, Table 45). Thick- ness. Depth. Red, sandy clays Coarse gravel (?) Marl and sand (water bearing) Blue marl with an occasional layer of rock . . . Same as above, with sharks' teeth and shells. Feet. 12 40 60 250 163 Feet. 12 52 112 362 525 Spread (population 370, census of 1910). — Spread is in the northern part of the county on the Augusta Southern Railroad. Its exact elevation above sea level is not known but is thought to be approxi- mately 400 feet. The town owns an artesian well which, according to Mayor J. L. Denton, is 130 feet deep and taps a white water-bearing sand at the bottom. The water, which is soft but ferruginous, comes either from the base of the Claiborne group or from the upper part of the Cretaceous, and rises to within 16 feet of the surface. It is pumped to an elevated tank having a capacity of 1,300 gallons, from which it is distributed to the consumers. The system is, however, inadequate and furnishes only a portion of the domestic supply. (See Table 46, analysis 3.) Most of the water supply for domestic purposes is obtained from wells averaging about 30 feet in depth. Wrens (population 616, census of 1910). — McCallie 1 has published the following data concerning a well at Wrens: This well, which belongs to Mr. W. J. Wren, is located within a few hundred feet of the railway station. It is 4 inches in diameter and 556 feet deep, and it furnishes a maximum yield of 80 gallons per minute. The principal water-bearing stratum is at 525 feet from the surface, and the water rises to within 20 feet of the surface. It is used for general domestic and boiler purposes. This well was put down in 1897 at a cost of $400. The well just described taps a water-bearing bed at 525 feet in Cretaceous strata that were probably entered at about 175 feet. (See Table 46, analysis 5.) i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 128, 1908. 38418°— wsp 341—15 19 290 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 45. — Wells in Jefferson County. No. Location. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. A vera Bartow Louisville Louisville, 2 miles south of. Louisville, 3o miles southwest of. Louisville (old town) Spread Thos. S. Ivey John F. Brassell Louisville & Wadlev R. R.Co. Thos. S. Ivev... S. W. McCalliea. ....do ....do Feet. '""237 Town . Wad ley . Wrens . . W.J.Wren. .do. do J. L. Denton, mayor, and Da- vid Denton. S. W. McCalliea... W. W. Burnham a. 400 243 1897 No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. Flow. Pump. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 54 160-525 350-450 325 1,143 225? 130 Incites. Feet. Feet. 300 300 '266' 00 225 350 200 Feet. -52 + 7-10 Pumped. Flows. . . . +20 Both flowing and nonflowing. Flows 525 +28 -16 +3-15 -20 Flows Pumped; gasoline engine. Flows 80 Sulphurous; analysis 2, Table 46. Sulphurous. Soft; analysis 3, Table 46. Hard, sulphurous; analysis 4, Table 46. Aanalysis 5,Table 46. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 ?, Domestic, stock... McBean formation McBean formation? do 3 or more wells in vicinity. See log, p. 289. 5 wells in vicinity. See log, p. 286. S 4 Boiler supply of lo- comotives. 5 Oil-prospecting well. See log, p. 287. 6 McBean formation Cretaceous? McBean forma- tion? Cretaceous 7 Sand and gravel. . . 8 Domestic, boiler supply of loco- motives. Domestic, boiler supply. S450. Several wells. See log, p. 288. 9 Cost $400. a Georgia Ge'ol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 125-131, 1908. JENKINS COUNTY. 291 Table 46. — Analyses of under groxmd waters from Jefferson County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. June 3, 1911 Dec. 18,1912 May 8, 1911 Omaha Spring.. Well at the fair grounds. Town well Artesian well Well of W. Wren. J. Avera Louisville Spread... Wadley . . Wrens . . . Claiborne group. McBean forma- tion. Cretaceous? McBean forma- tion? Cretaceous 130 170-330 Edgar Everhart. Do. a Do. Do. a Do. 5.0 39 12 13 49 0.4 6 4.1 8.0 61.8 2.0 1.0 33 4.0 57 28 1.0 1.4 1.0 3.1 1.0 2.0 3.1| 2.8 6.0 8.91 I ' 12 0.0 47 .0 .0 .0 S3 8.0 102 1.0 9.4 2.0 11 8.0 4.0 .2 4.0 S.2 4.0 4.7 8.0 20 152 58 191 178 Remarks. PO<, 3.3 parts, well 3, Table 45. Well 7, Table 45. PO4, trace; free C0 2 , 13; well 8, Table 45. Total depth, 556 feet; well 9, Table 45. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 125-127, 1908. 6 Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. JENKINS COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Jenkins County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Millen, the county seat, is 53 miles south of Augusta. The area of the county is 342 square miles and its population is 11,520 (census of 1910) . Agriculture and the shipment of lumber and naval stores are the principal industries. A cotton-cloth factory and a few small manufacturing plants are located at Millen. TOPOGRAPHY. The greater part of the county is rolling to slightly hilly. West and northwest of Millen, however, the land is nearly level with a few lime sinks. Ogeechee River flows across the county and is bordered by a wide swamp and by a higher terrace plain. The known elevations at railroad stations are Millen, 158; Lawtonville, 225; Perkins, 252 (?); Paramore, 244; Scarboro, 157; Rogers, 162; and Herndon, 189. Some land in the eastern part of the county probably rises to 300 feet. GEOLOGY. The surface terrane over the eastern and southern parts of the county consists of 50 feet or less of irregularly bedded, locally indurated sands and clays of undetermined but probably upper Oligocene age. 292 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. These are underlain by the Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 75 to 100 feet of sands and clays similar to and not easily discrimi- nated from the overlying deposits and which outcrops in the valley slopes of Ogeechee River and its tributaries. The formation contains water-bearing beds. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by limestones and marls which probably represent in descending order the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene and the Jackson formation of the Eocene. The limestone that comes to the surface in an area of considerable extent northwest of Millen is mapped provisionally as Chattahoochee formation. The thickness of the limestones and marls is not known but probably amounts to not less than 250 feet. The limestones and marls, which are water bearing, supply shallow wells and are the source of several bold springs. The Claiborne group of the Eocene, which consists of 300 to 500 feet of sands, clays, and marls, underlies the undifferentiated limestones and marls of the Oligocene and upper Eocene; although the strata of the Claiborne group do not appear at the surface in the county they are abundantly water bearing and have been tapped by a dozen or more wells. The Claiborne group is underlain by a series of sedimentary deposits of Cretaceous age, probably 1,000 feet or more in thickness, and these in turn rest upon a deeply buried basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Cretaceous deposits are water bearing and in the valley of Ogeechee River should yield strong flows. Thin terrace deposits of sand and clay of Pleistocene age border Ogeechee River and rest upon the older formations. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. In the rural districts water for domestic use is obtained principally from dug wells 20 to 60 feet deep. Small seepage springs are common and yield soft waters. A mineral analysis of the water of Jones Spring, a small seepage spring a mile east of Thrift, is given in Table 48 (analysis 3). In the western part of the county there are a few bold limestone springs. Magnolia Spring, 6 miles north of Millen, yields several million gallons daily of hard sulphurous water. Artesians wells have been drilled at Millen, Rogers, Herndon, Per- kins, and Scarboro. Although artesian water can probably be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 300 to 600 feet or more, the area of flowing wells will probably be restricted to narrow belts of lowland bordering Ogeechee River and Buckhead Creek. JENKINS COUNTY. 293 LOCAL SUPPLIES. Milieu (population 2,030, census of 1910). — The public water sup- ply of Millen is derived from an artesian well, and several such wells are owned by individuals. The wells range in depth from. 320 to 565 feet, and all of them flow 3 to 20 feet above the surface. Water- bearing strata, probably belonging to the Claiborne group, are encountered at depths of 260, 300, 390, and 444 feet. The yield from the 444-foot stratum is said to be approximately 100 gallons per minute. The artesian water emits a strong odor of hydrogen sul- phide and is moderately hard but clear and wholesome. (See Table 48, analysis 1.) Perkins. — At Perkins there are three artesian wells, one of which, owned by Dr. W. E. Rushing, is 500 feet deep. The other two are about 300 feet deep. The principal water supply is from rock and sand at about 300 feet and the water rises to within 17 feet of the sur- face. An analysis of the water from Dr. Rushing's well is given in Table 48 (analysis 2) . Wells 20 to 60 feet deep and yielding soft waters are common. Herndon. — Herndon is on the terrace bordering Ogeechee River in the extreme western part of the county. Several fine artesian wells in the vicinity are from 200 to 500 feet deep. One well (No. 1, Table 47), owned by J. B. Jones and drilled in 1906, is 364.5 feet deep and flows 360 gallons a minute; its static head is 40 feet above the surface. The following log has been prepared from a set of well borings fur- nished by H. F. Loyd, the driller, which are on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well No. 1306), and from the driller's log: ' Log of well of J. B. Jones, Herndon {No. 1, Table 4-7). Thick- ness. Depth. Not reported Soft white limestone with sand at base which yielded a flow of 10 gallons a minute Fine light-gray, loose calcareous sand Light bluish-gray , finely arenaceous, calcareous clay or marl, interbedded with thin layers of gray calcareous sandstone containing Bryozoa and numerous fragments of shells White sandy limestone, soft at bottom, with numerous fragments of shells; yielded a flow of 20 gallons a minute Coarse water-bearing sand containing much lignite and numerous invertebrates, includ- ing Dendrophyllia, Trigonoarca, Ostrea, Pecten, Venericardia -ptanicosta? , Cytherea perovata Conrad, Turritella Feet. 40 125 25 150 Feet. 40 165 190 340 347 364.5 The fossils from the lowest layer were identified by T. W. Vaughan, who correlates the containing bed with the Claiborne group of the Eocene and probably with the McBean formation of that group. The artesian water at Herndon is considered hard, but that of the shallow wells is soft. The following partial log has been prepared from well borings on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well No. 294 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. 1565), furnished by H. F. Loyd, taken from a well (No. 3, Table 47), owned by Mrs. E. Daniel, 5 miles north of Herndon. It is not known whether the samples represent the total depth of the well. Partial log of well of Mrs. E. Daniel, 5 miles north of Herndon (No. 3, Table 47). Thick- ness. Depth. Missing White sandy limestone with numerous fragments of shells Light bluish-gray fine, very calcareous sand or marl, partly indurated Mixture of fragments of white limestone (one showing dendritic growth), blue calcareous sandstone, quartz grains, and fragments of shells; recognized Bryozoa, Balanus, and a fragment of Turritella Feet. 40 95 208 Feet. 40 135 343 343 Rogers. — At Rogers water is obtained from both shallow dug wells and deep artesian wells. McCallie 1 states that one well (No. 8, Table 47) is 351 feet deep and 4 inches in diameter and flows 80 gal- lons a minute; the water rises 24 feet above the surface. He pub- lished the following log of this well on authority of H. M. Loyd : Log of well at Rogers (No. 8, Table 47). Thick- ness. Depth. Blue clay Fine white sand B lue marl Black sand (water bearing) Blue marl and rock; last 50 feet soft rock Feet. 5 55 120 2 169 Feet. 5 60 180 182 351 Scarboro. — Scarboro is in the southeastern part of the county on the terrace bordering Ogeechee River, at an elevation of approxi- mately 157 feet above sea level. A well (No. 9, Table 47) owned by M. C. Sharpe, drilled in 1902, is 505 feet deep and yields water that rises to within 15 feet of the surface. McCallie 2 has published the following log : Log of well of M. C. Sharpe, Scarboro (No. 9, Table 47). Thick- ness. Depth. Sand Blue marl Soft rock with cavities Hard rock at 200 feet extending to bottom of well Feet. 4 100 40 361 Feet. 4 104 144 505 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 65, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 162-163,1908. JENKINS COUNTY. Table 47. — Wells in Jenkins County. 295 No. Location. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Herndon do Herndon (5 miles north of) . Millen Perkins." do J. B. Jones Mrs. E. Daniel. H. F. Loyd. do do H. F. Loyd S. W. McCaUieo... H. F. Loyd and E. Daniel. 1906 Feet. 189 189 Rogers . . . do... Scaiboro . W. E. Rushing. J. A. Rodgers. .. W.M. Wadley.. H. F. Loyd. J. F. Loyd.. M. C. Sharpe. H.M.Lloyd. H. F. Loyd.. W. E. Rushing.. J. S. Lake Postmaster S. W.McCallieo doo 1907 1909 1886 157 252 252 159 159 147 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. Flow. Pump. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 364.5 300 343? 320- 565 500 300 410 351 505 Incites . 4 2 Feet. 347 300 Feet. 160 300± 300 260 300 390 330 375 180 180 300 Feet. +40 + 14 -30 +3-20 -17 -17 + 18 + 24 -15 Galls. 360 30 Galls. Flows. , ....do. Flow. Steam engine. Flows do Hard. Soft. Analysis 1, Table 48. Analysis 2, Table 48. Hard. Do. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Claiborne group... . ...do 9 Porous limestone. . $475. See log, p. 293. 3 Jackson formation? Claiborne group. . . do Cost of well, $300. See log, p. 294. 4 D o m e s t ic and manufacturing. Rock 5 Rock and sand 3-inch casing to 155 feet. Cost of w y ell, 6 Domesticand boil- er supply. do $250; of pump, $15. Cost of well, $250. 7 do 8 9 do do do do Blue and marl rock See log, p. 294. Cost of well, $650. See log , p . 294. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 6+65, 162, 1908. 296 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 48. — Analyses of underground xvatcrs from Jenkins County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. Feet. 1 Claiborne group . 320-565 Edgar Everhart.a Do. ?, June 3. 1911 Well of W. E. Rushing. Perkins . 300± 3 Jones Spring ... Do. of. O "c? O a M Fi asO is ■a 03^. ■3 . o o . Remarks. 6 3 a o a '3 CD a 3 ■3 o m 03 O a o c3 o c3W s 14 o o Tig O EH 1 38 61.2 40 3.6 5.6 2.4 132 11 8.0 175 Wells 4, Table 47. 2 11 .5 64 1.0 4.0 0.0 183 26 0.2 6.0 200 Total depth, 500 feet; well 5, Table 47. 3 6.0 .8 2.5 .6 M .4 28 1.8 8.9 34 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 1.5, p. 160, 1908. b Fe2O 3 +Alo0 3 . JOHNSON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Johnson County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 292 square miles and its population 12,897 (cen- sus of 1910). Agriculture is the principal industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The eastern part is gently rolling, the topography being that char- acteristic of the Altamaha upland or wire-grass section. The valleys are shallow, the slopes are low and gentle, and .the clear streams flow through broad swamps. The western part is drained by Oconee Kiver and is somewhat broken and hilly. No determinations of altitude have been made, but from estimates based on established altitudes at Dublin, Laurens County, and Oco- nee, Washington County, the level of Oconee River in Johnson County is thought to be 180 to 185 feet above sea level. The land on the divide between Oconee and Ohoopee rivers is probably 200 feet higher. geology. Sands, clays, and marls of the Claiborne group of the Eocene out- crop to the northwest in Washington County and underlie the entire area of Johnson County beneath the younger formations, with a prob- able aggregate thickness of 300 to 400 feet. The Claiborne group is overlain by the Jackson formation (Eocene), which consists of 100 feet JOHNSON COUNTY. 297 or less of limestone interbedded with sandy layers and which outcrops in a small area in the northwest. The Jackson formation is overlain by 100 feet or less of limestone belonging to the Vicksburg formation (Oligocene), which outcrops in a small area in the northwest and prob- ably underlies the entire county. In the southern part of the county the Vicksburg formation is probably overlain by the sands and clays of the Alum Bluff formation (Oligocene), but these beds are not known to outcrop at the surface. Overlapping the Oligocene and Eocene formations and constituting the surface formation throughout all but a small area in the extreme northwest are irregularly bedded sands and clays of undetermined age. Beneath the Claiborne group and not appearing at the surface are 500 to 800 feet of sands and clays of Cretaceous age, which at depths of 1,000 to 1,200 feet or more rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. All the formations described doubtless contain water-bearing beds, but the Vicksburg formation, the Claiborne group, and the Cretaceous deposits are probably the most important aquifers. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The main sources of water supply are wells 20 to 40 feet deep, which yield soft waters. Small seepage springs are fairly common and there are a few bold limestone springs, but none are important as sources of domestic water supply. Deep wells have been drilled at Wrightsville, Idylwild, and Kite. Artesian water can be -obtained anywhere in the county at depths ranging from 100 to 1,000 feet or more. The prospects for obtaining flows on the lowlands bordering Oconee and Ohoopee rivers are good. Two flowing wells have been obtained at Idylwild on Ohoopee River, 3 miles below Wrightsville, but one of them flows only intermittently. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Wrightsville (population 1,389, census of 1910). — The town of Wrightsville owns a water-supply system and derives water from an artesian well (No. 5, Table 49) which was completed in 1911. The well is 409 feet deep, 8 inches in diameter, and yields 132 gallons of water a minute by pumping. Two water-bearing beds were struck, one at 170 feet and the other at 409 feet; the water from the first rises to within 45 feet of the surface, and that from the second,which is probably in the Claiborne group, to within 40 feet of the surface. Slits were cut in the casing to admit water from the 170-foot stratum, so that the water used is a mixture from the two beds. An analysis of the mixed waters is given in Table 50 (analysis 2). 298 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. An abandoned well (No. 4, Table 49), formerly used by the town, located on the town square at a somewhat higher elevation than the new well, is 578 feet deep, and in it the water rises to within 62 feet of the surface. This well furnished only 30 gallons of water a minute, too little for the needs of the city. An analysis is given in Table 50 (analysis 3). Idylwild. — Idylwild is a picnic resort on Ohoopee River, 3 miles south of Wrightsville. Two flowing wells have been obtained at this place, one 305 feet deep (No. 1, Table 49) and the other about 100 feet deep (No. 2, Table 49). The principal water-bearing bed is at a depth of 100 feet, and the water rises to a maximum height of about 2 feet above the surface. According to D. R. Thomas, how- ever, the 305-foot well ceases to flow in October, the static head falling to 2 feet below the surface, and does not flow again until Feb- ruary or March. Mr. Thomas has furnished an analysis of the water, by J. M. McCandless. (See Table 50, analysis 1.) Kite (population 241, census of 1910).— A well (No. 3, Table 49) at Kite, owned by the town, is reported to be 180 feet deep and to contain water that rises to -within 165 feet of the surface. In wells sunk to greater depths in this part of the county the static head would probably be much nearer the surface. Table 49. — Wells in Johnson County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Idylwild, 3 miles south of Wrights- ville. ....do Kite, 60 yards north- east of post office. Wrightsville (near courthouse). Wrightsville, Jj mile southeast of public square. D. R. Thomas. Town.. do. ....do. do Postmaster. Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S. C. S. W. McCalliea Arthur Pew, consult- ing engineer Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co! 1S90 1911 No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute by pump- ing. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 305 100 180 578 409 Inches. Feet. 100 100 180 430, 57S 170, 409 Feet. Feet. + 2to-2 + 2 -165 - 62 - 40 Galls. Flows. 30 130 Air-lift pump. Analysis 1, Table 50. Analysis 3, Table 50 Analysis 2, Table 50. o Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 131, 1908. JONES COUNTY; Table 49. — Wells in Johnson County — Continued. 299 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Vicksburg forma- tion? do Ceases to flow in October and begins to ?, . do flow again in February or March. 3 Domestic, etc Alum Bluff forma- tion. Claiborne group. . . do 4 5 Municipal supply 8-inch casing to 400 feet. Slits in casing admit water from the 170-foot stra- tum. Cost of well, SI ,800. Table 50. — Analyses of underground waters from Johnson County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Artesian well Town well Abandoned town well. Idylwild, 3 miles south of Wrights- ville. do Vicksburg for- mation? Claiborne group. do Feet. 100 170, 409 430, 578 2 3 Apr. 30,1911 Edgar Everhart. H. C. White.a k o . Remarks. •B 3 ,n S3 p< fc 5 C3 S o m 02 03 O PQ 3 03 |Z5 ,4 o > En 1 35 61.0 35 0.8 2.2 87 0.6 3.0 Total depth of well 305 feet. Phosphate radicle (P0 4 ) =0.1. Well 1, Table 49. 2 25 4.0 58 2.0 5.0 0.0 207 Tr. 0.2 9.5 226 Slits in casing admit water from the 170-foot stratum. Well 5, Table 49. 3 13 2.3 62 2.2 5.4 .0 190 15 5.6 41 241 Free carbon dioxide is present. Well 4, Table 49. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 131. JONES COUNTY. GENEEAL FEATURES. b Fe 2 03+Al20 3 . Jones County is located in the central part of Georgia on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 377 square miles and its population 13,103 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The southeastern part of Jones County, less than one-fourth the total area, lies in the Coastal Plain, the other three-fourths being 300 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. included in the Piedmont Plateau. The Coastal Plain area forms a part of the physiographic division of the fall-line hills. The surface is hilly, having been much dissected by the headwater streams of Commissioners and Big Sandy creeks. The maximum relief is prob- ably between 200 and 300 feet. The drainage is to Oconee River through its tributaries, Commissioners and Big Sandy creeks. GEOLOGY. Ancient crystalline rocks outcrop at the surface in the part of the county included within the Piedmont Plateau. Their upper surface slopes south and passes beneath the deposits of the Coastal Plain which form the surface materials in a relatively small area in the southeastern part of the county. These deposits are for the most part of Lower Cretaceous age and consist of coarse, irregularly bedded sands with subordinate clay lenses, the total thickness of which prob- ably does not exceed 100 feet. Overlapping the Lower Cretaceous deposits are small areas of sands and clays belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene, which occupy some of the ridges between the small streams. The Lower Cretaceous deposits are favorable in texture and com- position to the absorption and circulation of waters, but the small thickness attained by these deposits within the county limits pre- cludes the possibility of obtaining large quantities. However, sufficient amounts for domestic purposes are available at many places. WATER, RESOURCES. The area underlain by Lower Cretaceous deposits is relatively small and the greatest thickness of the Cretaceous strata probably does not exceed 100 feet. Consequently wells in the southeast more than 100 feet deep pass entirely through these deposits and enter the underlying basement crystalline rocks. J. R. Van Buren & Co., of Griswoldville, own a dug well 84 feet deep a mile north of the town, which yields a small amount of soft water from the Lower Cretaceous sands for general domestic purposes. Wells of a similar character are in use in other parts of this area. Mr. Van Buren has furnished a description of the materials pene- trated in the well just described. The log is given below: Log of iv ell of J. R. Van Buren & Co., 1 mile north of Griswoldville . Thick- ness. Depth. Sand, about White clay Red clay Silica sand, water bearing. White clay Feet. 8 (?) (?) (?) 6 Feet. 8 (?) (?) 78 84 LAURENS COUNTY. 301 Small springs in the Cretaceous area yield waters of good quality. Numerous small creeks and headwater branches furnish excellent water for stock and for making steam. As the Cretaceous strata in the southeastern part of the county probably do not exceed 100 feet in thickness, and as the topography of the region is such as to favor the rapid drainage of the beds, thus producing a low water table, only moderate supplies of water can be expected from this source. Little if any pressure is developed in the wells, and water from the Cretaceous beds in the area can scarcely be classed as artesian. LAURENS COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Laurens County is in the north-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Dublin, the county seat and commercial center, is 45 miles southeast of Macon. The area of the county is 806 square miles and the population is 35,501 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the principal industry, but the production of lumber and naval stores, though declining, is still important. Manufacturing plants at Dublin include cotton mills, fertilizer factories, cottonseed-oil mills, an ice factory, a furniture factory, and other small plants. TOPOGRAPHY. The county presents two fairly well marked types of topography. The northern part falls within the physiographic division known as the Dougherty plain and is characterized by a nearly level surface underlain by limestones and marked by lime sinks. It differs in soil, native vegetation, and topography from the part of the county south of Dublin and south of the Wrights ville & Tennille Railroad, where the surface exhibits low gently rounded sand hills, broad shallow valleys, and other features characteristic of the northern border of the Altamaha upland (long-leaf pine and wire-grass section). Oconee River, which flows through the county, is bordered by narrow swamps and at higher levels by Pleistocene terraces, which in places are easily distinguishable. The city of Dublin is situated in part upon such a terrace. The Oconee is a so-called muddy-water stream while its tributaries in the county are small clear-water streams. Determinations of altitude have been made on Oconee River and at the stations on the Macon, Dublin & Savannah Railroad. (See list of elevations, pp. 44-51.) The altitude of the low-water stage of Oco- nee River at Dublin is 160.6 feet above sea level and the upland both east and west of the river rises 100 to 150 feet above this level. 302 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. GEOLOGY. The Jackson formation (Eocene), which consists of 150 feet or more of limestones, outcrops in the extreme north and probably underlies the remainder of the county beneath younger formations. Limestones of the Vicksburg formation (Oligocene) overlie the Jackson formation and outcrop over much of the county north of Dublin and in the valley of Oconee River to a point about 10 miles below Dublin; they extend southward beneath younger formations beyond the southern limits of the county. The Vicksburg formation weathers to red or gray sands containing in places masses of flint. Undifferentiated limestones, probably representing the Vicksburg and Jackson formations, were penetrated in a well at Rentz between 147? and 310.5 feet. In the southern part of the county the Vicksburg formation is overlain by sands and clays of undetermined thickness belonging to the Alum Bluff formation. These outcrop only in the valley of Oconee River. Overlapping the Alum Bluff and Vicksburg formations and extend- ing north from the southern boundary of the county, apparently as an overlap across more than half the county, are irregularly bedded sands and clays of undetermined but probably upper Oligocene age. The thickness of these beds probably does not exceed 100 feet and in most places is probably much less than this amount, and the maxi- mum combined thickness of the Vicksburg and Alum Bluff forma- tions probably does not exceed 200 or 250 feet. Terrace sands of Pleistocene age have been deposited in limited areas bordering Oconee Itiver. The Jackson formation is underlain by 400 or 500 feet of sands, clays, and marls belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene, but these beds do not appear at the surface within the county. The Claiborne in turn is underlain by perhaps 600 to 800 feet of sands and clays of Cretaceous age which rest upon a deeply buried surface of ancient crystalline rocks. The Vicksburg and Jackson formations, the Claiborne group, and the Cretaceous deposits are believed to be important aquifers. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 20 to 60 feet deep are the main sources of water supply, but a few artesian wells have been drilled. The water of the shallow wells is soft, except in places in the north- ern part of the county where the wells penetrate calcareous layers in the Vicksburg or Jackson formations. The water of the artesian LAURENS COUNTY. 303 wells thus far obtained is hard but is suitable for general domestic purposes. Small springs are fairly common but are not used extensively. (See analyses 2, 3, and 4, Table 52.) Parker Spring is near Lovett, and Rinehart Keystone Mineral Spring, locally reputed to possess therapeutic properties, is near Dudley. In the limestone areas there are several large springs. (See p. 304.) Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more, and flowing wells are possible in the valleys at elevations not more than 70 feet above low-water level of Oconee River. In the southern part of the county the limestones of the Vicks- burg and Jackson formations are the most promising aquifers. Throughout the county the deeply buried Eocene and Cretaceous deposits are promising sources of artesian water. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Dublin (population 5,795, census of 1910). — According to McCallie x the municipal water supply of Dublin, the county seat, is obtained from several flowing artesian wells, 300 to 850 feet deep, on a terrace about 50 feet above low-water level of the river. One water-bearing stratum was encountered at 185 feet, probably in the Vicksburg formation, and another at 295 feet in either the Jackson formation or the Claiborne group of the Eocene. The water from the 295-foot stratum rises 30 feet above the surface. In one of the city wells the principal water-bearing bed is 375 feet, accord- ing to Mayor E. S. Orr. The water is hard, but has proved satis- factory for general domestic purposes. (See analysis 1, Table 52.) Several flowing wells are owned by individuals. Dexter (population 550, census of 1910). — The main sources of domestic water supply at Dexter are dug wells 20 to 60 feet deep, which tap the water-bearing gravels and sands beneath layers of clay. The town owns a. water-supply system, used chiefly for fire protection. The water is derived from a drilled well and is reported to be hard. Tingle. — At Tingle, a small station on the Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad 7 miles southwest of Dublin, a well owned by Jeptha Tingle is 242 feet deep and flows 20 feet above the surface. The water is derived from limestone, probably belonging to the Jackson formation. (See analysis 5, Table 52.) Rentz (population 275, census of 1910). — A well 310.5 feet deep, owned by the Rentz Lumber Co., has been drilled at Rentz. A sample said to represent the materials between 147 and 310.5 feet (sample on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey, i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 132-133, 1908. 304 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. well No. 770) is a white, porous, fossiliferous limestone in which were recognized fragments of echinoids, Bryozoa, and Pecten per- planus Morton ? (identified by T. W. Vaughan) . The Bryozoa were examined by R. S. Bassler, who regards them as related to the bryozoan fauna of Jackson age (Eocene) obtained from limestones at Wilmington, N. C, but states that they may indicate either a Jackson or a Vicksburg age for the material. Limestone springs. — Well, Rock, and Wilkes springs, 9 to 14 miles south of Dublin, are the largest in the county. They are in the lowland on the west side of Oconee River at elevations not exceeding 15 feet above the level of the river and are therefore subject to over- flow. The springs emerge from caverns in limestones and each probably yields more than a million gallons daily. Thundering Spring, about 12 miles northeast of Dublin, is a large limestone spring in which the level of the water continually rises and falls. An analysis of water from Lovett Spring, owned by L. P. Fordham, near Lovett, is given in Table 52 (analysis 3) . Table 51. — Wells in Laurens County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Dublin Sam Basbinski N. T. Bastick... John Carter H. F. Loyd M.D.Mikle,Arabi Mrs. N.T. Bastick. Feel. ? do E. S. Orr, mayor. . . 1896 1905 1910 184 3 Rentz Lumber Co... Jeptha Tingle, R. D. 3, Dublin. 4 Tingle (7 miles south- west of Dublin). D. R.Thomas and Jeptha Tingle. No. Depth. Feet. 290 375 310.5 242 Diam- eter. Inches. 4*,2 ■---"• Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Feet. 375 "242' Depth to other water- bearing beds. Feet. 200, 280 '"'226' Height of water above surface. Yield per minute. Flow. Pump. Galls. 160 "26' Galls. How obtained. Flows. Flows. Quality. Hard. Analysis 5, Table 52. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Jackson formation? ? Cost of well, S800. 3 Jackson formation ? do 4 Limestone LEE COUNTY. 305 Table 52. — Analyses of underground waters from Laurens County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Well at munici- pal water-sup- ply plant. Rinehart Key- stone Mineral Spring No. 4. Lovett Spring, owned by L. P. Fordham. Parker Spring, owned by 0. W. Parker. Well of Jeptha Tingle. Dublin Jackson forma- tion? Feet. 1S5-295 9 June 3,1911 July, 1909 Sept., 1909 May 11,1911 Do. 3 Vicksburg for- mation? Do. 4 Lovett, J mile southwest of. Tingle (7 miles south west of Dublin). Do. 5 Jackson forma- tion? 220-242 Do. CD o a o rt CD Ti T3 O 03 t> ^ a ^ M u t-i ^ T3 ■O . Cm ° (J O . O 3 "a? 03 o a a 03 a a - o 5d oW CD CO "of y ~' 03^ O CO T3 o" a is 03 c3 Remarks. Pi a £2 p. fH £ 3 h-l 03 O § o CO o p-l 03 o « DQ £ Q > o 1 20 62.6 68 3.7 6.6 3.1 0.0 211 17 5.6 231 Free carbon dioxide (CC>2)= 64. 2 2.0 .2 8.0 .5 3. ) .0 29 Tr. 0.4 4.0 40 3 17 .1 50 .2 5.0 .4 144 2.6 5.0 158 4 14 .2 1.5 .8 2.8 .1 10 2.4 4.4 30 5 32 1.5 58 3.0 8. . .0 203 1.0 Tr. 5.0 256 Well 4, Table 51. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 132, 1908. & Fe20 3 +Al20 3 . LEE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Lee County lies in the west-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Flint River forms the eastern boundary. Leesburg, the county seat, is 89 miles south of Macon and 24 miles north of Albany. The area of the county is 326 square miles and its population 11,679 (census of 1910). Agriculture and the production of lumber and naval stores are the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. Lee County is in general nearly level. Lime sinks are numerous and are commonly shallow. They vary in size from those having a diameter of 50 feet to those covering 100 acres or more. Many of them contain water during either a part or all of the year, and some support a growth of cypress trees. In some of the sinks, which appear to be connected with underground streams, the level of the water has been known to rise or fall suddenly. The surface of the county is estimated to lie between 200 and 335 feet above sea level. 38418°— wsp 341—15 20 306 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation (Oligocene), which appears at the surface throughout practically all the county, consists of 200 to 300 feet of impure, cavernous, water-bearing limestones, which weather at the surface to red sandy clays, or sands containing fragments and masses of flint. The thickness of the residual materials varies from place to place, but is usually great enough to supply shallow dug wells. Small areas of thin Pleistocene terrace deposits border Flint River. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by 200 to 300 feet of un- differentiated sediments of Eocene age, which contain important water-bearing beds. The Eocene deposits are in turn underlain by 1,500 feet or more of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age, also important for their contained artesian waters. At an unknown depth, probably between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water for domestic use is obtained chiefly from dug or bored wells 30 to 90 feet deep, and from many artesian wells 160 to 900 feet deep. The dug and bored wells tap water-bearing beds in the Vicksburg formation, and although they commonly afford an abundance of water, the yield in some of them has been known to decrease during dry seasons. Limestone springs are fairly common, but none of large size have been reported, and none are of much importance as sources of water supply. The waters of creeks and ponds are suitable for stock and, being softer, are usually more satisfactory for boiler supply than the waters of artesian wells. Artesian water can be obtained at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more, and it is probably possible, by deep drilling, to obtain flowing wells throughout the greater part of the county. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Leesburg (population 705, census of 1910). — There are three pub- he and several private artesian wells at Leesburg. According to McCallie, 1 the earlier of the three public wells (No. 3, Table 53), drilled in 1893, is 540 feet deep and contains water that rises to within 12 feet of the surface. (See analysis 2, Table 54.) Another well is at the town light plant (No. 4, Table 53) and is about 300 feet deep; it does not flow. Its Water is hard and differs somewhat in mineral character from that of the deeper well. (See analysis 3, Table 54.) J Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 133, 134, 1908, LEE COUNTY. 307 Other deep wells at Leesburg, owned by individuals, range in depth from 160 to 750 feet; some are flowing wells and some nonflowing. Additional information is given by McCallie 1 as follows: W. M. Johnston's well, located on his plantation, 2| miles west of Leesburg, has a depth of 150 feet and furnishes a flow 6 feet above the surface. Two water-bearing strata are reported, but only the second stratum furnishes a flow. The well is 3 inches in diameter and flows about 18 gallons per minute. The flow is said to be somewhat reduced in dry seasons. The following record is furnished : [Log of W. M. Johnston's well, 2\ miles west of Leesburg (No. 7, Table 53).] Feet. Clay 0- 9 Limestone 9- 13 Cavity 13-24 Marl : 24-104 Limestone with flint 104-144 Sand (water bearing) 144-150 In addition to the well here described, Mr. Johnston also has three ether wells on his plantation, varying from 100 to 384 feet in depth, but none of these wells furnish a flow. The water is used only for general farm purposes. Smithville (population 574, census of 1910). — The public water sup- ply at Smithville is obtained in part from three artesian wells, one about 900 feet deep and each of the other two 370 feet deep. The 900-foot well (No. 11, Table 53) flows, but the water is raised by a pump to a tank and thence distributed to the consumers. The water is clear, soft, and sulphurous, and is satisfactory for domestic use. In the 370-foot wells the water rises to within 25 feet of the surface. Two wells, each about 900 feet deep, owned by the Central of Georgia Railway Co. supply water used principally in the locomotive boilers. A description of one of the wells is given by McCallie 2 as follows : One of the railroad wells, which is 3 inches in diameter, attains a depth of 900 feet. Two water-bearing strata are reported in this well — one at 500 and the other at 900 feet. Water rises 20 feet above the surface. It is used to supply the railroad water tank. The flow at the surface is about 50 gallons a minute. Mr. G. W.Warwick, the well contractor, has furnished the following partial record: [Log of Central of Georgia Railway Co.'s well at Smithville (No. 12, Table 53).] Feet. Clay and sand to 40 Clay of various colors to 140 Cavernous rock (?) to 240 Blue clay with shells and sharks' teeth to 340 Limestone 345 Cavernous limestone with corals (?) At the bottom of the well the drill struck very hard rock that could not be pene- trated. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 134,135, 1908. ■ Idem, p. 135, 308 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Armena. — Arinena is a station on the Seaboard Air Line Railway in the southwestern corner of the county. The following description of deep wells at this place is given by McCallie : 1 The deep wells at Armena, owned by Mr. I. P. Cocke, are three in number. They vary in depth from 290 to 450 feet. They are all nonflowing wells, and they were sunk chiefly to obtain water for plantation uses. The water rises to a varying height of from 24 to 68 feet of the surface. Mr. Cocke gives the following record of one of his wells: [Log of I. P. Cocke's well at Armena (No. 2, Table 53).] Feet. Blue clay 0-40 Limestone 40-190 Quicksand 190-250 ' Flint (?) 250-280 Cavity from which water rises to within 25 feet of the surface . . . 280-290 Adams. — Adams is a small station on the Central of Georgia Rail- way between Smithville and Leesburg. The water supply here is obtained from dug and drilled wells ranging in depth from 30 to 180 feet. One well (No. 1, Table 53), owned by Mr. L. G. Council, is 180 feet deep; the water in it stands within 15 feet of the surface. PJiilema. — Philema is a small station near Flint River on the Al- bany & Northern Railroad. In the vicinity of the town there are several artesian wells drilled for plantation use. A well (No. 9, Table 53) near the station is 124 feet deep and once flowed 15 feet above the surface, but now flows only 18 inches above it. The yield is affected by droughts and by periods of heavy rainfall. Lime- stone was struck at a depth of 40 feet. The water is said to be derived from a sand bed at the bottom. A well (No. 10, Table 53) on the Brown plantation at Philema Quarters, one-half mile west of Philema station, is 142 feet deep. When the well was completed the water rose above the surface, but it now stands 15 feet below the surface. The elevation of the mouth of the well is a few feet above that of the other wells just described in this vicinity. (See analysis 4, Table 54.) On the Starr farm (S. B. Brown plantation), a mile north of the station, there is a well (No. 8, Table 53) 114 feet deep which flows 6 feet above the surface. Casing extends to 40 feet, at which depth limestone is said to have been encountered. The well is on the second river terrace about 50 feet above low-water level of Flint River. (See analysis 5, Table 54.) i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 136, 137, 1908. LEE COUNTY. 309 Table 53. — Wells in Lee County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 L. G. Council, Amer- icus. I. P.Cocke C. W. Scarborough S. W.McCallieo Feet. 275 Town do .. 1893 300± 300 ± 4 do City light plant C. H. Beazley... 5 do 300 ± 300? 6 do Town J. J. Cocke E.B.Martin S. W.McCalliea . 1905 7 Leesburg (2J miles west of). Philema (1 mile north of). Philema (near sta- tion). Philema (i mile west of). W. M. Johnston 300? 8 S. B. Brown ( b ) 9 do.. in S.B.Brown do ii G.W. Warwick . G. W. Warwick and S. W. Mc- Callie. a S. W. McCalliea 1890 332 T> do Central of Georgia Ry 332 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. Quality. Flow. Pump. 1 Feet. 180 290-450 540 300 ± 750 165 150 114 124 142 900± 900 Inches. 6 Feet. Feet. Feet. -15 -24-68 -12 Galls. Galls. Hand pump Hard. 9 Hard; analysis 1, Table 54. Hard; analysis 2, Table 54. Hard; analysis 3, Table 54. 3 3 3 4 5 6 3 3 165 144-150 150 -20 + 6 + 6 + n 18 5 Hard. 7 Flows 8 do. Analysis 5, Table 54. 9 .... do 10 -15 + 18 +20 Analysis 4, Table 54. Soft, sulphurous. 11 4 3 900 350-400 500 Flows, but is pumped to tank. Flows n 50 Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Domestic Vicksburg forma- tion. Cost of well, $180; cost of pump, $15. 3 wells. See log, p. 308. Cost of well, $1,200. ?, Cavity in rock 3 Domestic do 4 do :... 5 6 Domestic, manu- facturing. Farm use Cretaceous? Vicksburg forma- tion. do 7 reported 100 to 700 feet deep, some of which flow 12 feet above surface; cost of well, $165; cost of pump, $20. 8 100 to 384 feet deep. See log, p. 307. 9 do 10 do 11 Municipal supply . Boiler supply of locomotives. Cretaceous Limestone from 330 to 470 feet; two 12 do other wells, each 370 feet deep ; owned by the town, were drilled in 1904; water rises to within 25 feet of the surface. See log, p. 307. Railway owns another similar well. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 133, 137, 1908. & Elevation about 50 feet above low-water level of Flint River. 310 UNDERGBOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. Table 54. — Analyses of underground waters from Lee County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. Mar., 1909 Mar. 30,1911 ....do Well of I. P. Cocke. Town well (drilled 1893). Well at city light plant. S. B. Brown (Quarters well). S. B. Brown (Starr farm well). Armena.. Leesburg. ....do... Philema . . ....do.... Eocene?. do... do... Vicksburg for- mation. do Feet. 290+ 540 300± 142 114 Edgar Everhart. o Db.o Edgar Everhart. Do. Do. o o o ■a ■a o T3 > 6 a" "o? O a Is a 3 03 o Ph 03 0>O 03 56 •a 03^ O 03 *-< . ©C o . «!2 6 03 O 5 a o 1 a < a '3 o CD a 03 a -3 o a o k. 03 o 03 O s "oj w ■a p, "3 m ©w H J-t .3 o S o o3 Ph P- o A Ph -og "ol o 1 9.2 62.1 60 0.7 1.9 0.7 183 5.9 6.3 174 2 3.5 66.2 26 3.4 27 5.0 151 13 5.2 195 3 18 .5 0.5 54 1.2 2.9 .3 148 3.1 3.0 169 4 13 12 49 2.0 4 0.0 178 2.0 0.2 3.6 0.1 177 5 12 1.5 44 3.2 2 9 .0 166 4.8 2.5 3.0 167 Remarks. Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 )=22; well 2, ♦ Table 53. Well 3, Table 53. Well 4, Table 53. Well 10, Table 53. Well 8, Table 53. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 133, 134, 136, 1908. LIBERTY COUNTY. b Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. GENERAL FEATURES. Liberty County, the third largest county in the State, is on the coast in the eastern part of the Coastal Plain. Its area is 936 square miles and its population is 12,924 (census of 1910). The production and shipment of naval stores and lumber are the principal industries, but farming is carried on to an important extent in the north. A large roofing-tile factory at Ludowici is the only important manufacturing establishment. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is divisible into three physiographic parts: (1) A nearly level marine terrace plain (the Satilla), which extends 15 to 20 miles inland from the coast and lies 10 to 25 feet above sea level; (2) a sand-covered plain (the Okefenokee), which lies 60 to 100 feet above sea level and parallels the first plain, the two being separated by a low escarpment which is easily recognizable in the vicinity of Wal- thourville and Hinesville; and (3) a small area of level to slightly rolling land (the Altamaha upland), in the west near the Tattnall County line, which is, for the most part, more than 100 feet above sea LIBERTY COUNTY. 311 level and is better drained than the lower plains just described. The county is dotted with small cypress and gum swamps. Altamaha River, which forms the southwestern boundary of the county, is bordered by a wide swamp limited on the east by a low sand ridge. East of the sand ridge there is an area of low, flat, clay land subject to overflow during very high water stages of the river. Bordering the coast are numerous islands separated from each other by a network of short tidewater creeks and rivers. Salt-water marshes and tidewater swamps cover considerable areas on the islands and on the adjacent mainland. The streams have shallow valleys and the creeks and branches flow sluggishly or spread out through swamps which border their courses. Geologically the whole land surface is of relatively recent origin and has been only slightly affected by stream erosion or other destructive processes. GEOLOGY. White or yellow sands and subordinate clays or silts, of Pleistocene age, cover the surface from the coast inland to a few miles west of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Their maximum thickness is believed to be less than 50 feet, and over most of the area they are much thin- ner. They are the source of some of the waters obtained in shallow dug and driven wells. Throughout the remainder of the county in the west, irregularly bedded sands and clays of undetermined geologic age, whose aggregate thickness probably does not exceed 50 or 75 feet, appear at the surface and supply waters to shallow dug or driven wells. A series of undifferentiated Tertiary deposits underlies the sur- ficial deposits. In their upper 400 or 450 feet these deposits consist of sands, greenish or drab sandy clays, with subordinate layers of lime- stone, phosphatic sand, or sandy shell marl and gravel, and probably include representatives of the Pliocene, the Miocene, and the Alum Bluff formation of the Oligocene. Below them lies 800 to 900 feet or more of soft limestones interbedded with layers of sand and shell marl, probably representing the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene and the Jackson formation of the Eocene. The limestones are followed by sands which extend to a depth of about 1,900 feet (see section of well at Doctortown, Wayne County, p. 453), below winch nothing definite is known concerning the deposits. It is believed, however, that the Tertiary deposits are underlain by a considerable thickness of sediments of Cretaceous age, and that at some unknown depth, perhaps 3,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Tertiary deposits and probably also the Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. 312 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Throughout the county dug or driven wells, 10 to 30 feet deep, are the main source of domestic water supply. Artesian wells have been drilled at or near Ludowici, Donald, Allenhurst, Flemington, Rice- boro, Dorchester, Arcadia, and on St. Catherines Island. There are a few small seepage springs in the northern part of the county. An analysis of water from one such spring, owned by T. J. Harrington, near Donald, is given in Table 56 (analysis 3). Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. Flowing wells are believed to be possible at all places less than 75 feet above sea level. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Ludowici (population 541, census of 1910). — Driven wells 20 to 30 feet deep are the principal source of water for domestic use at Ludo- wici, but there are also three artesian wells, one owned by the town and two by individuals. The public well (No. 8, Table 55), drilled in 1907, is near the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station 71 feet above sea level. The well is 589 feet deep and the principal water-bearing bed is said to be a shell marl at the bottom. Originally the water rose to the surface, and in order to obtain a natural flow a shallow basin was excavated about the casing; however, in 1909 the static head had decreased to 5 feet below the surface and the flow ceased. The water emits a distinct odor of hydrogen sulphide and its content of iron is rather high; it is, however, suitable for general domestic purposes. An analysis is given in Table 56 (analysis 2). The following is a partial log: Partial log of town well at Ludowici {No. 8, Table 55). Thick- ness. Depth. Red sand Blue clay Gray sand Sandstone Sand Blue clay Blue rock Sand Blue clay Sand (shells and teeth at 260 feet) Blue and white clay Gray sand Greenish clay and sand Not reported Marl Feet. 40 60 5 1 2 1 2 39 15 95 40 10 30 (?) (?) Feet. 40 100 105 106 108 109 111 150 165 260 300 310 340 (?) (?) 589 An artesian well (No. 9, Table 55) at the roofing-tile factory of the Ludowici-Celadon Co. is 607 feet deep. The water from the principal LIBERTY COUNTY. 313 water-bearing bed rises to within 7 feet of the surface. The mouth of the well is about 3 feet higher than that of the public well, but probably draws from the same water-bearing beds. A water-bearing shell marl was found at 300 feet, from which the water rose to within 25 feet of the surface. A fossil fecten resembling P. sayanus was obtained from the 300-foot stratum, which suggests that the bed belongs to the Alum Bluff formation. Donald. — Two deep wells (Nos. 3 and 4, Table 55) have been drilled near Donald, a small town on the Georgia Coast & Piedmont Railroad, 10 miles northwest of Ludowici. W. J. Floyd, the well contractor, has furnished the following logs and other detailed information concerning these wells: Log of well of S. H. Howard, 3 miles southeast of Donald (No. 3, Table 55). Thick- ness. Depth. Feet. Feet. 2 2 10 12 5 17 14 31 37 68 2 70 31 101 6 107 35 142 12 154 6 160 24 184 14 198 23 221 3 224 22 246 36 282 24 306 10 316 18 334 21 355 14 369 25 394 8 402 Soil Hard red clay Sandy clay Sand Clay Sand Chalky clay Hard blue pipe clay Sand and coarse gravel Dark marl Salmon-colored clay Fine sand Coarse sand Soft rock Hard flint Hard pipe clay Hard marl Fine sand Hard marl Soft rock Coarse sand, water bearing Hard rock Soft porous rock, water bearing Hard fine rock like soapstone . . Log of well of T. J. Harrington, 1 mile south of Donald (No. 4, Table 55). [Elevation of curb 12 feet below Georgia Coast & Piedmont R. R. track at Donald.] Thick- ness. Depth. Alternating layers of clay, sand, and gravel Hard rock Clay (streaked) Sand with thin layers of rock Hard sandstone Hard grayish stone Hard whitish flint Soft rock Hard r ock Soft i u'ck Hard rock Soft rock Soft marl Soft rock Porous rock, water bearing Marl and layers of hard whitish rock Hard rock Rock with large pockets containing water. Feet. 400 9 5 13 7 13 4 4 19 9 3 25 16. 23 8 60 22 20 Feet. 400 409 414 427 434 447 451 455 474 483 486 511 527 550 558 618 640 660 314 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Allenhurst. — A well (No. 1, Table 55) owned by the Byers-Allen Lumber Co. at Allenhurst, 12 miles east of Ludowici, completed in 1909, is 546 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter. It flows 800 gallons a minute 8 feet above the surface. The water is sulphurous and is used for domestic purposes and for boiler supply at a large lumber mill. A log of the well has been furnished by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., of Charleston, S. C. Log of well of Byers-Allen Lumber Co., Allenhurst (No. 1, Table 55). Thick- ness. Depth. Clay Clay and sand layers Fine sand Coarse sand and gravel (water) Fine sand and marl a layers B lue marl a Marl and sand Coarse sand Alternating marl and sand Marl and rock Rock, medium hard, small flow Marl and sand Rock and marl Marl and sand Limestone, flow increased Shell formation; flows 800 gallons a minute from depth of 500 feet. Not reported Feet. 20 20 10 20 30 30 20 20 130 40 20 40 20 20 40 20 46 Feet. 20 40 50 70 100 130 150 170 300 340 360 400 420 440 480 500 546 (i All the strata called "marl" are probably clay. Flemington. — There are several flowing wells near Flemington. A well (No. 7, Table 55) owned by A. G. Caison, a mile east of the post office, is 181 feet deep and flows a small stream 6 feet above the surface. A sample of water was analyzed for comparison with the water of the deeper well at Ludowici. (See Table 56, analysis 1.) St. Catherines Island. — Six artesian wells on St. Catherines Island, five of which flow, are used for general domestic and plantation purposes. The wells are less than 500 feet in depth and furnish strong flows. Their static head is said to be slightly affected by the tides. 1 W. J. Floyd, the driller, has furnished information regarding a well (No. 12, Table 55) drilled in 1909, at the south end of the island, 6 feet above sea level. This well is 438 feet deep, is cased to 230 feet, and flows 60 gallons a minute. Its static head is 42 feet above the surface. Log ofivell on St. Catherines Island (No. 12, Table 55). Sand Coarse sand and gravel with shells Sand Greenish marl Grayish marl Marl and layers of soft rock with first flow at 398 feet Marl and layers of rock; flow at 432 feet i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 139, 1908 Thick- ness. Feet. 38 3 189 80 75 13 40 Depth. Feet. 38 41 230 310 385 398 438 LlfeEKTY COUNTY. 315 Other localities. — Flowing wells are the chief source of water supply at Eiceboro, Dorchester, and Arcadia. At each place the wells are less than 500 feet deep and yield strong flows of moderately hard water emitting an unpleasant odor of hydrogen sulphide. (See Table 55.) Table 55. — Wells in Liberty County. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate tion above level. Allenhurst . Byers-Allen Lum- ber Co. Arcadia Donald, 3 miles southeast of. Donald, 1 mile south of. Dorchester Dorchester, 2 miles west of. Flemington Ludowici do Riceboro Riceboro, 1 mile northeast of. St. Catherines Island Town S. H. Howard. Hughes Spe- cialty Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S. C, J. R. Connelly , driller in charge. Hughes Spe- cialty Well Drill- ing Co., Charles- ton, S. C. Feet. +10 T. J. Harrington. W. P. Wait. ....do W. J. Floyd, R. F. D. 2, Sa- vannah. do Driller. .do. 1913 1912 S. W. McCalliea. ....do A. G. Caison. Town F. L. Perry J. W. Wiggins . Ludowici - Celadon Co. Seaboard Air Line Ry- A. E. Winn J. W. Wiggins and R. L. Home. 1907 + 71 + 74 S. W. McCallie <*. J. Raner . W. J. Floyd. do W.J.Floyd. + 6 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. Flow. Pump. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 546 225 402 660 470 450 181 607 460? 430? 438 Inches. 10 Feet. Feet. 150 223 369-394 640-660 334-355 550-558 Feet. + 8 +20 -14 -11 Galls. 800 50 Galls. 120 181 589? 592? 450? 350? 398-438 300 350 350 +30 + 6 - 5 - 7 100 1,200 2 Flows do Suction pump and gasoline engine. do Flows do do + 42 Flows. do. do. Hard and sulphur- ous. Hard. Sulphurous; analy- sis 1, Table 56. Analysis 2, Table 56. Hard. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 137-139, 1908. 316 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 55. — Wells in Liberty County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Manufacturing, domestic. Limestone and shell marl. See log, p. 314. 2 do 3 do Porous rock Soft porous rock . . . 6-inch casing to 165 feet; 4-inch casing 4 do . . do to 243 feet; 21-inch casing to 363 feet. Cost of well, . f 900; of machinery, $325. See log, p. 313. 8-inch casing to 200 feet; 6-inch casing to 409 feet; 4-inch casing to 550 feet. Cost of well, $1,600; of machinery, $275. See log, p. 313. 5 do 6 do 7 do 3-inch casing to 72 feet. See log, p. 312. g do 9 do 10 ....do 11 ....do 12 do Marl and layers of rock. 3-inch casing to 230 feet. Cost of well, $450. Table 56. — Analyses of underground waters from Liberty County. [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Pe) Aluminum ( Al) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) . Sulphate radicle (SO^). . . . . . Nitrate radicle (NO3) Chlorine(Cl) Total dissolved solids 28 6.0 16 4.0 54 1.2 202 7.0 .0 5.0 236 28 14 20 2.0 195 7.0 Trace. 3.5 240 8.5 3.5 .2 2.0 1.6 4.7 .4 8.7 41 1. Well No. 7, Table 55. Sample collected May 5, 1911. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Well No. 8, Table 55. Sample collected Apr. 8, 1911. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 3. Spring of T. J. Harrington, near Donald (10 miles northwest of Ludowici). Water from undifferen- tiated surficial deposits. Edgar Everhart, analyst. LOWNDES COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Lowndes County is in the south-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia and is one of the tier of counties bordering Florida. Its area is 482 square miles and its population 24,436 (census of 1910). The shipment of lumber and naval stores are important industries. Cotton goods, fertilizers, and other products are manufactured at Valdosta. Sea-island cotton is the most important agricultural product. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county is, in general, a nearly level plain, on which are numerous cypress ponds. In the south the surface is nearly level to slightly undulating. Lime sinks are numerous, some LOWNDES COUNTY. 317 of them being dry and others holding ponds and lakes, the waters of which are clearer than the waters of the streams. Ocean Pond, one of the largest of the few lakes of the State, has an area of 5 to 6 square miles. The county is bounded on the west by Withlacoochee River and is partly bounded on the east by Alapaha River. These streams have cut their beds 75 to 100 feet below the upland plain on which Valdosta is located, and are bordered by two low, sand-covered terrace plains, the lower of which lies 10 to 15 feet and the upper 30 to 40 feet above low-water level. The known altitudes above sea level are Valdosta 218, Naylor 195, and Ousley 151 feet on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad; Dasher 185, Lake Park 167, Melrose 154, State Line 161, Mineola 220, and Hahira 236 feet on the Georgia Southern & Florida Railway; Withla- coochee River water level 124, bridge level 140 feet. GEOLOGY. The Chattahoochee formation (Oligocene), which consists of 150 feet or more of porous, cavernous, water-bearing limestones, outcrops on Withlacoochee River, in the southern part of the county, and underlies the entire county beneath younger formations. The Chattahoochee formation is overlain by 50 to 150 feet of greenish sands and sandy clays belonging to the Alum Bluff formation (Oligo- cene), which outcrops in the southern part of the county and in the valleys of Withlacoochee and Alapaha rivers and their tributaries, and which locally contains water-bearing beds. Over the greater part of the county north of the latitude of Lake Park the Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 75 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays of undetermined but possibly upper Oligocene age. Terrace sands of Pleistocene age have been deposited in narrow areas border- ing Withlacoochee and Alapaha rivers. The limestones of the Chattahoochee formation are believed to be underlain by similar water-bearing limestones referable to the Vicks- burg formation (Oligocene), but the two formations have not been accurately discriminated in the county. However, fossils of Vicks- burg age have been obtained in wells at Valdosta between the depths 400 and 480 feet. (See p. 319.) Beneath the Vicksburg formation in descending order is a series of undifferentiated sediments of Eocene and Cretaceous age, which at an unknown depth, perhaps 3,000 feet or more, are believed to rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. These sediments contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Shallow dug, driven, and bored wells 15 to 75 feet deep are the chief source of domestic water supply in the county. All except a few 318 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. wells near the Florida line which penetrate limestones yield soft waters. Where only a small amount of water for domestic use is required wells of the driven type are preferable to wells of the other types, for they afford less opportunity for contamination from sur- face sources. Artesian wells have been drilled at and near Valdosta. There are a few small springs in the county. The waters of the streams, ponds, and lakes are suitable for stock and for boiler sup- plies. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. Wells 500 feet or more in depth on the terrace plains bordering Withlacoochee and Alapaha rivers will prob- ably flow. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Valdosta (population 7,656, census of 1910). — Valdosta owns a public water-supply system which obtains water from an artesian well (No. 1, Table 57), completed in 1900, 500 feet deep and 8 inches in diameter. The water, which rises to within 120 feet of the sur- face, is pumped at the rate of about 300,000 gallons daily. It is hard but has proved satisfactory for general domestic purposes. (See analysis 1, Table 58.) McCallie 1 has published the following log: Log of town well, Valdosta (No. 1, Table 57). Thick- ness. Depth. Feet. Feet. 2 2 20 22 50 72 8 80 37 117 59 176 32 208 52 260 100 360 140 500 Surficial sand Yellow sand Sand and gravel - Blue marl Soft coral rock Sandy clay, often indurated and phosphatic Rather compact, brownish-gray limestone containing minute grains of transparent quartz sand White porous limestone, water bearing Same as above, with fragments of sea urchins .- AVhite porous limestone, water bearing The limestones in the upper part of the well probably belong to the Chattahoochee formation and those in the lower part to the Vicks- burg formation. McCallie 2 describes a well (No. 2, Table 57) drilled by the town in 1893. Analyses of waters from different levels are given in Table 58 (analyses 2, 3, and 4). From a set of well borings on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well No. 915), probably obtained from the town well drilled in 1893, the following partial log has been prepared. The Foraminifera were determined by J. A. Cushman. i Georgia Geo!. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 140, 141, 1908. 2 Idem, p. 140, LOWNDES COUNTY. 319 Partial log of well at Valdosta (No. 2, Table 57). [Drilled by J. A. Durst; samples furnished by L. C. Johnson.] Feet. Light-gray argillaceous sand and chunks of white clay at 48 Fragments of brown flint at 87 Chunks of chocolate-colored sandy silicified clay, white sand- stone, and numerous fairly well rounded quartz pebbles up to one-half inch in longest dimension 88-90 Fragments of white sandy limestone and gray flint 117-122 Chunks of white silicified clay or claystone — some showing den- dritic growths — and fragments of flint 123-125 Fragments of white limestone 130-132 Fragments of white sandy limestone, white silicified calcareous clay, and one fragment of flint 133-139 Fragment of white calcareous, sandy claystone at 153 Fragments of white sandy calcareous clay and rounded chunks of gray limestone 212-214 Small fragments of white limestone and gray flint 240-241 Large fragments of dark-gray flint and white limestone 247-250 Fragments of white sandy limestone, echinoid tests and spines, etc 311-350 Fragments of white fossiliferous limestone and flint; small flat echinoids, fragments of pelecypods, gastropods, etc 360-416 White limestone, containing numerous small Nummulites, Dis- pansus sp., a few small echinoids, etc 400-416 Same as preceding, containing Nummulites and Orbitoides 430-450 Same as preceding, containing Nummulites and Orbitoides, one fairly large Orbitoides cf . . ephippium (Schloth), at 459 Fragments of brown magnesian x limestone 476-477 Fragments of white limestone, brown magnesian limestone, small echinoids, Nummulites, Orbitoides (2 species), and fragments of pelecypods and gastropods, at 477J Same as preceding, containing Nummulites and Orbitoides at 480 Fragments of brown magnesian limestone 487-491 Same at 493 Same 502-522 According to T. W. Vaughan, a few fragments of fossils taken between 400 and 480 feet include Numniulites and indicate the Vicks- burg age of that part of the section. Probably 280 to 300 feet of the section, up to and including the white limestone at 240 to 241 feet, should be referred to this formation. At and near Valdosta many wells owned by individuals range in depth from 80 to 550 feet. Large quantities of water are obtained from porous aud cavernous limestones. A well (No. 3, Table 57) owned by J. B. Jones, completed in 1909, on the upland 2 miles northwest of Valdosta about 100 feet above Withla- coochee River is 226 feet deep. The water stands within 38 feet of the surface. The static head indicates that flows can be obtained at lower elevations in the valley to the west. i The magnesian character of this limestone was determined by W. F, Hunt of the U. S. G-eol. Survey. 320 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 57. — Wells in Loivndes County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. l Hughes Specialty- Well Drilling Co. and S. W. McCallie. <* do 1900 1893 1909 Feet. 215 ? do... do J. A. Durst 215 T Valdosta (2 miles northwest of)- L. C. Solomon. . J. B. Jones ( 6 ) Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per min- uteon pumping. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 500 522 226 Inches. 8 2 Feet. 360-500 515 225 Feet. 260 460 125 Feet. 120 113 38 Galls. Galls. 200 Analysis 1, Table 58. Analyses 2, 3, and 4. Table 58. Hard. o 3 12 Gasoline engine. . . No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 9 Drinking and do- mestic. Domestic Domestic and boiler supply. Vicksburg forma- tion? do Chattahoochee for- mation? Porous limestone . . do See log, p. 318. Cost of well, 81,600. See log, p. 319. 3-inch casing, 103 feet; diameter below casing is 2 inches. Cost of well and machinery, $509. 3 Cavity in rock a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 139-141, 1908. 6 Elevation about 100 feet above the bed of Withlacoochee River. Table 58. — Analyses of underground waters from Loivndes County. ]Parts per million.] No. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Valdosta Vicksburg formation?. do Feet. 360-500 360 460 515 ? do H. C. White." 3 .do... do do Do. a 4 do do do Do. <* O m < a 3 5 "o? o a a M a" .1 3 03^, 03 O 1 15 66.1 25 3.1 2.S 1.1 0.0 61 24 5.4 113 Free carbon dioxide (C02)= 27; well 1, Table 57. 2 6.7 1.2 0.6 42 .6 3.5 .4 56 13 4.9 20 150 [ W aters from 3 different levels 3 8.0 1.1 .5 35 . 7 3.1 .5 48 12 4.2 23 138 I in the town well drilled in 4 12 1.4 .9 41 .7 2.3 .3 56 14 2.9 16 149 I 1893; well 2, Table 57. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 140, 141, 1908. b Fe 2 03+Al20 3 . UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. 321 McDUFFIE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. McDuffie County is in the northeastern part of the State of Georgia on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 287 square miles and its population 10,325 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county from a few miles north of the Georgia Railroad south- ward is included within the Atlantic Coastal Plain; the remainder lies within the Piedmont Plateau. The coastal plain area forms a part of the northern border of the physiographic division known as the fall-line hills and has been greatly dissected by the headwater streams of Brier Creek and is therefore very hilly. The maximum surface relief is probably between 200 and 300 feet. GEOLOGY. Crystalline rocks outcrop over the northern part of the county (Piedmont Plateau) and dip southward beneath deposits of the Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain area extends to the southern limit of the county. The deposits of the Coastal Plain consist of irregularly bedded arkosic sands and clays of Lower Cretaceous age which rest upon the eroded surface of the southward-dipping basement crystalline rocks. These dip unconformably beneath sands and clays referable to the Claiborne group of the Eocene, which cap the divides between Reedy, Brier, Headstall, and Boggy Gut creeks. The Lower Cretaceous deposits probably attain a maximum thickness of 200 or 300 feet in the southern part of the county. The Eocene deposits are relatively thin, perhaps not exceeding 50 or 75 feet. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) WATER RESOURCES. In the Coastal Plain area water for domestic use is derived from dug wells 15 to 90 feet .deep which tap water-bearing beds, chiefly in the Lower Cretaceous deposits, and from small springs. The waters thus obtained are of good quality, though generally scanty. The wells, like others of shallow or of moderate depth in all regions, should be protected from surface contamination. A deep well owned by the town of Thompson, the county seat, passes through about 73 feet of deposits of the Coastal Plain and penetrates the underlying crystalline basement rocks to a depth of 506 feet. Water which rises to within 10 feet of the surface is obtained from fissures or crevices in granite at depths of 125, 327, 38418°— wsp 341—15 21 322 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. and 450 feet. The daily yield of the well is said to be 12,000 gallons, which is used chiefly for drinking. McCallie * gives the following log: Log of town well at Thompson. Thick- ness. Depth. Lower Cretaceous: Bluish clay Yellowish clay Pre-Cambrian: Decomposed granite Granite with occasional fissures. Feet. 23 50 10 423 Feet. 23 73 83 506 The following is an analysis of a sample of water from the Thompson well, Edgar Everhart, analyst: 2 Analysis of water from town well at Thompson. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 32 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 03+Al 2 3 ) 1. 6 Calcium (Ca) 19 Magnesium (Mg) ' 2. 1 Sodium (Na) 18 Potassium (K) 3. 8 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 55 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 4. 9 Chlorine (CI) 3. 3 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) .0 Total dissolved solids 139 The Lower Cretaceous deposits probably attain a thickness of 200 or 300 feet in the extreme southern part of the county, where they are fairly promising as a source of artesian supply. They not only contain beds of porous sand, the texture and structure of which favor the retention of considerable quantities of water, but some artesian pressure is doubtless developed. However, it is probable that flowing weUs can not be obtained. As shown by the deep well at Thompson, fairly good supplies of potable water can be obtained from crevices in the crystalline base- ment rocks which underlie the deposits of the Coastal Plain. Mcintosh county. GENERAL FEATURES. Mcintosh County is in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia and borders the Atlantic coast. Its area is 470 square miles and its population is 6,442 (census of 1910). The shipment of lumber and naval stores, fishing, the canning of oysters, and agriculture are the principal industries. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 211, 212, 1908. 2 Idem, p. 212. Mcintosh county. 323 topography. The greater part of the county is a nearly level plain which does not exceed 20 or 30 feet above sea level. Bordering the coast are numerous low sand-covered islands separated by a network of sounds, small tidal creeks, and salt marshes. Altamaha River, which forms the southern boundary, is bordered by a swamp a mile or two wide, limited on the north by a low ridge of dry sandy land overgrown with live oaks, behind which is a poorly drained pine flat with numerous small cypress and gum ponds and swamps, sub- ject in part to overflow during high-water stages of Altamaha River. The ridge, which roughly parallels the river and the eastern margin of the mainland, is crossed by the Seaboard Air Line Railway near Barrington. Darien is located upon it. In the extreme north the land rises rather abruptly to 50 or 60 feet above sea level. Geo- logically the surface is youthful, having been only slightly affected by stream erosion. GEOLOGY. Terrace sands and clays of Pleistocene age, probably not exceeding 50 feet in thickness and in most places much thinner, appear at the surface throughout the county. Beneath these surficial deposits is a series of sands, clays, marls, and limestones probably having an aggregate thickness of several thousand feet, which in descending order are believed to be of Pliocene, Miocene, Oligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous age. They contain numerous and important water- bearing beds. At an unknown depth, perhaps 3,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits — the oldest of the sediments of the Coastal Plain — are believed to rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Driven wells 10 to 25 feet deep are common and, as the water table is only a few feet beneath the surface, furnish abundant water. Dug wells are less general. In many of them the water stands so near the surface in rainy weather that it can be dipped by hand. The water from this shallow source is soft but not always wholesome, and in places tastes strongly of iron and organic matter. Springs are few in number and of slight importance. Pond water is used to some extent for stock. Twenty-five or more flowing artesian wells in the eastern part of the county and on the islands range in depth from 128 to 527 feet. Their waters are moderately hard and emit a strong odor of sulphur, but are clear and potable. 324 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Artesian water can be obtained in great abundance anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. The static head will almost everywhere be high enough to produce flows. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Darien (population 1,391, census of 1910). — Darien owns three artesian wells (Nos. 4, 5, and 6, Table 59). McCallie 1 has given the following information concerning two of them: The first attempt to obtain artesian water at Darien was made in 1885 by sinking a 4-inch well to the depth of 492 feet. This well supplied the town with water until 1891, when the large 8-inch well now in use was completed. The 8-inch well is 530 feet deep. It flows about 200 gallons per minute. The water is hard and sulphureted, but quite wholesome. It rises 15 feet above the surface. The main water-bearing stratum is said to be near the bottom of the wells. Other strata are reported nearer the surface, though the flow is unsatisfactory. A sample from the 530-foot well at the municipal waterworks plant, collected May 6, 1911, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart as follows : Analysis of ivater from 530-foot well at the municipal water-supply plant, Darien. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 29 Iron (Fe) 6. Calcium (Ca) 34 Magnesium (Mg) 5. Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 46 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 156 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 91 . Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Chlorine (CI) 12 Total dissolved solids 326 From a series of well borings McCallie prepared the following partial log of the 530-foot well: Partial log of town well at Darien (No. 4, Table 59). Feet. Very coarse sand and pebbles. Many of the pebbles, which con- sist of both quartz and feldspar, are only slightly rounded and are incrusted with a yellowish ocherous deposit at 125 Dark-gray marl having a greenish tint and containing numerous microscopic rhombohedral crystals of calcite 133(?) Very fine gray sand with considerable clay; also a few large well- rounded quartz grains at 143 Fine brown sandy clay and fragments of shells at 167 Coarse sand, pebbles, and fragments of shells at 176 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 147-150, 19GS. Mcintosh county. 325 Feet. The same as the above except that it contains glauconite at 188 Gray marl made up largely of minute crystals of calcite with a few grains of coarse sand at 220 Fine gray micaceous sand and a few fragments of shells 221 Diatomaceous earth, greenish-gray, at 258 Diatomaceous earth with a few small crystals of selenite 280 Diatomaceous earth in which spicules of sponges are common at. . . 330 Diatomaceous earth and a few particles of glauconite at 350 Diatomaceous earth at ■ - 375 Coarse sand and pebbles forming conglomerate, which contains sharks' teeth, small dental plates (possibly of the ray), fragments of shells, and pieces of lignite, many of which are an inch in diameter, at 385 Rather fine gray sand, with sharks' teeth, glauconite, a few diatoms and fragments of bone and shells, at 388 Indurated, highly calcareous light-gray marl resembling chalk at. 391 Fine dark-gray sand containing small flakes of mica, diatoms, spicules of sponges and glauconite at 400 Fine yellow sand with fragments of shells, glauconite, and diatoms at 420 Hard, compact greenish clay, breaking with conchoidal fracture, at 440 Same at . 500 Fine dark-gray glauconitic sand at 515 Same with fragments of shells at 524 Hard, compact claystone and sand 530 Valona. — Valona is a small village on the Georgia Coast & Piedmont Railroad 3 miles northeast of Meridian. A flowing well (No. 20, Table 59), owned by George E. Atwood (one of five flowing wells owned by him within 5 miles of Valona), is 455 feet deep and 3 inches in diameter. Mr. Atwood gives the following approximate log and states that those of the other four wells were generally similar: Approximate log of well of George E. Atwood, Valona (No. 20, Table 59). [Given from memory.] Thick- ness. Depth. Sand or soft marl Coarse gravel Hard marl Hard rock (limestone?); yields water which overflows at the surface Marl with interbedded layers of rock 1 to 2 feet thick; contains water-bearing beds which yield flows Feet. 100 30 190 6 129 Feet. 100 130 320 326 455 Sapelo light station.' — A well owned by the United States Govern- ment at Sapelo fight station (No. 19, Table 59), near the south end of Sapelo Island, completed in 1906, is 480 feet deep. From a set of well borings on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well 326 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. No. 625), furnished by Frod Baumgartner, the driller, the following log has been prepared : Log of Government ivell at Sapelo light station, Sapelo Island (No. 19, Table 59). Thick- ness. Depth. Fine loose sand at Coarse clear sand Medium-grained clear sand. Missing. Feet. Coarse sand with numerous fragments of shells Medium to coarse sand with a few fragments of shells Greenish-gray sandy clay Medium to coarse loose sand Coarse sand with small fragments of clay and dark grains of phosphate Coarse clear sand with a few small dark grains of phosphate (?) and a few fragments of shell Very coarse clear sand with a few dark grains of phosphate and numerous fragments of shells Medium-grained, slightly argillaceous sand with a few fragments of shells Very coarse clear sand with small dark grains of phosphate (?) and numerous fragments of shells Coarse clear sand with numerous fragments of shells Coarse sand cemented with lime and numerous fragments of fossils, chiefly Balanus sp . . 60 5 5 10 23 22 155 70 Feci. 20 80 85 90 100 123 145 300 370 395 410 435 460 4S0 Dr. Vaughan provisionally refers the lowermost layer to the Miocene. Barrington.- — A deep well at Barrington is described by McCallie 1 as follows : The deep well at Barrington, sunk by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1895 for the purpose of securing water to supply its locomotives, is 3 inches in diameter and 450 feet deep. It furnishes 200 gallons of water per minute and the water rises 20 feet above the surface. Two flows are reported in the well, one at 350 feet and the other at 450 feet. The formations penetrated are said to be similar to those in the Brunswick wells. Wolf Island. — A well at Wolf Island is described by McCallie 2 as follows : This well was completed in 1891 at a cost of $500. It is a 2-inch well, 500 feet deep. The water, which is strongly sulphureted, rises 45 feet above the surface. No record of the well has been preserved. Creigliton Island. — A well at Creighton Island is described by McCallie 2 as follows : The Creighton Island well, owned by Mr. George E. Atwood, has a depth of 414 feet. It is 3 inches in diameter and furnishes a flow which rises 50 feet above the surface. A dark-colored rock, 20 feet in thickness, is reported to have been struck in this well at 320 feet. Samples of this rock were found to be impure manganese ore. Coral rock and beds of gravel are said to have occurred in the well, but neither their depth nor their thickness was given. Doboy. — A well at Doboy is described by McCallie 2 as follows: Mr. J. C. Woodhull's well at Doboy is 128 feet deep and furnishes a flow which rises 10 feet above the surface. This well is interesting, as it is the only deep well in the county where a flow is obtained near the surface. The water-bearing stratum fur- nishing this flow probably occurs in other deep wells in the county, but its presence has not been reported. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 149, 1908. s.Idem, p. 150. Mcintosh county. Table 59. — Wells in Mcintosh County. 327 No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Atlantic Coast Line R. R. G. E. Atwood S.W. McCaUiea... do 1895 Feet. 2 Creighton Island . . 3 Georgia Coast & Piedmont R. R. 4 S.W.McCalliea... do 1891 1885 30 5 .. do do 6 do do J. G. Legare 7 Darien, 300 yards northwest of post office. Darien, about 1| miles south of, on Butler Island. Owner 8 q Adam Strain estate. . J. C. Woodhull T. A. Bailey Chas. M. Tyson . . . S. W. McCalliea... 1908 Near. 10 Doboy Island Eulonia, 3 miles northeast of. Egg Island Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co. J.A.Walker Mrs. W. A. Wilcox.. G. H. Bacon, post- master. 1890? 15 n Jule Atwood i? 11 Inverness (Black- beard Island). Inverness (Little Sapelo Island). 14 J. H. Banoly do In Wm. Clifton Mr. Ray T. A.Bailey do Wm. Clifton 1890 1908 1S96 1896 1906 1898 1891 16 Ridge ville, 400 yards south of post office. Ridgeville, J mile northeast of. Ridgeville, £ mile southeast of. Sapelo light station. . . Valona, 100 yards east of post office. Wolf Island J. F. Thompson.. 12 17 do.... 20 IS P. S. Clark do IP U. S. Government. . G. E. Atwood Wolf Island Club.... Fred Baumgart. ner, Brunswick- Mr. Mulligan •>n Owner 8 ?1 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Height of water above surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 450 414 Inches. 3 3 Feet. 450 Feet. 350 Feet. 20 50 Galls. 200 Galls. Flows Hard 9 do 3 do 4 530 492 485 405 500 128 485 300+ 8 4 2.. 530 15 200 35 40 . ...do See analysis, p. 324. n do r do 7 3.. 2.. 405 500 . 365 22 20 10 15 do 8 30 do 9 do 10 do Sulphurous. 11 ...do 1? do 13 do 14 300 ± 527 503 476 474 480 455- 500 i do 15 2 2 500 475 454-476 474 16 13 18 25 do Soft. 16 5 20 do Sulphurous. 17 do IS do Slightly hard. 19 ?0 3 2 35 45 ?,1 do Do. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 149-150, 1908. 328 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 59. — Wells in Mcintosh County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Tertiary ?, do 3 do 4 Domestic do Sand. . . See log, pp. 324-325. s do 6 do 7 Domestic do 8 Domestic, canning fruit, etc. do 3-inch casing to 365 feet. Cost of well, S400. The estate owns 2 other simi- lar wells. 9 do 10 Domestic and boil- er supply. Domestic do Cost of well, $300. The company owns another similar well on Doboy Island. 11 do 1? do 13 do 14 do 15 Domestic, irriga- tion. do Formerly flowed +26. Cost of well, $1,350. 2-inch casing to 100 feet. Cost of well, 8350. 2J-inch casing to 160 feet. 16 do Sand 17 do do 18 ...do do Quicksand Cost of well, $150. 19 Miocene? See log, p. 326. ?n Domestic and boil- er supply. Cost of well, $150. See log, p. 325. ?i do MACON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Macon County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 369 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 15,016. Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is part of the physiographic division of the fall-line hills. The original upland plain has been largely destroyed by the erosion of Flint River, which crosses the county from north to south, and by its various tributaries. In the northeastern part, however, considerable stretches of the original plain remain. Along the sides of Flint River valley he two relatively narrow Pleistocene terrace plains, one 15 to 20 feet and the other 50 or 60 feet above low-water level of the river. The maximum surface relief probably does not exceed 300 feet. GEOLOGY. Cretaceous strata underlie the whole county but come to the sur- face only in the northeast over about one-third the total area. Lower Cretaceous strata, which consist of coarse, irregularly bedded, arkosic sands and clays, outcrop farther north, in the adjoining county of Taylor, and dip slightly southward, passing beneath Upper Cretaceous deposits near the northern border of Macon County. MACON COUNTY. 329 The Lower Cretaceous strata are unconformably overlain by the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous. The Cusseta sand mem- ber of the Ripley formation, which consists of several hundred feet of irregularly bedded sands and clays of shallow-water origin, forms the basal portion of the formation. The Cusseta member is conformably overlain by several hundred feet of typical marine beds of the forma- tion, which consist of dark sands, clays, and marls. These beds have not been traced eastward beyond Ideal, but it is thought that they merge in that direction into irregularly bedded shallow-water equiva- lents. However, their buried representatives preserve the characters of the member much farther eastward, as shown by the records of wells at Montezuma and Marshall ville. In the west the typical marine beds are overlain by the Providence sand member of the for- mation, which consists of 150 feet or more of irregularly bedded sands and clays of shallow-water origin. Eastward the member thickens and includes in its basal portions shallow-water representatives of the typical marine beds. The Ripley formation is overlain unconformably by Eocene strata, which appear at the surface Over the southern part of the county. The Eocene deposits consist of sands and clays belonging chiefly to the Midway formation of the Eocene. However, the Wilcox forma- tion is probably represented in the southwestern part of the county and the Claiborne and Jackson formations are believed to be repre- sented in the southeast. A thin overlap of ferruginous sands belong- ing to the Claiborne group conceals the Cretaceous beds in the north- eastern parts of the county. (See PL III, p. 52.) Thin Pleistocene terrace deposits overlie the Cretaceous and Eocene strata in narrow areas bordering Flint River. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Throughout the county supplies of water of good quality for domestic use are obtained chiefly from water-bearing beds in the Cre- taceous or Eocene formation from dug, drilled, and bored wells 20 to 500 feet in depth and from springs. Springs are numerous through- out the greater part of the region but are commonly small. (See p. 332.) Creeks and small branches furnish excellent waters in great abundance for stock and for making steam. Both the Cretaceous and Eocene formations are composed largely of beds of porous sand capable of retaining large quantities of water. The prospects are favorable, therefore, in all parts of the comity for obtaining artesian supplies from Cretaceous or Eocene sources. At Montezuma and Oglethorpe the Cretaceous beds are probably reached at a depth not greater than 160 feet. Flowing wells at these 330 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. places yield large quantities of water from beds in the Ripley forma- tion. In the extreme southern part of the county it would be neces- sary to drill through 150 feet or more of Eocene strata before entering the Cretaceous beds. Flowing wells can probably be obtained on the lowest terrace bor- dering Flint River at elevations not exceeding 40 or 50 feet above low-water level from the point where the river enters the county on the north to the southern boundary. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Oglethorpe (population 924, census of 1910). — Oglethorpe, the county seat, is not provided with a water-supply system but owns a flowing artesian well in one of the business streets. (See PL XXI, A.) No log is available but the well undoubtedly taps a water-bearing bed in the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous. This well is used as a public drinking place for persons and animals. McCallie says: 1 The deep well at Oglethorpe, the county seat of Macon County, which was sunk by the town authorities in 1894, has a depth of 500 feet and furnishes a strong flow. The strata penetrated in this well are said to be practically the same as in the Monte- zuma well. An analysis of the water is given in Table 61 (analysis 4). One other deep well at Oglethorpe is owned by Judge R. L. Greer, who furnishes the following information : The well is about 1,250 feet northwest of the post office and 50 or 60 feet above low- water level of Flint River. It was drilled in 1909. Its depth is 446 feet and its diameter 3 inches from top to bottom, 3-inch casing having been used for the entire depth. When the well was first drilled the water flowed 2\ gallons per minute, 10 or 12 inches above the surface, through a 2-inch pipe inserted within the 3-inch casing. The 2-inch pipe was removed and the water dropped to 6 or 8 feet below the surface, where it now stands. The well is fitted with a hand pump and a gasoline engine. The water is said to be somewhat ferruginous and sulphurous, but is used for general domestic purposes. The cost was about $550. Montezuma (population 1,630, census of 1910). — Montezuma owns a public water system, concerning which Mayor J. P. Walker fur- nishes the following information : A pump with a capacity of 140 gallons per minute forces water obtained from flowing artesian wells to an elevated tank of 40,000 gallons capacity, from which it is distributed to the consumers. The plant is equipped with another pump, having a capacity of 500 gallons per minute, for applying direct pressure to the mains for fire protection. The tank pressure is 65 pounds and the direct pressure from the pump 75 pounds. The length of the distributing mains is i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 144, 1908. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 341 PLATE XXI A. PUBLIC FLOWING WELL AT OGLETHORPE, MACON COUNTY. Photograph by S. W. McCallie. B. FLOWING WELL AT MONTEZUMA, MACON COUNTY. Static head is 60 feet above the surface. Photograph by S. W. McCallie. MACON COUNTY. 331 4 miles; the number of taps for domestic purposes is 195; for manu- facturing purposes, 10; and. there are 45 fire hydrants. The amount consumed daily is 150,000 gallons. An analysis of the water is given in Table 61 (analysis 2). McCailie 1 states that 18 flowing wells, from 60 to 500 feet, have been drilled at Montezuma (PI. XXI, B). He gives a log of the deepest one: Log of well at Montezuma (No. 3, Table 60). [Authority, E. J. Wilson, contractor.] Thick- ness. Depth. 18. Sand 17. White clay 16. Limestone 15. Sand and clay 14. Bluish tough clay 13. Sand with mica 12. Blue clay 11. Sand and blue clay 10. Fine micaceous sand 9. Sand and clay 8. Sand with thin layers of flint 7. Clay and fossil wood 6. Limestone containing shells 5. Micaceous sand 4. Clay interstratifled with sand 3. Fossiliferous limestone with layers of sand 2. Clay 1. Sand Feet. 6 12 2 30 10 15 20 60 5 30 120 40 2 4 60 64 16 4 Feet. 6 IS 20 50 60 75 95 155 160 190 310 350 352 356 416 480 496 500 McCailie says further: The first water-bearing stratum, struck at 60 feet, flowed 8 feet above the surface; the second water-bearing stratum, struck at 150 feet, flowed 20 feet above the surface; the third water-bearing stratum, struck at 350 feet, flowed 30 feet above the surface; the fourth water-bearing stratum, struck at 500 feet, flowed 62 feet above the surface. Three of the Montezuma wells obtain their water supply from the first stratum, 14 from the third, and 1 from the fourth. So abundant is the flow from the deep wells that an attempt was made to use the water to furnish power to operate a cotton gin, but the attempt was not successful. The total amount of water furnished daily by these wells is very great, and it must necessarily cause a very heavy draft on the water supply. Nevertheless, it is stated that there has not yet been any perceptible variation in the static head. No fossils were preserved, so that an attempt to distinguish the formations penetrated can be nothing more than a rough guess based upon the descriptions of the materials as furnished by the driller. Layer 18 is probably Pleistocene terrace sand; layers 10 to 17, inclu- sive, are believed to belong to the Midway formation of the Eocene, although considerations based upon the depth at which the Creta- ceous is struck in wells at Americus, Sumter County, throw some doubt upon this interpretation; layers 1 to 9, inclusive, probably belong to the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous. Layers 1 to 6, inclusive, probably represent the eastward buried extension of the typical marine beds of the Ripley formation. If these correlations Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 142, 143, 1908- 332 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. are correct the water-bearing strata at 60 and 150 feet are in the Midway formation, and those at 350 and 500 feet are in the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous. Six miles north of Montezuma. — C. L. De Vaughn owns a well west of Flint River on the lowest Pleistocene terrace plain, 6 miles north of Montezuma. The well is 125 feet deep and is cased to 90 feet. The water flows 20 feet above the surface. The water-bearing stratum tapped is in the Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous, and the water is said to come from a bed of sand beneath a layer of clay. An analysis is given in Table 61 (analysis 3). MarshallviUe (population 1,082, census of 1910). — The town of Marshallville does not own a municipal water-supply system. An attempt was made in 1901 to obtain a public supply from an artesian source, but on account of difficulties of construction the well was abandoned. The following account is furnished by McCallie: 1 The deep well at this place, put down by the town council in 1901 at a cost of about $1,200, has a depth of 397 feet. It is a 6-inch well, reduced to 3 inches near the bottom; it furnishes about 3,000 gallons per hour, the capacity of the pump. The water rises to within 121 feet of the surface. McCallie gives the following log : Log of abandoned town well at Marshallville (No. 1, Table 60). Thick- ness. Depth. Yellow clay Sand with some pipe clay. Fine gray sand Brownish sandy clay Fine gray sand Sand and blue marl Clay Thin layers of limestone. . . Very hard rock Sand (water hearing) Feet. 25 65 95 45 40 50 50 10 10 7 Feet. 25 90 185 230 270 320 370 380 390 397 The upper 25 feet of the materials described in the preceding log should probably be referred to the Claiborne group of the Eocene. The strata from 25 to 370 feet probably belong to the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation; those from 370 to 397 feet are believed to represent the eastward buried extension of the typical marine beds of the Ripley formation. One other well, reported from Marshallville, is owned by the Varn & Piatt Co., of Savannah (No. 2, Table 60). Miona Springs. — Miona Springs is a group of small springs in a swamp bordering Flint River, 10 miles north of Oglethorpe. They are owned by the Miona Mineral Springs Co., of Fort Valley. The waters have reputed medicinal properties and the place is being con- ducted as a resort, hotel accommodations and cottages having been erected. The largest of the group yields 20 gallons per minute. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 144, 145, 1908. MACON COUNTY. 333 Table 60. — Wells in Macon County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 S.W.McCalliea... Milton T. Herman, secretary Varn & Piatt Co. S.W.McCallieo 1901 1909 Feet. 500 500 300± 2 Marshallville, 250 yards south of post office. Varn & Piatt Co., Savannah, Ga. S 4 Montezuma, 6 miles north of. C. L. De Vaughn.... 5 Joseph Wilson, Montezuma. J. S. Elmore, or- dinary, and S. W.McCallie.o 1894 1909 300± 300± fi do R. L. Greer No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. Quality. Flow. Pump. 1 Feet. 397 483 500 125 500 446 Inches. 6 4 3 Feet. 390-397 483 500 125 500 446 Feet. [ 60 { 150 I 350 Feet. -121 -120 [ + 62 + 20 + 36 - 7 Galls. Galls. 125 75 2 3 Air-comp r e s s o r pump. Flows See analysis 2, Table 4 do 61. See analysis 3, Table 61. See analysis 4, Table 61. Slightly ferruginous and sulphurous. 5 70 do fi Hand pump and gasoline engine. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Abandoned Canning fruit and drinking. Ripley formation. . do Sand 2 bottom. See log, p. 332. 3 do 4 do Sand at Montezuma. See log, p. 331. Q " ^3 .*« —. T3 ■S o 03 O O a a "a 03 2t5 ■a O 2s o . Remarks. c3 03 a '% a 38 o ,3 Pi to .9 c3 o3 03 "o3 o s "3 o 03 o o P-i e3 o s 3 & a o O 1 42 0.4 14 2.0 6 50 5.0 0.1 4.0 110 2 40 o3.1 13 1.5 22 5.3 0.0 35 12 6.8 138 The municipal supply comes from the fourth water-bear- ing bed, the depth of which is 500 feet. Phosphate rad- icle (P0<)=2.4. Well 3, Table 60. 3 20 18 6.4 1.6 8 .0 38 .0 1.5 2.5 132 Well 4, Table 60. 4 2 6.7 3.2 4 10 67 27 7 158 Well 5, Table 60. a Fe 2 3 + AI2O3. MARION COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Marion County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 360 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 9,147. Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is included in the physiographic division of the Coastal Plain known as the fall-line hills. Its surface is hilly and forms part of a dissected upland plain. The county lies on the divide between Chattahoochee and Flint rivers, a part of the run-off being received by the former, through its tributary, Upatoi Creek, and the remainder passing into the latter through Whitewater, Bucks, Muckalee, and Kinchafoonee creeks. The maximum surface relief is probably not greater than 300 feet. The hills have rounded outlines and over much of the area their tops and slopes are blanketed with a thin cov- ering of residual though more or less wind and torrent shifted sand. GEOLOGY. The materials which outcrop at the surface are in part Cretaceous and in part Tertiary. Along the extreme northwest border Lower Cretaceous sands and clays probably occupy small areas, for they outcrop in the southern part of the adjoining county of Talbot and dip slightly southeastward, disappearing beneath the Upper Cre- taceous beds in the valley of Juniper Creek. The Lower Cretaceous deposits consist of several hundred feet of irregularly bedded, coarse arkosic sands with subordinate lenses of light massive clay. They rest upon crystalline basement rocks. The Upper Cretaceous deposits have been referred in ascending order to the Eutaw and Ripley formations. The Eutaw formation MARION COUNTY. 335 consists of irregularly bedded sands and clays of shallow-water origin. The Ripley formation, which conformably overlies the Eutaw, is divisible on lithologic grounds into the Cusseta sand member, which consists of several hundred feet of irregularly bedded sands and clays similar to the sediments composing the Eutaw formation, the typical marine beds of the Ripley formation, which consist of 450 or 500 feet of massive, compact, gray sands and clays, more or less cal- careous and glauconitic, with indurated layers at intervals, and at the top the Providence sand member, which consists of about 150 feet of irregularly bedded sands and clays, mostly of coarse texture and of shallow-water origin. The Upper Cretaceous deposits all incline slightly to the southeast, the lower and older beds passing beneath the higher and younger beds. The Upper Cretaceous deposits are unconformably overlain by sands and clays belonging to the Midway formation of the Eocene. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 15 to 140 feet deep, which tap water-bearing beds in the Cretaceous and Eocene deposits, are the chief source of domestic water supplies. Cribbing, generally of wood, is used to varying depths below the surface, depending upon the character of the materials. The water is commonly lifted by rope and bucket. In the outcrop of the typical marine beds of the Ripley formation the water from dug wells is apt to be more or less hard, ferruginous, and sulphurous. In the areas underlain by the Eutaw formation and by the Cus- seta and Providence sand members of the Ripley formation the waters from dug wells are commonly soft and of good quality, although locally they are ferruginous and, sulphurous. The log of one of the deeper dug wells follows, the owner being authority for the lithology : Log of well of B. F. Duke, 8 miles northeast of Buena Vista. Thick- ness. Depth. Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Cusseta sand member: Very hard clay Yellow sand "Chalk" [clay] Yellow sand, water bearing Feet. 12 Feet. 12 92 104 140 Small springs of good quality are common throughout the county and where conveniently located are used for domestic supplies. The municipal water supply of Buena Vista is obtained from springs. (See p. 336.) 336 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Cretaceous formations outcrop successively in descending order from the latitude of Buena Vista to the northern border of the county, and all of them underlie its southern part. The physical structure of the Cretaceous strata, except the typical marine beds of the Ripley formation, which contain a considerable percentage of lime, glauconite, and iron pyrites, is favorable to the retention of large quantities of good water. The chances are good, therefore, for ob- taining artesian supplies at reasonable depths in any part of the county. In order to tap the Cretaceous water-bearing beds in the south it is necessary to drill through a probable maximum of 250 feet of overlying Eocene strata. The Eocene beds probably carry moderate amounts of potable water. Flowing wells probably can not be obtained. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Buena Vista (population 1,016, census of 191C). — Buena Vista, the county seat, owns a public water system, data concerning which have been furnished by G. P. Munn and J. G. Lowe, both of Buena Vista. The supply is derived from Camp Ground Springs, a mile northwest of the town. The springs are at the head of a small valley and together yield 40 gallons per minute of clear, soft water. The water is pumped to a tank of 45,000 gallons capacity, located in the town, and is used for domestic purposes, fire protection, and sprinkling. The springs emerge from the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. An analysis is given in Table 62 (analysis 1). Several attempts have been made to obtain artesian water. In one well 583 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter water rose to within 240 feet of the surface. 1 E. J. Wilson, the driller, furnished the following log: Log of abandoned well at Buena Vista. [Authority, E. J. Wilson.] Thick- ness. Depth. Blue clays Sand and clays Soft limestone Marl Rock Marl Flint Indurated marl Hard rock Marl Limestone, water bearing -. Coarse gray sand Marl, water bearing Marl Hard, compact rock i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 146, 1908, Feet. 35 70 50 3 1 93 2 27 34 12 21 187 32 Feet. 35 105 155 158 159 252 254 263 270 297 331 343 364 '551 583 MARION COUNTY. 337 McCallie adds: Two water-bearing strata are reported in the well, one at 331 feet and the other at 364 feet from the surface. The first of these beds is said to have yielded a large quan- tity of water, but it was found impossible to keep the bore hole from filling with quicksand. Several weeks were spent in trying to control the inflowing sand, but all efforts were unsuccessful. The quicksand was finally cased off and the well was continued to the depth of 583 feet, when the appropriation made by the town council was expended and the well was abandoned. The water-bearing strata of this well are Cretaceous. The upper 105 feet of strata is referable to the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation, and the remainder of the section to the typical marine beds of the same formation. Information concerning three unsuccessful attempts to develop a municipal water supply from an underground source at Buena Vista has been furnished by J. C. Butt, as follows: Two of the wells were 240 feet deep and were cased to 219 feet with 8-inch casing; water was obtained in quicksand at 227 feet. The third well was 800 feet deep and had 10-inch casing to 280 feet, 8-inch casing to 360 feet, 6-inch casing to 760 feet, and 4^-inch casing to 800 feet. All three attempts failed because of the inability of the drillers to control the fine quicksand of the water-bearing beds. The total cost of the three attempts was $1,300. The third well described by Butt is probably the one described by McCallie, although the two accounts differ as regards the depth of the well. Dug wells 10 to 100 feet deep afford a part of the domestic water supply of the town. The largest supplies are said to come from depths of 30 to 40 feet, from which source the water is lifted by rope and bucket. Pumps are used in the deeper wells, which tap water- bearing beds in the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. Boyle. — Eugene Dane, of Friendship, Sumter County, owns a deep well 1 mile west of Friendship and 5 or 6 miles south of Doyle, Marion County. T. J. James, the driller, gives the following infor- mation regarding the well : The well was drilled in 1910, is 296 feet deep, and is cased with 3-inch casing to 107 feet and with 2-inch casing the rest of the depth. Water rises to within 90 feet of the surface from a bed at the bottom of the well. The well is pumped with a gasoline engine and yields 8 gallons per minute. The cost was $325. The water is used for domestic purposes. The well taps a water-bearing bed at either the base of the Midway formation or the top of the Ripley formation. Spring near Tazewell. — Mineral Spring, 4 miles northwest of Taze- well, has reputed medicinal properties. According to W. E. Pickard, of Tazewell, it is in a small valley and is owned by Stewart & Wall of Tazewell. A small quantity of ferruginous, sulphurous water is 38418°— wsp 341—15 22 338 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. emitted. There arc two cottages on the grounds and facilities for bathing. During the summer months people from the surrounding region camp in the vicinity of the spring. Spring near Putnam. — A spring of reputed medicinal properties, known as Mineral Spring and owned by Miss Ida Munro, rises in a grove on Springdale farm three-eighths of a mile west of Putnam. The owner states that the water emerges from sand through a 10-inch terra-cotta pipe inserted in the ground to a depth of 12 feet, and that a roof has been placed over the spring. The water is used only for drinking. The source of the spring is probably the Midway forma- tion. An analysis of the water is given in Table 62 (analysis 2). Table 62. — Analyses of spring waters from Marion County. [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Aluminum (Al) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) . Sulphate radicle (SO4) Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids Free carbon dioxide (CO2). . 5.4 .2 5.6 6.8 \* .0 12 Trace. 50 20 103 4.4 7.0 .5 2.5 1.2 5.6 2.6 .0 26 .7 1. "Water from one of Camp Ground Springs, 1 mile northwest of Buena Vista, which furnish the municipal water supply of Buena Vista. The springs emerge from the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. Sample collected Apr. 20, 1911; Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Mineral spring at residence of Miss Ida Munro, Springdale farm, three-eighths of a mile west of Putnam. Source of spring, Midway formation. Analyzed in April, 1910, by Edgar Everhart. MILLER COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Miller County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia in the V-shaped area formed by the junction of Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. Its area is 253 square miles and its population is 7,986 (census of 1910). TOPOGRAPHY. The county lies within the physiographic division known as the Dougherty plain and presents the topographic features typical of that division. The general surface is nearly level, but has numerous lime- sink depressions. Surface streams are few, the drainage being partly by underground streams through lime sinks. No exact determina- tions of elevation have been made, but the greater part of the surface is probably 125 to 200 feet above sea level. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation (Oligocene) is the surface terrane through- out the county. It consists of 300 feet or more of sandy, cavernous, MILLER COUNTY. 339 water-bearing limestones which weather to red or yellow residual sands and clays containing fragments and masses of flint. Outcrops of unweathered limestone are rare. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls of Eocene age which contain water-bearing beds. Although no wells have pene- trated below the Eocene within the county, it is believed that these deposits are underlain by 2,000 feet or more of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age, which rest upon a deeply buried basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The domestic water supply of the county is obtained chiefly from dug wells 30 to 50 feet deep. With the exception of a few wells which draw from the underlying unweathered limestones of the Vicksburg formation, the source of the water is the residual sands and clays which compose the surface materials to varying depths. Artesian wells have been drilled at Colquitt and at Babcock. The few small springs in the county are unimportant as sources of water supply. The waters of streams and ponds are used locally for stock and for boiler supply. Abundant supplies of potable water can be obtained from deep wells anywhere, and on the low lands bordering Spring Creek flowing wells can probably be obtained from the deeply buried Eocene or Cre- taceous deposits at 500 to 1,500 feet. This statement is based on the known static head of deep wells in Early, Baker, and Calhoun counties. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Colquitt (population 600, census of 1910). — Colquitt, the county seat, owns a public water-supply system which obtains water from a deep well, completed in 1911, on low land near the Georgia, Florida & Alabama Railway in the eastern part of the town. The well is 246.5 feet deep and the water stands within 16 feet of the surface. The maximum yield by pumping is about 500 gallons a minute. J. G. Chason, the driller, furnishes the following log from memory: Log of town well at Colquitt (No. 3, Table 63). Thick- ness. Depth. Sand and clay, water bearing at base Soft limestone, containing cavities Hard limestone, containing water-bearing strata A shaly formation in alternating hard and soft layers. Hard sandrock Feet. 60 75 55 56 .5 Feet. 60 135 190 246 246.5 340 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The principal water-bearing bed is said to be at 140 feet and is probably in the Vicksbnrg formation. A sample collected from this well December 23, 1912, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart as follows: Analysis of water from town well at Colquitt. Parts per million. Silica (SiO a ) 6. Iron (Fe) 5 Calcium (Ca) 40 Magnesium (Mg) 2.5 Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 6. Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 148 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) Trace. Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 5 Chlorine (CI) 3. 5 Total dissolved solids 129 Another well drilled by the town in 1900 is said to be 400 feet deep. Water stands within 56 feet of the surface. The surface at the mouth of this well is much higher than at the mouth of the new well, which accounts for the difference in the static head. The water is hard and is used only for domestic purposes. Babcock (population 402, census of 1910). — A well owned by the Babcock Bros. Lumber Co. at Babcock, a small town in the south- ern part of the county, is 300 feet deep. Water stands within 30 feet of the surface. It is used for domestic purposes and for stock, but is not suitable for boiler supply. Table 63. — Wells in Miller County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Eleva- tion above or below datum. Babcock. Colquitt. .do. Colquitt (1 mile south of). Colquitt (4 miles southeast of). Babcock Bros. Lum- ber Co. Town do R. W. Graw R. O. McNair. Feet. J. G. Chason.. do O. O. Bush.. J. G. Chason. do 1900 1911 1911 L. Cowart. .do. .do. a+25 b-20 c+42 or 50 No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface, Yield per minute. Flow. Pump How obtained. Quality. Feet. 300 400 246J 78 Inches. 4 3 Feet. Feet. 150 140 75 300-350 Feet. 30 56 16 30 65 Galls. Galls. 75 500 Steam pump . do Suction pump.... Gasoline forc( pump. do Hard. Ferruginous, s u 1 - phurous, hard. See analysis above. Hard. Do. a Datum, surface at railroad station. b Datum, surface at courthouse. c Datum, low-water level of Spring Creek. MITCHELL COUNTY. Table 63. — Wells in Miller County — Continued. 341 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Vicksburg forma- tion. Diameter at top 6 inches, at bottom 4 2 do Sand and rock Limestone White limestone . . inches. Cost of well$700; cost of machinery S200. 3 4 Municipal supply . Vicksburg forma- tion. do Diameter at top 4 inches, at bottom 3 inches. 8-inch casing to 135 feet, see log, p. 339. 4-inch casing to 60 feet. Cost of well $150. 5 Domestic, manu- facturing. 4J-inch casing to 240 feet. MITCHELL COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Mitchell County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 548 square miles and its population is 22,114 (census of 1910). Agriculture and lumbering are the chief industries. Near Dewitt and Baconton the cultivation of pecans is an important and growing industry. TOPOGRAPHY. A nearly level plain, 5 to 15 miles wide and 150 to 170 feet above sea level, lies east of and approximately parallel to Flint River, which forms the western boundary of the county. This area, which falls within the physiographic division known as the Dougherty plain, is characterized by numerous lime sinks and lime-sink ponds and by the almost total absence of surface streams, the drainage being chiefly underground. In narrow areas bordering the river the plain is modified by two more or less clearly denned Pleistocene terraces, one lying 15 to 20 feet and the other 50 to 60 feet above low-water level. The remainder of the county, in the east and southeast, is an upland estimated to be 300 to 375 feet above sea level, the surface of which is characterized by low rounded hills and broad shallow valleys. This area lies in the physiographic division called the Altamaha upland or long-leaf pine region. The Altamaha upland is separated from the Dougherty plain to the west by a relatively abrupt escarp- ment, which is expressed in the grade of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad between Camilla and Pelham. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation is the surface terrane throughout the greater part of an area 5 to 15 miles wide which borders Flint River and is coextensive with the Dougherty plain. It consists of 300 feet or more of cavernous water-bearing limestones, which weather at the surface to residual sands and clays containing fragments and 842 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. masses of flint. The unweathered limestones outcrop in places in the channel and banks of Flint River. The formation extends east- ward and underlies the entire county. The Chattahoochee formation, which consists of 100 feet or less of limestones, overlies the Vicksburg formation, and the residual sands and clays to which the limestones weather outcrop in the face of the escarpment which separates the Altamaha upland from the Dougherty plain and which extends northeast and southwest through the county. The Chattahoochee formation is overlain by the Alum Bluff forma- tion, which consists of 100 feet or less of sands and clays and which also outcrops in a narrow belt in the escarpment. The Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 75 feet or less of irregu- larly bedded sands and clays of undetermined age, which outcrop throughout the remainder of the Altamaha upland in the eastern and southeastern parts of the county. Thin terrace deposits of sand and clay of Pleistocene age occupy narrow areas bordering Flint River. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls of Eocene age, which contain water-bearing beds. No definite confirmatory evidence is available, but it is believed that the Eocene deposits are underlain by 2,000 feet or more of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age, which rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks and which doubtless contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells, 20 to 50 feet deep, are the chief source of domestic water supply. Most of them yield soft waters, although in. the western part of the county some penetrate the unweathered limestones of the Vicksburg formation and yield hard waters. During times of drought some of the shallow wells fail. Deep wells have been drilled at Camilla, Pelham, and Flint. Limestone springs emerging from the Vicksburg formation occur along Flint River. Seepage springs are abundant in the eastern part of the county in the region of outcrop of the Alum Bluff forma- tion and the overlying sands and clays. Springs, however, are rela- tively unimportant. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more. Waters from the Vicksburg formation, which in the western part of the county extends from the surface to a depth of 300 feet or more, and which in the east would probably be encountered at depths of 200 to 500 feet, will be hard. Those obtained at greater depths from the Eocene or Cretaceous deposits might be softer than the Vicksbursr waters. MITCHELL COUNTY. 343 Although no flowing wells have been reported, it is believed that flows can be obtained on the Dougherty plain in the west at depths of 500 to 1,500 feet or more. In the region of the Altamaha upland in the east flowing wells probably can not be obtained. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Camilla (population 1,827, census of 1910). — A well owned by the city, completed in 1904, is 297 feet deep and yields hard water, which stands within 50 feet of the surface. The well is said to penetrate chiefly limestones, probably belonging to the Vicksburg formation, from 100 feet to the bottom. Water is pumped at the rate of 300 gallons per minute, an amount sufficient for the needs of the town. The following analysis of a sample collected from this well June 7, 1911, was made by Edgar Everhart: Analysis of water from city well at Camilla. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 23 Iron (Fe) 8 Calcium (Ca) '. 46 Magnesium (Mg) 1.0 Sodium and potassium (Na+ K) 3.0 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 150 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 5.0 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 4 Chlorine (CI) 2.0 Total dissolved solids 137 Another well owned by the town is 396 feet deep .(No. 1, Table 64). PeTham (population 1,880, census of 1910). — The public water sup- ply at Pelham is obtained from a drilled well 728 feet deep. The elevation at the mouth of the well is 355 feet above sea level and the water is said to stand within 215 feet of the surface. The water is moderately hard, but is considered satisfactory for general purposes. J. H. Chandler, one of the drillers, furnishes the following log: Log of town well, Pelham. Thick- ness. Depth. Clay in hard and soft layers Hard "soapstone" Hard gray rock with flint bowlders Very hard "granite" rock, water bearing in upper 1 foot. Shell formation, water bearing Hard " quartz " rock Shell formation, water bearing Gray granite Shell formation, water bearing Feet. 153 22 195 80 5 185 10 50 28 Feet. 153 175 370 450 455 640 650 700 728 McCallie * mentions a well at Pelham 293 feet deep, in which lime- stone probably belonging to the Chattahoochee formation was struck at 180 feet. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 147, 1908. 344 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Flint (population 105, census of 1910). — According to T. B. White, postmaster, four nonflowing wells at Flint range in depth from 180 to 700 feet. Table 64. — Wells in Mitchell County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Camilla . .do.. Flint. Pelham (i mile north of). Town. .do. G. C. Cochran. Town M. A. Jarrard. J.D.Pitts.... F. T. White & Co.; J. H. Chandler "and C. E. Edwards drillers in charge. Lena Brimberry.. T.B. Perry Thos. B.White... J . H . Chandler and the mayor. Feet. 177 167 168 355 No. Depth. Feet. 396 297 ISO 728 Diam- eter. Inches. 8 S 3 10 Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Feet. 396 297 rOO-728 Depth to other water- beds Feet. 140 370-371 450-455 640-650 Level of water below surface Feet. 50 50 215 Yield per minute. Flow. Galls. Pump. Galls. 500 300 How obtained. Air-lift pump do Hand pump f Air-comp r e s s o r [ pump Quality. Hard. Hard; see analysis, p. 343. Soft. [•Moderately hard. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Domestic, manu- facturing. Domestic, manu- facturing, boiler supply. Limestone 2 Vicksburg forma- tion. do SI ,200; of machinery, $1,000. 8-inch casing to 210 feet. 4 deep wells at Flint from 180 to 700 feet deep. 153 feet of 10-inch casing. See log, p. 343. 3 4 Municipal supply. Shell formation . . . MONTGOMERY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Montgomery County is in the central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Oconee River, which flows through its center, and Ocmul- gee River, which forms part of its southern boundary, unite at the southeast corner to form Altamaha River. The area of the county is 591 square miles and the population is 19,638 (census of 1910). 1 Under this heading is included a portion of Montgomery County which has been segregated and organized as Wheeler County since this report was transmitted for publication. MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 345 The production of lumber and naval stores and the cultivation of cotton and corn are the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The interstream areas are rolling to hilly, forming a part of the physiographic division known as the Altamaha upland. Although few exact determinations of level have been made, it is probable that the upland lies 250 to 300 feet above sea level. Low-water level at the junction of Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers is approximately 80 feet above sea level. Each of the rivers named is bordered by two more or less clearly defined Pleistocene terrace plains, one 10 to 20 feet and the other 40 to 50 feet above low-water level. The lower plain is covered in part by swamps and is^ subject in part to overflow. Little Ocmulgee River, which forms the western boundary, is bordered on the east by a belt of sand hills, one-half to 1^ miles wide, rising 50 to 75 feet above the streams. Cypress ponds and tracts of densely wooded seepage areas known as bays at the heads of branches and creeks are common in the south. GEOLOGY. The surface deposits throughout the interstream areas consist of 100 feet or less of irregularly bedded sandy clays and sands with subordinate interbedded layers of argillaceous sandstone. They are underlain by 100 feet or more of soft sandy clays and sands, in part water bearing, with interbedded thin layers of sandstone and quartzite that belong to the Alum Bluff formation. These strata outcrop in the valleys of Oconee, Ocmulgee, and Little Ocmulgee rivers. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by 400 feet or more .of limestones with interbedded layers of calcareous sandstone and marl (see log, p. 346), which probably represent in descending order the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene and perhaps the Jackson formation of the Eocene. These formations contain water-bearing beds. Beneath the limestones in descending order are a series of sedi- ments of Eocene and Cretaceous age which probably have an aggre- gate thickness of 1,500 feet or more and which rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. These deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 20 to 50 feet deep are the chief sources of water for domestic use. Artesian wells have been drilled at Mount Vernon, McArthur plantation, Higgston, Ochwalkee, and near Soperton. 346 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Small seepage springs occur throughout the county but are of little importance. The waters of many of them, especially those in the swamps, after contact with the air have a film of iron oxide over the surface and taste strongly of iron. (See analyses 1 and 2, Table 66.) The water of streams and ponds can be used for stock and for boiler supply. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more. Flows can be obtained on the terrace plains bordering Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers and in the valleys of their large tributaries. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Mount Vernon (population 605, census of 1910). — The town has a public water-supply system, owned by W. C. McRae and others, which draws from a flowing artesian well 300 feet deep. The water is reported hard. The daily consumption is 7,000 gallons. McArthur plantation. —The McArthur plantation is in the southern part of Montgomery County about 5 miles northeast of Lumber City (Telfair County). An artesian well at this place is 900 feet deep, and the water rises to within 60 feet of the surface. The water is soft and for general purposes is superior to the artesian waters from more shallow depths in this part of the Coastal Plain. (See analysis 3, Table 66.) McCallie 1 has published the following log: Log of well on McArthur plantation (No. 2, Table 65). Thick- ness. Depth. Sandy soil Red clay. Coarse sahd Blue clay with thin layers of sandstone. Sand Limestone, water bearing at 419 feet Flint Sandstone Shell formation White limestone, water bearing at base. Not reported Feet. 4 16 10 220 100 150 2 23 100 265 10 Feet. 4 20 30 250 350 500 502 525 625 890 900 The well probably penetrates to the lower part of the Eocene deposits. Higgston (population 207, census of 1910). — The principal sources of water supply at Higgston are shallow dug wells. An artesian well, owned by T. M. Barker, is 353 feet deep and contains water that rises to within 73 feet of the surface. An analysis of water from a small spring near Higgston, owned by Mr. W. R. Calhoun, is given in Table 66 (analysis 1). i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 150, 151, 1908. MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 347 OchwaZkee. — Ochwalkee is a small station on the Seaboard Air Line Railway on the west side of Oconee River. An artesian well near the station, owned by the Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co., is 228 feet deep and flows 20 feet above the surface. Soperton (population 449, census of 1910). — J. F. Wooten, a well contractor, states that a flowing artesian well on the A. B. Conner estate, 7 miles southwest of Soperton, is 240 feet deep. Its mouth is about 25 feet above the level of Oconee River, and the water, which rises 8 feet above the surface, flows 25 gallons a minute. The principal water-bearing bed is said to be a soft rock at 235 feet. The water is used for domestic purposes and for boiler supply at a sawmill. McRae. — Two flowing wells a mile east of McRae (Telfair County) on the east side of Little Ocmulgee River near the wagon bridge, in Montgomery County, are reported to be 140 feet deep. Kibbee. — An analysis of water from a small spring near Kibbee, owned by Mrs. N. H. Mason, is given in Table 66 (analysis 2). Table 65. — Wells in Montgomery County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Higgstc McArtl T. M. Ba S. W. MeCallieu.. do 1902 Feet. 9, 247 3 5 miles northeast of Lumber City. McRae (Telfair 4 County) , 1 east of. mile W. C. McRae and others. Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co. A. B. Conner estate. . 5 Ochwa Sopertc south S. W. McCalli J. F. Wootten 6 n, 7 miles west of. J. F. Wootten... 1910 ( b ) Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 353 900 140 300 228 240 Inches. 6 3 Feet. Feet. Feet. -73 -60 Galls. Galls. ? 890-900 419 See analysis 3, Table 1 Flo 66. 4 +17 +20 + 8 do Hard. 5 3 25 25 do fi 235 do a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 150-151, 1908. b Elevation about 25 feet above low-water level of Oconee River. 348 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 65. — Wells in Montgomery County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Oligocene? ?, Eocene? Limestone at 350 feet. See log, p. 346. 3 Alum Bluft forma- tion? Vicksburg forma- tion? Vicksburg forma- tion. do 4 Municipal supply. Domestic R 6 Domestic, boiler supply. 2J-inch casing, 170 feet; 4-inch casing, 40 feet. Cost of well, S350. Table 66. — Analyses of underground waters from Montgomery County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Spring of W. A. Calhoun. Spring of Mrs. N. H. Mason. Well Higgston (near) . . . Surflcial depos- its. Alum Bluff for- mation? Feet. 890-900 ? Oct., 1909 Apr. 17,1911 Do. 3 McArthur planta- tion, 5 miles northeast of Lumber City. Do. CD 'o CD CD 'S •a ^ X) T3 O CD 03 !> O -o cd» "oa^"" 3 3 Li 03 o3 .28 o . to 2 Remarks. a a p M .a d 02 o t- - 6J0 a o . 03 ■ o Ah s p. OQ o 3 o "3 > , o 1 10 30 Tr. 0.7 0.1 1.9 Tr. 36 Tr. 2.8 86 2 12 .5 0.2 1.6 .6 1.5 0.8 33 1.4 4.0 27 3 17- 1.4 16 4.0 S 2 1.0 159 2.0 0.1 9.0 183 Well 2, Table 66. MUSCOGEE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Muscogee County is in the western part of Georgia on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Gulf Coastal Plain. Its area is 235 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 36,227. Columbus, the county seat, is its only municipality. The chief industries at Columbus are the manufacture of cotton goods, the ex- traction of cottonseed oil, the manufacture of carriages, wagons, and implements, and the manufacture of fertilizers. Outside of Columbus agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. More than the southern half of the county is in the Gulf Coastal Plain and the remainder is in the Piedmont Plateau. The surface MUSCOGEE COUNTY. 349 in general is hilly. The Piedmont portion of the area is more rugged and slightly higher than the Coastal Plain portion. The Coastal Plain area is in the main a strongly dissected upland plain and is included in the physiographic division of the Coastal Plain known as the fall- line hills. In limited areas bordering Chattahoochee River, from Columbus southward, the hilly upland topography has been modified by Pleistocene terracing processes, which have produced two terrace plains, one (the Satilla) lying 40 or 45 feet above low-water level of the river and the other (the Okefenokee) lying 135 or 140 feet above the same datum. The greatest recorded altitude in the county is in the Piedmont area in the vicinity of Fortson, about 11 miles north of Columbus, where the elevation above sea level is 650 feet. Elevations as great as 550 feet are recorded in the northern part of the portion of the county in the Coastal Plain. The county is drained by Chattahoochee River, the principal tribu- taries of which are Upatoi, Bull, and Standing Boy creeks. The maximum topographic relief is approximately 400 feet. GEOLOGY. . Crystalline rocks appear at the surface in the Piedmont Plateau in the northern part of the county in an irregular belt 2 to 10 miles wide. The crystalline rocks dip southward 50 to 60 feet to the mile and pass beneath the deposits of the Coastal Plain, forming the base upon which the latter rest. The Lower Cretaceous deposits, which constitute the greater part of the sediments of the Coastal Plain, consist of coarse arkosic sands and gravels, with interbedded lenses of light drab to white massive clays, which rest upon the crystalline basement rocks. The depos- its, which attain a maximum thickness of 350 or 400 feet along the southern edge of the area, pass southward unconformably beneath the Eutaw formation of the Upper Cretaceous. The Lower Creta- ceous deposits carry large quantities of water of excellent quality. The Eutaw formation outcrops in an irregular detached area 1 or 2 miles wide and about 10 miles long, north of Upatoi Creek, capping the hills to a maximum thickness of about 140 feet. The formation consists of sands and clays more or less calcareous and glauconitic. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) A Pleistocene terrace plain (the Satilla) , lying 40 or 45 feet above low-water level and having a width of 1 to 2\ miles, borders Chatta- hoochee River in the west. This plain is the upper surface of a Pleis- tocene terrace deposit of clays, loams, sands, and gravels 20 to 40 feet thick, which rests upon the planed-off surface of Lower Creta- ceous strata. Small areas of a similar but older terrace plain (the Okefenokee) northeast and east of Columbus, 135 to 140 feet above 350 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. the low-water level of the river, also rest upon planed-off Lower Cretaceous strata. Coarse sands and gravels at the base of the Pleistocene deposits carry large quantities of water. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Outside the corporate limits of Columbus, in the Coastal Plain, water for domestic purposes is obtained chiefly from dug wells, few of which exceed 100 feet in depth. On the terraces bordering Chatta- hoochee River the wells, as a rule, do not exceed 30 or 40 feet in depth and derive their supplies from the sands and gravels at the base of the Pleistocene terrace deposits. In the hilly region east of the Chat- tahoochee Valley it is necessary at many places to sink the wells to greater depths. Small springs are common in the hilly portions of the county and are used to some extent. Numerous small creeks and brooks furnish an abundant supply of excellent water for stock and for steam production. The waters of both wells and springs are soft and, unless insanitary conditions exist at the surface in their immediate vicinity, are of excellent quality for domestic uses. Shallow wells and springs near stables or dwellings are liable to pollution unless the water-bearing strata are protected from surface seepage by overlying impervious strata of clay or rock and unless water-tight cribbings and casings extend from the surface down to such protecting strata. The Lower Cretaceous deposits carry large quantities of soft water, except along the northern border of the Coastal Plain, where the terrane feathers out against the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont. The quantity of water contained in the formation increases down the dip of the beds, and in the extreme southwestern part of the county the amounts available are very great. The maximum thickness of the deposits in the extreme southwest is estimated to be about 375 feet. Test wells near the mouth of Bull Creek draw from Lower Cretaceous beds. If these wells were 3 or 4 miles farther south they would probably supply much larger quan- tities. Flowing wells can be obtained on the lowest Pleistocene terrace bordering the river from Bull Creek southward to Upatoi Creek and probably in the bottom lands of Upatoi Creek for several miles above its junction with the river. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Columbus (population 20,554, census of 1910). — Columbus is pro- vided with a water-supply system, owned bv the Columbus Water- MUSCOGEE COUNTY. 351 works Co. The following information was furnished by Maj. W. S. Greene, of Columbus, who was acting as receiver for the company. The municipal water supply is derived in part from two spring branches in Lee County, Ala., 4 miles west of the city, and in part from Chattahoochee River; that derived from the former source is impounded in two reservoirs having a combined capacity of 63,000 gallons. From these reservoirs the water is conducted through a 12-inch pipe by gravity to settling basins at the nitration plant in the city. The portion derived from Chattahoochee River is lifted by means of an electric pump to the settling basins, where the mixed water from both sources is treated with alum as a preliminary to filtration, which is done with four units of the rapid sand type, manu- factured by the New York Continental Jewell Filtration Co., each with a daily capacity of 500,000 gallons. After filtration the water passes into two clear-water basins having a combined capacity of 120,000 gallons, from which it is forced by an electric pump having a capacity of 1,200 gallons per minute into the standpipe whose base is 85 feet above the terrace plain upon which the business part of the city is situated. The standpipe itself is 120 feet high and has a capacity of 280,000 gallons. The standpipe pressure is 85 pounds and the direct pressure 100 pounds per square inch. The total length of the distributing mains is 30^ miles; the number of taps for domestic purposes is 2,241, and for manufacturing purposes 55; there are 174 fire hydrants. The daily consumption for domestic purposes is 925,000 gallons, and for manufacturing purposes 425,000 gallons. The water derived from the spring branches is soft. During recent years a determined effort was made by the Hudson Engineering Co., of New York City, under contract with the city of Columbus, to secure sufficient water from an underground source to supply the city. The contract specified that the well or wells must show an output of 5,000,000 gallons daily during one week of continu- ous pumping. The place selected for the test wells was a tract of land on either side of Bull Creek, near its junction with Chattahoochee River, about 2\ to 3^- miles southeast of the post office. The surface here is part of the lowest Pleistocene terrace plain bordering Chatta- hoochee River, the general elevation of which is about 50 feet above low-water level of the river and between 230 and 240 feet above sea level. N. W. Wood, constructing engineer, who had immediate charge of the work for the company, furnished the information here given con- cerning the results of the undertaking. The last detailed informa- tion received from Mr. Wood was in February, 1911, at which time 36 8-inch wells had been completed. The work was still in progress and several additional wells were contemplated. Data regarding the 36 wells are given in the following table: 352 UNDEEGEOUND WATEES OP COASTAL PLAIN OP GEOBGIA. Data of test wells near Columbus. No. of well. Total depth. Depth to basement rock. Approximate elevation of mouth of well above sea level. No. of well. Total depth. Depth to basement rock. Approximate elevation of mouth of well above sea level. la... Feet. 250 255 260 257 260 270 265 250 266.5 260 261 262 248 260 275 296 261 262 262 Feet. 173 188 203 198 210 190 200 180 180 171 173 185.5 195 211.5 218 201 215 231 225 Feet. 218? 226. 75? 233? 233. 25 233.5 234. 75 235 220. 25? 224. 25 233. 75 232. 75 232.5 231. 5? 234. 75 230. 25 232 233. 25 233 233.5 20 Feet. 262 262.5 263 262 262 267 267 225 216 241 222 247 248 Feet. 224 225 227 230 228 245 242 225 216 241 222 247 248 Feet. 232 5 2 21 232. 25 3 22 230 4 23 230 5 5 24... 228 75 6 25 226.5 7 26 227 8 27 230. 25 9 28 228 10 29 552 11... 30 222 12... 31 232.75 13 32 234.75 14 b 33 e 242. 25 15 34 227.6 282 300 293 227.6 232 222 223 224. 75 16 e 35 217. 25 17d 36/ 217. 75 18 d.. 37 226. 75 19 d a One water horizon only, 98 to 103 feet. b Also known as No. 5A. c Trace of gas in granite. d Flowed about 10 gallons a minute when first drilled. e A proposed well. / Slight surface flow from rock. The distribution of wells 1 to 26 is shown in figure 4. The exact location of the remaining 10 wells has not been learned, but they are south of Bull Creek, in the southeastern part of the area shown on the map. The wells range in depth from 216 to 300 feet and the crystalline basement rocks were struck at depths of 171 to 248 feet. The of two of the wells follow: log Log of test well No. 11, at Columbus. Depth. Lower Cretaceous (except about 25 feet of undifferentiated Pleistocene material at top) Clay Soft sand rock Harder sand rock Sand, with small amount of water Clay, light in color Sand. Clay, light in color Hard sand Red clay Sand, water bearing Red clay .* Sand, water bearing Yellow clay Sand rock Basement rocks: Decayed top of crystalline rock Hard" crystalline rock 202 261 MUSCOGEE COUNTY. Log of test well No. 25, near Columbus. Thick- ness. 353 Depth. Pleistocene (terrace deposit): Clay Sand and gravel Lower Cretaceous: White sand rock Brown sand rock White sand rock Brown sand rock Gray sand rock Brown sand rock Yellow sandy clay, soft and sticky White sand, water bearing White sandy clay, sticky like putty Dark yellow clay Blue sandy clay Yellow clay Blue sandy clay Red clay, shaly White sand, small amount of water Red clay, shaly Yellow sandy clay White coarse sand , water bearing Red clay, shaly Yellow sandy clay Gray sandy clay, lead color Tough micaceous clay, resembling residual mica schist Micaceous silt Basement rocks: Soft gray decomposed crystalline rock Hard crystalline rock Feet. 17 10 4 7 Fret. 17 27 31 38 46 55 69 77 98 117 125 134 142 147 156 165 179 190 194 210 215 220 229 234 245 250 267 Mr. Wood states that two or three water-bearing beds were en- countered at various depths in each of the wells Nos. 1 to 26 except No. 1, in which there was but one bed. The water was admitted to the casings by means of strainers inserted at the water-bearing beds, the length of the strainers being determined by the thick- ness of the beds. When first drilled, the water in each of the 26 wells rose to within 20 feet or less of the surface, and three of the wells, Nos. 17, 18, and 19, flowed about 1 gallons per minute each . The strainers, however, permitted the water from the lower beds to drain into the upper nonflo wing beds and the flows ceased. In general the deeper the water- bearing bed the greater the yield. During the progress of the work a test was made of the combined capacity of wells Nos. 1 to 28. Water was pumped by air lift for 144 consecutive hours at about 3,000,000 gallons per 24 hours, at which rate the static head was lowered to about 125 feet below the surface. Three-fifths of the water stipulated in the contract was thus produced. 38418°— wsp 341—15 23 500 1.000 1/60 5,280 Feet Figure 4.— Sketch map showing distri- bution of test wells near Columbus. 354 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Although the yield, as shown by the test, was less than that required, it was more than twice as great as that now consumed daily by the city, and if maintained continuously would supply the city's needs for many years to come. These wells, however, are only 3 miles south of the fall line, and the catchment area is there- fore relatively small. It seems possible that the water table would be gradually lowered until eventually the reservoir would be exhausted. The following is a mineral analysis of water from test well No. 35, collected March 27, 1911, and analyzed by Edgar Everhart. The sample probably consisted of a mixture of water from several beds between 100 and 232 feet, all of which belong to the Lower Cretaceous. Analysis of water from test icell No. 35 near Columbus. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 52 Iron (Fe) l.'O Calcium (Ca) 37 Magnesium (Mg) 6.8 Sodium and potassium (Na-f-K) 47 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 88 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 75 Nitrato radicle (N0 3 ) Chlorine (CI) 38 Total dissolved solids 314 The water from the wells is said to have been used in some of the boilers at the plant for 18 months without forming any appreciable scale. Had these test wells been located several miles farther south in southern Muscogee County or eastern Chattahoochee County, where the Lower Cretaceous deposits have increased to nearly double their thickness at the mouth of Bull Creek, the supply of water obtain- able would have been much larger and there would probably have been no danger of exhausting the reservoir by heavy pumping. So far as reported, no shallow wells are used for domestic purposes within the corporate limits of Columbus. On a thickly inhabited plain, such as that on which the business part of the city stands, water from shallow depths is peculiarly li able to contamination. That a large supply of water may be obtained from shallow sources within the city limits is certain, as shown by the following data of wells at the plant of Golden's Foundry & Machine Co., furnished by I. E. Golden, secretary and treasurer: PIERCE COUNTY. 355 The wells, five in number, are located on block No. 12, between Cemetery Street and Sixth Avenue and between Fifteenth Street and the Central of Georgia Railway. They are all dug and range in depth from 32 to 36 feet, reaching but not entering the crystalline basement rocks. The water comes from sand and gravel beneath beds of sand and clay at the base of the Pleistocene terrace deposits or in Lower Cretaceous deposits, a few feet of which may intervene between the basement rocks and the overlying terrace deposits. It stands 6 to 8 feet below the surface during wet seasons and at greater depths during dry seasons. The yield varies greatly with the seasons, but the minimum available from the five wells is 150 gallons per minute. The water is obtained by suction pumps. PIERCE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Pierce County is in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Blackshear, the county seat, is on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, 87 miles southwest of Savannah. The area is 605 square miles and the population is 10,749 (census of 1910). Agriculture and the production of lumber and naval stores are the chief industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The county from a few miles southeast of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad northwestward is a slightly undulating upland, 100 to 200 feet above sea level, which forms part of the physiographic division known as the Altamaha upland or long-leaf pine region. The remainder of the county, in the southeast and south, is a flat, poorly drained plain 60 to 100 feet above sea level, forming a part of the physiographic division known as the Okefenokee plain. Small cypress ponds and swampy saw-palmetto and gallberry flats are numerous. GEOLOGY. In the western part of the county the surface deposits consist of 100 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays, in part water bearing, probably of Oligocene age. In the central and north-central parts of the county similar undifferentiated deposits of Miocene to Pleistocene age outcrop. (See geologic map, PI. III.) The remainder of the county is covered by sands and clays of Pleistocene age, probably not exceeding 50 feet in thickness. The undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene deposits and the known Pleistocene sands and clays are the source of the waters obtained in shallow wells. 356 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The series of Tertiary deposits probably includes in descending order representatives of the Pliocene, Miocene, Oligocene, and Eocene. (See logs of wells at Offerman, pp. 357-358, at Doctortown, Wayne County, pp. 452-453, and at Waycross, Ware County, pp. 437-439.) The upper 420 or 450 feet of these deposits consists of sands and greenish or drab sandy clays, witli subordinate layers of limestone, phosphatic sand, or sandy shell marl and gravel. There follows 255.5 feet of limestones interbedded with layers of sand and shell marl, which may represent in descending order the Alum Bluff, Chatta- hoochee, Vicksburg, and perhaps also the Jackson formation. (See log at Offerman, p. 358.) Nothing definite is known concerning the deposits below the limestone, but it is believed that they include in descending order older Eocene and Cretaceous strata, which at an unknown depth, perhaps 3,000 feet or more, rest upon abasement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Tertiary deposits and probably also the Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Wells of the dug and driven types ranging in depth from 10 to 30 feet are the principal source of domestic water supply. Two artesian wells have been drilled at Offerman. The springs of the county are small and unimportant as sources of supply. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more. It is probable that the static head of deep wells located on the lowlands bordering Satilla and Little Ocmulgee rivers in the southern and eastern parts of the county will be high enough to produce flows at the surface. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Blackshear (population 1,235, census of 1910). — Blackshear, the county seat, installed a public water-supply system in 1913, obtaining water from an 8-inch well 825 feet deep. Information concerning the well and the waterworks plant has been furnished by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., of Charleston, S. C, and by the A. P. Brantley Co., of Blackshear. The following log, furnished by the first-named company, was prepared by J. R. Connelly, driller in charge : PIERCE COUNTY. Log of town well at Blackshear. 357 Soft red clay Soft white sand Soft white clay Soft white sand Tough red clay Soft blue marl Alternate layers of soft blue marl and sand Hard blue rock Alternate layers of marl and hard blue rock Tough blue marl Hard light-gray rock Alternate layers of light-blue shell rock and marl, water bearing. Hard light-blue flint, water bearing Hard layer of shells Hard flint . Soft blue marl Hard shell rock Dark-gray, hard, flinty shell rock Shell rock, similar to the preceding but somewhat softer Hard dark-gray shell rock ' Soft light-gray shell rock Hard dark-brown layer of shells. . Hard flint Medium-hard light-gray shell rock H ard flint Tough dark-brown layers of shells Thick- ness. Depth. Contain water-bearing layers; the principal source of supply. Feet. 20 10 20 10 40 40 30 10 60 20 20 40 10 5 2 8 35 40 20 10 50 20 5 25 20 255 Feet. 20 30 50 60 100 140 170 180 240 260 280 320 330 335 337 345 380 420 440 450 500 520 525 550 570 825 The well probably completely penetrates the Oligocene (including in descending order the Alum Bluff, Chattahoochee, and Vicksburg formations), and enters the upper part of the underlying Eocene. Water-bearing beds were encountered between 300 and 330 feet and between 450 and 825 feet. Eight-inch casing was inserted to 450 feet only, so that all water-bearing beds between that depth and the bottom of the well are utilized. The elevation of the mouth of the well is about 10 feet above the ground level at the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station or about 116 feet above sea level. The water rises to within 55 feet of the surface and is lifted to the surface by means of an air-lift pump. The well will yield 1,000 gallons per minute. The water is said to be somewhat hard and sulphurous. The well was drilled at a cost of $350. The water is pumped from the well into a reservoir holding 100,000 gallons, and from the reservoir into an elevated tank having a like capacity. The latter furnishes a gravity pressure of 50 pounds per square inch and the possible direct pressure from the pumps is 100 pounds per square inch. The water is distributed through 5 miles of mains to 100 taps and 50 fire hydrants. The daily consumption is 10,000 gallons for domestic use and an equal amount for manufac- turing. Offerman (population 483, census of 1910). — At Offerman the domestic water supply is obtained from shallow dug and driven wells and from two deep wells owned by the Southern Pine Co. The fol- lowing log of one of the deep wells, drilled in 1905, was published by Fuller and Sanf ord : * * U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 298, p. 201, 1906. 358 UNDERGKOUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log of the well of the Southern Pine Co., at Offerman. [Samples received from the Hughes Specialty "Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S. C] Thick- ness. Depth. Black soil, chiefly made land Tough reddish and cream-colored sandy clay Tough pink clayey sand Loose coarse white gravel, water bearing; yields one-half gallon a minute for each foot head is depressed Tough, sticky, cream-colored sandy clay , Loose line grayish sand; no water Not reported Tough, sticky cream -colored marl, like pipe clay Soft cream-colored sandy marl with hard layers Dark blue sandy marl with hard layers Loose coarse white sand Soft blue-black and black sandy marl with hard layers Loose fine brownish limy sand with hard layers Tough, white limestone with hard layers Loose fine white sand with hard layers White limestone, water bearing Loose fine gray sand, water bearing Hard brown limestone and soft marl Loose white sand containing glauconite; no water Coarse gray sand with bits of soft limestone and rhells; also black granules No sample Cream-colored limestone with siliceous gray limestone, chert nodules, and quartz grains. Flinty gray limestone and yellow shell rock with chert nodules and quartz grains; two days drilling Hard white sand (sample much like preceding) ; no water Medium soft, cream-colored limestone (sample much like preceding) Very hard flinty limestone (sample shows a little chert at 573-575 feet) Very soft cream-colored limestone with plenty of water at £40 feet to bottom Feet. 1 39 20 10 50 10 50 60 20 20 20 100 20 20 20 20 10 10 18 (?) 10 30 75.5 Feet. 1 40 60 70 120 130 180 240 260 280 300 400 420 440 460 480 490 500 518 532 540 550 555 560 570 600 675.5 Diameter of casing, 6 and 4J inches; length, 635 feet. Water obtained from 640 to 675i feet; rises within 33 feet of surface; is depressed'about 25 feet by pumping 250 gallons a minute. Water slightly sulphureted. Temperature at well mouth, 76° F. A partial set of borings from this well is on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (wells Nos. 402 and 450). From borings taken between 450 and 575 feet specimens of fossil Bryozoa were obtained which R. S. Bassler says are related to the bryozoan famia obtained from the Eocene limestones of upper Jackson age at Wilmington, N. C, and may indicate either a Jackson or a Vieksburg age for the containing strata. Information regarding another well owned by the Southern Pine Co., drilled in 1898, is given by McCallie 1 as follows: This well, owned by the Southern Pine Co., of Georgia, is located on the west side of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, almost a quarter of a mile north of the Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad junction. The well was put down in 1898 at a cost of $500. It is 8 inches in diameter and 125 feet deep. Originally the well was 515 feet deep but it subsequently filled with sand to 125 feet. The water, which is used for boiler purposes and for drinking, rises to within 108 feet of the surface. The maximum yield of the well is 40 gallons per minute. Rock is reported at 98 and 500 feet from the surface, the former bed extending to 108 feet, at which point water- bearing sand was struck. The water of this well is probably derived from the Alum Bluff formation. Ice.— An oil-prospecting well has been drilled near Ice post office, 4 miles northeast of Blackshear, by L. F. Hinson, but no detailed i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 152-153, 1908. PULASKI COUNTY. 359 information concerning it has been obtained. A sample from 400 feet is white limestone. PULASKI COUNTY. 1 GENERAL FEATURES. Pulaski County is in the north-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, the northern boundary of the county being about 30 miles south of Macon and the fall line. Its area is 463 square miles and its population is 22,835 (census of 1910). Agriculture is carried on extensively, and lumbering, though declining, is still an important industry. TOPOGRAPHY. In the northern part of the county the upland surface presents low rolling hills covered in part with a growth of oak and hickory. In the south the surface is more nearly level and, though now open, was once covered with a forest of long-leaf pine. Lime sinks occur throughout the county. Ocmulgee River, the largest stream, has cut its valley scarcely more than 100 feet below the level of the upland. The river is bordered by two narrow Pleistocene plains, one lying 12 to 15 feet and the other 50 to 60 feet above low-water level. GEOLOGY. The Jackson formation, which consists of 150 feet or less of soft limestone interbedded with sands and clays, outcrops on Ocmulgee River along the northwestern boundary of the county and extends southward beneath the younger formations to, and probably far beyond, the southern boundary. The formation is water bearing. The Vicksburg formation, which consists of 100 feet or less of limestone interbedded with sands and clays, overlies the Jackson formation and outcrops in the northern part of the county north of Hawkinsville and in the valleys of Ocmulgee River and Tuscaw- hachee Creek southward to the southern border of the county. The formation weathers to red, residual, argillaceous sands, which are the chief source of the water obtained in numerous shallow wells. The unweathered portion of the formation at greater depths is an important aquifer. In the southeastern and southern parts of the county the Vicks- burg formation is overlain by a thin covering, probably nowhere exceeding 100 feet, of ferruginous sands and sandy clays mapped with the undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive, which yield water to shaEow wells. 1 Under this heading is included a large area which has been organized as Bleckley County since this report was transmitted for publication. (See map, PI. Ill, p. 52.) 360 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Jackson formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated sands, clays, and marls of Eocene age, in part water bearing. The Eocene deposits are in turn underlain by 1,000 feet or more of sands and clays of Cretaceous age, which rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Shallow dug wells are the main sources of domestic water supply and in general yield soft waters. Several artesian wells have been drilled at and near Hawkinsville and one deep well has been drilled at Cochran. There are a few springs, but none of large size have been reported. Spring waters are used to a small extent for domestic supplies. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. On the Pleistocene terrace plains bordering Ocmulgee River the static head of the water will in many places be high enough to produce flows from wells 250 feet or more in depth. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Hawkinsville (population 3,420, census of 1910). — Hawkinsville is the county seat and the principal business town. The public water supply of approximately 100,000 gallons a day is derived from artesian wells. The artesian wells in the vicinity of Hawkinsville range in depth from 175 to 500 feet and furnish an abundance of water which, though potable, is so hard that surface waters are preferred in laundries and in boilers. According to McCallie * one water-bearing stratum, at 265 feet, yields water which flows at the surface and another, at 490 feet, water that rises 12 feet above the surface. The following log of one of the wells is given by McCallie: Log of well at Hawkinsville. [Authority, Mr. Dearing, well contractor.] Red and yellow clays Limestone with layers of blue clay White limestone and clay Blue clay Coarse water-bearing sand, containing sharks' teeth Limestone interstratified with cla3 T ; stopped on coarse water-bearing sand Thick- ness. Depth. Feet. Feet. 40 40 140 180 40 220 40 260 100 360 130 490 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 153, 154, 1908. PULASKI COUNTY. 361 The following is an analysis of water from the 490-foot stratum, Edgar Everhart, 1 analyst: Analysis of water from 490-foot bed at Hawkinsville. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 31 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 3 +Al 2 3 ) 5. 3 Calcium (Ca) 62 Magnesium (Mg) 2. 2 Sodium (Na) _ 16 Potassium (K) 3. 6 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 200 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 8. 5 Chlorine (CI) _ 18 Total dissolved solids 249 Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 ) The water-bearing stratum at 490 feet is either in the lower part of the Eocene or in the upper part of the Cretaceous deposits. Cochran (population 1,638, census of 1910). — Cochran owns a deep well which furnishes water for domestic use to a part of the inhabit- ants. The well is reported to be 365 feet deep and the water rises to within 85 feet of the surface. The difference between the static head of this well and of the wells at Hawkinsville is due to the differ- ence in elevation of the two places, Cochran being 341 feet and Hawkinsville only 235 feet above sea level. Table 67. — Wells in PidasTci County. No. No. Location. Owner. Authority. Date com- pleted. Approxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 S. W. McCalliei do 1895 Feet. 341 ? do 235 3 do do 1905 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearins bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level water above below surface. Yield per minute. Flow. Pump. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 365 490 312 Inches. 6 Feet. 350 490 Feet. -85 +12 Galls. Galls. 320 Flows. do. Hard, sulphurous. See analysis above. » Georg' ■ Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 153-155, 1908. 362 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 67. — Wells in Pulaski County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 The city owns several deep wells. log, p. 360. ? Municipal supply . do Eocene or Cretace- ous. See 3 do QUITMAN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Quitman County is in the west-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 144 square miles and its population 4,594 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county lies within the physiographic division of the Coastal Plain known as the fall-line hills. The surface was once an upland plain but has been subsequently dissected by stream erosion and ex- cept in small areas near Chattahoochee River is now hilly. Two ter- race plains, the limits of which have not been determined in detail, occupy a narrow area bordering the river. The lowest (Satilla plain) lies 40 to 50 feet above low-water level of the river and probably nowhere exceeds 2 miles in width; the higher (Okefenokee plain) is narrower and lies 110 to 120 feet above the same datum. The county is drained by Chattahoochee River, chiefly through its tributaries, Pataula, Wellono, and several smaller creeks. The maxi- mum surface relief of the county is probably between 300 and 400 feet. GEOLOGY. The Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous is the only pre- Tertiary formation outcropping in this county. The formation ap- pears in a belt several miles wide bordering Chattahoochee River. It is underlain by buried representatives of the Eutaw formation of the Upper Cretaceous, and the latter is probably underlain by still more deeply buried Lower Cretaceous deposits. No wells of sufficient depth to determine the character and thickness of the several forma- tions mentioned have been drilled in the county. At an unknown depth beneath the surface, probably 1,500 to 2,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon crystalline basement rocks. The Ripley formation is unconformably overlain by Eocene strata which form the surface materials over the greater part of the county east of the Cretaceous belt. QUITMAN COUNTY. . 363 The Ripley formation as exposed in the river bluffs consists chiefly of massive, compact, more or less calcareous and glauconitic marine sands, clays, and marls, with indurated layers at vertical intervals of a few feet to 10 feet or more; it contains, however, subordinate lenses and layers of loose, irregularly bedded sands and clays. The total thickness of the formation in the river section in Georgia is estimated to be about 950 feet. In the northern part of the county the upper beds of the formation merge horizontally into the irregularly bed- ded, shallow-water sands and clays of the Providence sand member, which probably attains a maximum thickness of 125 feet. The Ripley formation is unconformably overlain by the Midway formation, an Eocene terrane composed of sands, clays, marls, and limestones. The Midway strata form the surface materials over the greater part of the county, but the Wilcox formation, also of Eocene age, which overlies the Midway formation, appears in a relatively small area in the extreme southeastern part of the county. (See PL III, p. 52.) Pleistocene terrace deposits, coextensive with the terrace plains, rest unconformably upon Cretaceous and Tertiary strata in small areas bordering Chattahoochee River. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The chief sources of domestic water are welis of shallow or moderate depth, mostly of the dug type, and small springs. On the river ter- races the depth of the wells does not as a rule exceed 40 feet, the source being the sands and gravels at the base of the terrace deposits. In the hilly upland to the east, which includes the greater part of the area, wells 40 to 100 feet or more in depth tap water-bearing strata in the Cretaceous and Tertiary formations. Small creeks and spring branches afford an ample supply of excel- lent water for domestic animals and for steam production. In the west moderate quantities of rather highly mineralized waters may be obtained from water-bearing sands in the Ripley and Eutaw formations at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. Throughout the remainder of the county the same beds may be reached by drilling through the overlying Eocene strata, but they lie at increasingly greater depths to the southeast away from the belt of outcrop of the Cretaceous strata. In a small area the Providence sand member of the Ripley forma- tion is an especially promising aquifer, for it is composed predomi- nantly of coarse, irregularly bedded sands. The porous sands of the Midway formation, which overlie the Rip- ley formation, carry waters in moderate quantities. 364 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Flows can be expected only from wells on the lowest river terrace at elevations less than 50 feet above low-water level. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Well of J. F. Hogan. — J. F. Hogan has furnished the following data concerning a well located on his property, 11 miles northeast of Georgetown. The well is situated on a hill and is of the driven type. The depth is 150 feet and the diameter is 2 inches. Two-inch casing extends to the bottom. The water, which is derived from sand, rises 5 feet in the casing and is lifted to the surface by a force pump. The water is soft and is used for general domestic purposes. The cost of the well was $150. Except for 20 feet of clay in the upper part, the section was principally sand. The clay should probably be referred to the Mid- way formation of the Eocene, and the remainder of the section to the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. Eufaula, Ala. — Several deep wells have been drilled at Eufaula, Barbour County, Ala., data concerning which have been published by E. A. Smith, 1 State geologist. The underground conditions are essentially the same as those immediately to the east in Quitman County. At Eufaula the altitude of the well from which the city supply is derived is 110 feet below that of the railroad track at the depot, or 90 feet above mean tide; that of the Oil & Gin Co.'s well is about the same as that of the depot — 200 feet above tide; and that of the well at Moulthrop's brickyard is probably intermediate between the two. At the two lower wells the water overflows, but not at the other. In all these the sup- ply seems to be inadequate. City Water Co.'s well, Eufaula, under the bluff on the west bank of Chattahoochee River, 110 feet below the city; casing, 4-inch; flow, 5| gallons per minute; hydraulic ram used; temperature, 68°. Boring is in marl to water-bearing sands at 400 feet; several layers of soft rock; hard rock below the water-bearing sand. Eufaula Oil & Gin Co.'s well, Eufaula; bored in 1895; depth 950 feet; water at first stood at —26 feet, now stands at —50 feet; cased at 300 feet, 4-inch and 6-inch; supply insufficient; well abandoned. f Record of Eufaula Oil & Gin Co.'s well, Eufaula, Ala.] Feet. Top soil and sand 0-30 Marl 30-380 Soft sandstone 380-381 Cavity, with a little water 381-389 Marl, water below in very fine sand 389-950 Well at Moulthrop's brickyard, 1 mile southeast of Eufaula; bored in April, 1900, by Eugene Thompson; depth, 350 feet; casing 20 feet, 4-inch; flow, 5 gallons per minute. Record: Top soil, 0-20; marl water, 20-350. The water-bearing bed in this well is a sharp gray sand of fine grain, used by engineers for grinding valves. The boring went 15 feet deeper than this sand and struck a hard rock which was not pierced. The marl contains a great many shells, and in it at intervals of about 30 feet occur indurated crusts. 1 The underground water resources of Alabama: Alabama Geol. Survey, pp. 240-241, 1907. RANDOLPH COUNTY. 365 The following analysis of water from the last-described well was made at the Pratt Laboratory, Atlanta, Ga. ; * the source of the water is the Ripley formation. Analysis of water from well at Moulthrop's brickyard, 1 mile southeast of Eufaula, Barbour County, Ala. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 16 Iron and aluminum (Fe-f-Al) 1. 9 Calcium (Ca) 3. 5 Magnesium (Mg) 8 Sodium (Na) 137 Potassium (K) 3. Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 351 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) - 5. 2 Chlorine (CI) 14 Organic and volatile matter 33 Total dissolved solids 387 RANDOLPH COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Randolph County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Cuthbert, the county seat, is 118 miles by rail south- west of Macon and 45 miles south of Columbus. The area of the county is 412 square miles and the population is 18,841 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the principal industry, but there are a few small manufacturing plants at Cuthbert and at Shellman. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county is hilly and broken, the estimated altitude of the general upland surface being 350 to 500 feet above sea level. The creeks and branches have cut valleys in soft sands and clays, 100 to 150 feet beneath the upland level. The upland declines slightly southward and becomes less broken until south of Cuthbert its surface is only slightly rolling. The county is on the divide between the Chattahoochee and Flint drainage systems and the streams are small and their waters clear. The western part of the county is drained by tributary creeks of Chattahoochee River, and the eastern part by Ichawaynochaway Creek and its tributaries Cuthbert, on the summit of the divide, is 469 feet above sea level. GEOLOGY. Strata of Eocene age form the surface materials throughout the greater part of the county and consist of several hundred feet of sands, clays, marls, and limestones containing important water- i Smith, E. A., op. cit., p. 241. 366 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. bearing beds. Although not accurately discriminated within the county it is believed that the Eocene deposits represent in ascending order the Midway formation, the Wilcox formation, and the Claiborne group. (See PL III, p. 52.) The Midway formation outcrops in a rela- tively small area in the extreme northwest, where it has been recog- nized on the evidence of fossils, and dips slightly to the southeast. The Wilcox formation, which overlies the Midway, outcrops in a belt several miles wide, extending northeast and southwest through the northwestern part of the county. The Claiborne group rests upon the Wilcox formation and outcrops in an irregular area extending in a general northeast and southwest direction through the county, with important branches extending down the valleys of Ichawaynoch- away and Pachilla creeks to the southern boundary. In the interstream areas in the southern part of the county the Claiborne group is overlain by the Vicksburg formation (Oligocene), which consists of probably less than 100 feet of residual sands with masses of flint and some beds of unweathered limestones. The Eocene deposits are underlain by 2,000 feet or more of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age, which do not come to the surface within the county, and which rest upon a deeply buried surface of ancient crystalline rocks. They contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug and bored wells 30 to 100 feet deep are the principal sources of domestic water supply. Most of them yield soft, wholesome waters, but a few enter calcareous strata and yield hard waters. Bored wells 75 to 100 feet deep are practicable over most of the county and when properly cased are preferable to the dug wells, for they are less liable to be polluted. Springs are common in the northern part of the county and are used to some extent for domestic water supply on farms. Most of them issue from sands in the Midway and Wilcox formations, but a few emerge from cavernous limestones of the same formations. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. On the lowlands bordering the creeks in the southeast the chances for obtaining flows are considered good. In the northern part of the county the most abundant supplies can probably be obtained from the Cretaceous deposits, the top of which is estimated to be 300 to 500 feet below the surface. The full thickness of the Cretaceous is thought to be 2,000 feet or more, but water-bearing beds are apt to be encountered at less than 1,000 feet. RANDOLPH COUNTY. 367 In the southern part of the county, south of Cuthbert, large supplies can probably be obtained from the Claiborne group or from the underlying Wilcox and Midway formations at depths ranging from 200 to 700 feet. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Cuthbert (population 3,210, census of 1910). — Cuthbert does not own a public water-supply system, and the domestic water supply is obtained chiefly from shallow wells owned by individuals. It is believed that artesian waters could be obtained in large quantities, and such waters would probably prove more satisfactory for general purposes than those from other sources. The following note on an old well at Cuthbert is given by Spencer: 1 This well was sunk to a depth of 1,000 feet but the record was not kept. From a point between 340 and 400 feet water rose to within 30 feet of the surface, and at 550 feet the water rose to within 70 feet of the surface. A well drilled in 1910 by the Cuthbert Ice Co. near the Central of Georgia Railway station is 435 feet deep. The water, which prob- ably comes from the Midway formation, rises to within 33 feet of the surface. The yield by pumping is 75 gallons per minute. The water is reported to be soft and is used for the manufacture of ice and for drinking purposes. SJieUman (population 985, census of 1910). — At Shellman the principal source of water supply is an artesian well (No. 3, Table 68) owned by the town. Several shallow wells 35 to 65 feet deep are owned by individuals. McCallie 2 gives the following information regarding the town well: The deep well at Shellman , which supplies the town with water, was completed in 1902. It is 6 inches in diameter and 410 feet deep. The only water-bearing stratum reported occurs near the bottom of the well. The water rises to within 70 feet of the surface. Mr. J. E. Cole, the well contractor, has kindly furnished the following record : [Log of town well at Shellman (No. 3, Table 68).] Feet. Red clay 0-18 Quicksand 18-148 Blue marl. 148-300 Very hard limestone 300-400 Water-bearing formation 400-410 From specimens furnished by Mr. Cole the writer has made the following additional notes : Feet. Green sandy, glauconitic marl 250 The same as above but with more sand 350 Quartzose and calcareous sand 400 1 Spencer, J. W., Georgia Geol. Survey First Kept. Progress, p. 79, 1891. 2 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 155, 156, 1908. 368 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The following is an analysis of a sample of water from the town well at Shellman, Edgar Everhart, analyst. The water is probably derived from the Midway formation: Analysis of water from the town well at Shellman (No. 3, Table 68). Parts per million. Silica (SiO,,) 27 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 3 +Al 2 03) 4. 6 Calcium (Ca) '. 47 Magnesium (Mg) 1.4 Sodium (Na) 4. 8 Potassium (K) 1.9 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 134 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 12 Chlorine (CI) 5.4 Total dissolved solids 174 Table 68. — ■Wells in Randolph County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Feet. 446 2 3 do Cuthbert Ice Co Town B. F. Boland, Havana, Fla. J.E.Cole W.J. McLaren S.W.McCallieft... ioio 1902 446 379 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 1,000 435 410 Inches. 4 6 Feet. 340-400 435 400-410 Feet. 550 60, 130, 300 Feet. 30.70 33 70 Galls. Galls. 2 3 75 Steam engine, deep- well pump. Soft. See analysis above. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Abandoned Manufacture of ice and domestic. Midway formation ? do ? Porous gray rock . . 120 feet of 6-inch and 110 of 4J-inch cas- 3 do ing. Cost of well, $800; of pump, S100. See log, p. 367. a Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 79, 1891. 6 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 155, 156, 1908. UNDERGEOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEOEGIA. 369 RICHMOND COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Richmond County is in the east-central part of Georgia. Its area is 319 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 58,886. In Augusta, the population of which is 41,040, the chief industries are the manufacture of cotton goods, the extraction of cottonseed oil, and the manufacture of carriages, wagons, and lumber products. Outside of Augusta the chief industry is agriculture. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is included in the physiographic division of the Coastal Plain known as the fall-line hills. Savannah River forms its eastern boundary and McBean Creek its southern boundary. The area, at one time an upland plain, has been dissected and rendered hilly, with a probable maximum relief of 400 to 450 feet. The streams which effected the dissection of the upland plain are Savannah River and its tributaries, McBean, Spirit, and Butlers creeks. In a strip several miles wide bordering Savannah River and extending from Augusta southward two terraces were cut during Pleistocene time. The lower, the Satilla plain, lies 20 to 30 feet above low-water level of the river, and the higher, the Okefenokee plain, lies 75 to 100 feet above the same datum plane. The plains, particularly the lower one, are still well preserved in places. Augusta is built chiefly upon these two plains. GEOLOGY. Deposits of the Coastal Plain outcrop throughout the county except in a small area in the extreme north, where crystalline rocks of prob- able pre-Cambrian age appear at the surface. The upper surface of the crystalline rocks dips southward beneath the deposits of the Coastal Plain and forms the basement upon which the latter rest. These basement rocks were encountered in a well at Gracewood, 7 miles south of Augusta, at a depth of 410 feet. (See log, p. 373.) Lower Cretaceous deposits outcrop in a belt several miles wide, extending from Augusta and south of Augusta westward to the county line. They rest upon the southward-sloping surface of the basement rocks and consist of 300 feet or more of irregularly bedded arkosic sands with interbedded lenses of light-colored clays of greater or less purity. They extend southward beneath overlapping strata belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene. 38418°— wsp 341—15 24 370 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. The Claiborne beds, with local exceptions, are the surface materials over the southern half of the county. They also cap the ridge between Butlers and Spirit creeks and extend northwestward along the ridge to Grovetown in Columbia County. The Claiborne materials consist of calcareous and glauconitic sands, red and varicolored sands, clays in the nature of fuller's earth, shell marls, and sandy limestones. (See PL III, p. 52.) In an area several miles wide, bordering Savannah River, the Lower Cretaceous and Eocene deposits are overlain by relatively thin terrace deposits of Pleistocene age. The Lower Cretaceous deposits carry large quantities of water and the overlying Eocene deposits are in less degree water bearing. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Throughout the rural districts domestic supplies are obtained chiefly from dug wells 25 to 130 feet in depth, which tap water- bearing beds in the Lower Cretaceous deposits, and from small springs. On the Pleistocene terrace plains bordering Savannah River, wells 20 to 40 feet in depth penetrate the water-bearing basal sands and gravels of the terrace deposits. In the hilly areas west of the river valley it is necessary in most places to sink the wells to greater depths, the water-bearing beds drawn upon being in the Cretaceous and Eocene deposits. Detailed information concerning several wells of the dug type, which may be regarded as typical, is given in Table 69 (wells 2 to G and 8). The water from both wells and springs is of good quality for domes- tic purposes except where contaminated by near-by organic matter. With local exceptions the numerous creeks and branch streams afford excellent water for domestic animals and for steam production. The Lower Cretaceous deposits, which underlie all the county except a relatively small area in the north, are of favorable physical texture and composition for the reception and retention of large quantities of water of excellent quality. Along the northern border of the Coastal Plain, from Augusta westward to the western boundary of the county, where the featheredge of the formation rests against the crystalline rocks, the Lower Cretaceous deposits are too thin and He too high on the stream divides to afford more than moderate amounts of water. The thickness rapidly increases to the southward, however, and the buried deposits throughout the southern two-thirds of the county are believed to contain an abundance of water at depths of 200 to 800 feet. RICHMOND COUNTY. 371 The Eocene strata, which rest upon the Lower Cretaceous deposits over much of the area and which vary in thickness from a few feet in the central part of the county to 300 feet in the extreme south, carry moderate amounts of potable water. No flowing wells have been reported, but the conditions are prob- ably favorable for obtaining flows in the valley of Savannah River, south of Augusta, at elevations less than 50 feet above low-water level, and perhaps also at low levels in the valleys of Butlers, Spirit, and McBean creeks. As shown by the records of two deep wells (see pp. 371-372) the prospects for obtaining water in fairly large quantities from the crystalline rocks which underlie the deposits of the Coastal Plain are fairly good in the vicinity of Augusta. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Augusta (population 41,040, census of 1910). — Information con- cerning the water plant which supplies the city of Augusta has been furnished by Mayor Thomas Barrett, jr.; by Nisbet Wingfield, city engineer and commissioner of public works; and by S. B. Vaughn, postmaster. The plant is under municipal ownership. The water is pumped from Savannah River above Augusta to a reservoir having a capacity of 50,000,000 gallons, located on an eminence north of the city. Two pumps are used, each having a capacity of 6,000,000 gal- lons daily. From the main reservoir the water passes by gravity into 14 mechanical filters of the gravity type, each with a capac- ity of 500,000 gallons daily, from which it flows to a clear-water basin and is distributed to the city by gravity under a pressure of 70 pounds. The total length of the distributing mains is 66.94 miles. There are 4,246 taps for domestic purposes, 130 for manu- facturing purposes, and 788 fire "hydrants. The total amount of water used daily for all purposes is 5,800,000 gallons. The water supply is satisfactory. An auxiliary steam pump with a daily capacity of 6,000,000 gallons is now being installed at the pumping station. A well (No. 1, Table 69) drilled at the plant of the Georgia Chemi- cal Works, lj miles south of the post office, is 970 feet deep and is reported to have entered rock, probably crystalline rock of pre- Cambrian age, at a depth of 80 feet. The 80 feet of materials above the rock are sediments of the Coastal Plain, of which the first 2D or 25 feet probably are Pleistocene terrace deposits and the remainder Lower Cretaceous sands and clays. No water is reported from the Cretaceous beds; if water-bearing horizons were penetrated they 372 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. were cased off, for 8-inch casing was extended to the rock. The water is not good for steam production because of the hard scale it deposits. According to McCallie * water was encountered in this well, probably in crevices in the crystalline rocks, between 150 and 190 feet (static head 90 feet below the surface), between 200 and 300 feet (static head 80 feet below the surface), between 500 and 700 feet (static head 75 feet below the surface), and between 800 and 900 feet (static head 45 feet below the surface). Somerville (population 4,361, census of 1910). — A well 814 feet deep at the arsenal at Somerville, a suburb of Augusta, has been described by Capt. D. M. Taylor, 2 United States Army, as follows: Three water-bearing strata were struck in the well at 500, 600, and 700 feet, respec- tively. As much as 1,080 gallons per hour have been pumped from the well without perceptibly lowering the static head. The water is hard and slightly chalybeate. The first 85 feet passed through consisted of sand, red clay, and gravel. Hard chloritic slate was reached at 280 feet, which was followed by a similar rock, with occasional thin layers of quartz, to 700 feet. The rock varies in hardness, occasionally being comparatively soft, but generally very hard and tough, the softer rock being met with immediately above the watercourses and including them, and the hardest imme- diately below these watercourses. Near the bottom of the well was found a greenish quartz rock. Another well at the arsenal is described by Capt. Taylor 3 as follows : I have one at the arsenal from which the main supply of water is now obtained. It is about 160 feet deep and 5 or 6 feet in diameter, and the water stands in it at a constant depth of between 9 J and 11 feet, not varying at all from local rains or droughts. It is usually pumped dry every day and fills again for the next day's pumping. This water I consider much better than that from the artesian well. Gracewood. — A well (No. 7, Table 69) was drilled in 1912 at the Augusta Orphan Asylum, Gracewood, Ga., 7 miles south of Augusta. The following log has been furnished by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., of Charleston, S. C. : i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 157, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 157-158. s Idem, p. 158. RICHMOND COUNTY. 373 Log of well at Augusta Orphan Asylum, Gracewood (No. 7, Table 69). [Authorities, S. L. Hughes and J. R. Connelly, drillers.] Feet. Loose coarse reddish sand 25 White and yellow, very sticky clay or kaolin 15 Pink sticky clay or kaolin '. 15 Red sticky clay or kaolin 15 Lighter red sticky clay or kaolin •. 60 Soft white sand 10 Soft white clay and sand 40 Soft red mud 20 Soft white clay and sand 15 Soft white sand 20 Soft white gravel 30 Soft white sand and clay mixed 10 Sticky red mud | 10 Soft white sand which caves readily , I 20 Alternate layers of soft, sticky, white clay and sand j 10 Alternate layers of soft blue, white, and yellow sand and clay ! 25 Soft white sand, water bearing 8 Tough blue marl [clay?] j 22 Tough blue marl and shale I 20 Hard blue marl and shale j 20 Hard bluish gray rock, the crystalline basement rock; some water obtained in crevices. .1 91.5 Thick- ness. Depth. Feet. 25 40 55 70 130 140 180 200 215 235 265 275 285 305 315 340 348 370 390 410 501.5 The water is said to come in part from depths of 348 to 370 feet, where, according to the log, the materials are tough bine marl (clay ?), and it is probable that the water comes from the soft white sand which immediately overlies the clay. The age of this sand is Lower Cretaceous. The crystalline basement rocks, described as granite, were struck in the well at a depth of 410 feet and were penetrated to a depth of 501.5; some water was obtained from crevices in the granite. Windsor Spring. — Windsor Spring, owned by W. H. T. Walker, is 9 miles south of Augusta. According to the owner the spring emerges on a hill slope from rock probably belonging to the Clai- borne group, at the rate of 15 gallons per minute. The water is bottled and sold. The following analysis was made by H. C. White in June, 1909: Analysis of water from Windsor Spring, 9 miles south of Augusta. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 3. 9 Oxides of iron and aluminum (Fe 2 3 -f A1 2 3 ) 2 Calcium (Ca) 3. 4 Magnesium (Mg) 6 Sodium (Na) 8 Potassium (K) 4 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 12 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 1. 6 Chlorine (CI) 1.2 Organic and volatile matter 2. 1 Total dissolved solids 20 374 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 69. — Wells in Richmond County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Augusta, H miles south of post-office building. Augusta, Ah miles west of. Belair, 2i miles south of. Blythe, J mile east of. Debruce, 2 miles north of. do Georgia Chemical Works. P. C. Bohler A. Thomas, super- intendent Geor- gia Chemical Works. 1885 Feet. 130 2 (a) ^ R. O.Lombard . ... John Raborn, H e p h z ibah, Ga. do 1900 500± ( b ) ( c ) ( e ) (d) 4 do 1905 1904 ■i R. T. Ulm do 6 do do 1904 1912 7 Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S.C.andH.H. Alexander, Au- gusta, Ga. Owner : 8 Hephzibah, \\ miles east of. Asylum. P. B. Carpenter ty Well Drill- ing Co., Char- leston, S. C. (S. L. Hughes and J.R.Con- nelly, drillers in charge). 9 U. S. Government. . . Capt. D. M. Tay- lor, U.S. Army, e do 10 do do No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute by .pumping. How obtained. Quality. 1 Feet. 970 34 132 100 144 84 501.5 5fi Inches. 8 48 36 36 48 48 6 42 8 60 Feet. Feet. Feet. 17| 30-32 120-127 97 140 40 gallons Small Electrically driven deep-well pump. Bucket and rope. . do Soft. 9 34 130 100 140 80 348-350 56 f 500 < 600 20 42 50 80 Do. 3 do Do. 4 ...do do Do. 1 ...do... Do. fi do Hand pump Deep-well pump; gasoline engine. Bucket and rope.. Force pump do Do. 7 8 501.5 130 200 gallons Small Do. Do. 9 814 1 18 gallons /Hard and slightly \ ferruginous. 10 1RO I 700 J 9* a On hill. b Mouth of well about level with track of Augusta Southern R. R. c On high hill. d Elevation about 200 feet above low-water level in Savannah River. e Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 157, 158, 1908. SCHLEY COUNTY. Table 69. — Wells in Richmond County — Continued. 375 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Condensing Pre-Cambrian Lower Cretaceous. do Crevices in crystal- line rocks. Sand Coarse sand Drilled; 8- inch casing to 80 feet. Dug; partly cased. Cost of well, $25. 1 do. . Dug; partly cased. Cost of well, $50. Dug; partly cased. Dug; abandoned on account of caving sand. Cost of well, $140. Dug. Located 50 feet from preceding well. 6- inch casing to 348 feet ; the water prob- ably comes from the white sand be- tween the depths 340 and 348 feet. See log, p. 373. Dug. Cost of well, $28. 4 . do ..do 5 .do do ... do do do do White sand ? s do do Q Pre-Cambrian . Crevices in crys- talline rocks do 10 Domestic Main supply at arsenal. SCHLEY COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Schley County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 154 square miles and its population 5,213 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The surface is hilly, forming part of an upland plain that has been dissected by Cedar and Bucks creeks and by the headwater streams of Muckalee Creek. The maximum surface relief probably does not exceed 200 feet. GEOLOGY. Upper Cretaceous strata belonging to the Ripley formation outcrop over the northern half of the county, and Eocene strata appear in the remainder. The Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation, which consists of irregularly bedded sands and clays of shallow-water origin, appears in a small area in the extreme north. The Cusseta sand is overlain conformably by typical marine beds of the Ripley formation, which consist of several hundred feet of compact, massive, more or less calcareous and glauconitic marine sands and clays. The typical marine beds are overlain by the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation, which consists of approximately 150 feet of irregularly bedded sands and clays of shallow-water origin. The Ripley formation is overlain unconformably by Eocene deposits which belong chiefly to the Midway formation and which form the surface materials over the southern half of the county. The Midway formation is composed of sands and clays reaching a thickness of several hundred feet. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) 376 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Cusseta and Providence sand members of the Ripley formation are of the proper texture and composition for the reception and retention of large quantities of potable water. The typical marine beds of the Ripley formation and the sands and clays of the Midway formation of the Eocene also carry water but probably in much less quantity. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 20 to 100 feet deep and small springs furnish an abun- dance of excellent water for all ordinary domestic purposes. Small creeks and branches furnish inexhaustible supplies for stock and for steam production. Over the northern half of the county water of good quality should be obtained from the Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation. In the extreme north these water-bearing beds should be reached at depths between 100 and 400 feet. To the south the beds descend until in the valley of Bucks Creek they probably lie 300 to 500 feet beneath the surface. In the southern half of the county conditions are favorable for obtaining water from the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation by drilling through the overlying Eocene beds. At Ellaville the water-bearing beds of the Providence member probably lie 100 to 250 feet below the surface. Over the greater part of the county it is necessary to employ force pumps to lift the water to the surface, although small flows can prob- ably be obtained on the lowest levels of the valley of Bucks Creek. In the southern part of the county the sands and clays of the Midway formation of the Eocene at 100 to 400 feet should yield moderate amounts of potable water. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Ellaville (population 672, census of 1910). — The town of Ellaville owns a public water-supply system, the data concerning which have been furnished by Mr. E. L. Bridges, of Ellaville. The source of the water is a well 600 feet deep, drilled in 1910 at a cost of $2,000 for the well and SI, 600 for the machinery. The water is lifted to the surface by means of an air-lift pump operated by a gasoline engine. The smallest diameter of the well is 4 inches, and the yield is said to be 50 gallons per minute. The water is derived from a bed of sand, probably belonging to the Ripley forma- tion. A sample collected January 24, 1913, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart as follows: Analysis of water from 600-foot town well at Ellaville. Parts per million. Silica (SiO,) 23 Iron (Fe) . ." 5 Calcium (Ca) 17 SCREVEN COUNTY. 377 Analysis of water from 600-foot town well at Ellaville — Continued. Parts per million. Magnesium (Mg) 4 Sodium and potassium (Na+_K) 9 Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 25 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 48 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Trace. Chlorine (CI) 4 Total dissolved solids 92 SCREVEN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Screven County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia and borders South Carolina. Savannah River forms its eastern and Ogeechee River its western boundary. Its area is 794 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 20,202. Agricul- ture and the production of lumber and naval stores are the principal industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county is undulating to hilly and the southern part is more nearly level. There are several lime sinks and lime-sink ponds in the northeast, where the limestones of the Chat- tahoochee and Vicksburg formations lie close beneath the surface. In the south cypress ponds and bays are common and the small creeks and branches spread out through broad swamps. The upland between the Savannah and Ogeechee river basins slopes from about 250 feet above sea level in the north to about 150 feet above sea level in the south. Savannah and Ogeechee rivers are each bordered by swamps lying 10 to 20 feet above low-water level and by a narrow Pleistocene terrace plain lying about 40 feet above the same datum plane. The elevation of the low- water level of Savannah River in the extreme north is approximately 70 feet and in the extreme southeast approxi- mately 25 feet above sea level. The elevation above sea level of the Savannah River swamp is about 90 feet in the extreme north and about 40 feet in the extreme southeast. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation of the Oligocene, which consists of per- haps 100 to 200 feet of water-bearing limestones, outcrops in the valleys of Savannah River and Briar and Beaver Dam creeks in the northern part of the county. It dips southward and probably underlies the entire county beneath younger formations. The Vicksburg formation is overlain by the Chattahoochee forma- tion, which consists of probably less than 100 feet of water-bearing limestones and which outcrops in the valley of Briar Creek. 378 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of laminated sandy clays and sands, overlies the Chattahoochee forma- tion. It outcrops in the valleys of Savannah River and Buck Creek in the east and on Ogeechee and Little Ogeechee rivers in the west; the deposits carry water-bearing beds. In the northern part of the county the Alum Bluff formation is overlain by coarse to fine or even pebbly, irregularly bedded sands and bluish sandy clays that are probably at least in part of upper Oligocene age. In the southeastern part of the county the Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 50 feet or less of Miocene sands, sandy clays, and shell marls which outcrop in the bluffs of Savannah River, and which rep- resent in ascending order the Marks Head marl and the Duplin marl. Overlapping the Miocene formations and forming the surface materials throughout the upland region of the southern part of the county are 100 feet or less of coarse to fine, irregularly bedded sands and bluish sandy clays of undifferentiated Miocene to Pleistocene age, which weather to loose white or yellowish sands that cover the immediate surface to a depth of several feet. The shallow wells of the county tap water-bearing beds in these surface deposits. Pleistocene terrace deposits consisting of sands and clays have been deposited in narrow areas bordering Savannah and Ogeechee rivers. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by 400 to 500 feet of sands, clays, and marls belonging to the Claiborne group of the Eocene, and the Claiborne is underlain in turn by 500 feet or more of irregularly bedded sands and clays of Cretaceous age which rest upon crystalline basement rocks. The Eocene and Cretaceous deposits do not appear at the surface in the county, but their buried strata contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug or driven wells 15 to 60 feet deep are the chief sources of domestic water supply. Most of them yield soft waters, but a few in the valleys of Savannah River and Briar Creek in the north penetrate limestones and yield hard waters. Artesian wells have been drilled at Dover, Hershman, and Halcyon- dale, near Mears, and at Millhaven, Rockyford, Sylvania, and Ogee- chee, A few small springs along Savannah River and elsewhere are of slight importance. Reddick Blue Spring, rising from limestone 6 miles northeast of Sylvania, is the only large spring in the county; its estimated yield is 500 gallons per minute. Eureka Spring, 12 miles south of Sylvania, is a picnic resort. (See analysis 2, Table 71.) SCREVEN COUNTY. 379 Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more and will be more suitable for domestic use than other waters. Flowing wells can be obtained on the terrace plains bordering Ogeechee and Savannah rivers and Briar Creek. (See PI. XVIII, p. 122.) LOCAL SUPPLIES. Sylvania (population, 1,400, census of 1910). — The town of Syl- vania owns a public water-supply system which obtains water from an artesian well completed in 1911. The well is 320 feet deep and the principal water-bearing bed is at a depth of 210 feet; the water rises to within 100 feet of the surface but is said to be lowered 20 feet when pumped 150 gallons per minute. The water is hard but is used for domestic and boiler-supply purposes. A log of this well has been furnished by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co. as follows: Log of town well, Sylvania (No. 9, Table 70). [Authority, J. R. Connelly, driller in charge.] Thick- ness. Depth. Red day Clay and sand Tough shell rock , Sand — Shell rock and marl Sand Layers of hard rock; yields a small amount of water at a depth of 190 feet Soft shell rock, water bearing Medium shell rock Sand, noncaving Alternating layers of shell rock and sand Feet. 20 40 20 20 40 10 60 20 60 10 20 Feet. 20 60 80 100 140 150 210 230 290 300 320 A well owned by T. A. Marks, which formerly supplied the city, is 697 feet deep and yields 50 gallons of water per minute, which rises to within 70 feet of the surface. Hard rock is reported from 200 to 230 feet. A well, reported as unsuccessful, owned by Mr. L. H. Hilton, is 285 feet deep ;. water obtained at 280 feet rises to within 80 feet of the surface. McCallie 1 has published the following log: Log of well ofL.R. Hilton, Sylvania (No. 12, Table 70). Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Light-colored clay Thm layers of hard rock interlaminated with coarse black sand to the bottom of the well. Feet. 60 100 125 Feet. 60 160 285 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 161, 162, 1908. 380 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. At Sylvania artesian wells more than 800 or 900 feet deep are likely to yield larger supplies and softer waters than wells of less depth. Rockyford (population 385, census of 1910). — Rockyford is in the western part of the county on a terrace plain lying about 35 feet above Ogeechee River and 130 feet above sea level. Seven 1 flowing artesian wells 180 or 185 feet deep have been drilled in the town; some of them flow 15 feet above the surface. The water obtained is hard and sulphurous but wholesome. Flows are first obtained at 100 feet and the yield increases as greater depths are reached. It is believed that the wells tap water-bearing beds in the Chattahoochee formation. The town has no public water-supply system but owns a flowing well the reported depth of which is 185 feet. The static head is 10 or 12 feet above the surface, and although the well has been com- pleted several years no material variation in the flow has been noted. Dover. — Dover is near Ogeechee River at 104 feet above sea level. A 350-foot well owned by the Central of Georgia Railway 2 yields water which rises 19 feet above the surface. Water-bearing beds which furnish flows are reported at 125 and 225 feet. The water is used chiefly for the boiler supply of locomotives. The principal water-bearing bed is thought to be in either the Chattahoochee or Vicksburg formation of the Oligocene. (See analysis 1, Table 71.) Millhaven. — Millhaven (Garnett), a trading town having a large cotton gin and cottonseed-oil mill, is on the Brinson Railway, on the bank of Briar Creek, near the north line of the county. The Comer Trading Co. owns seven deep wells four of which flow. Two flowing wells near the post office and about 10 feet above Briar Creek are 286 and 298 feet deep and flow 14 feet above the surface. The principal water-bearing bed is said to be a sand at 280 feet. The water is said to be hard and sulphurous and is used chiefly for domestic purposes and for stock. Another water-bearing bed was encountered at 175 feet; hard rock was penetrated at a depth of 150 feet. Mears. — Mears is a small village 3 miles east of Millhaven. On a plantation owned by Mears & Sanders, 3 miles northeast of the post office, a flowing well has recently been completed. The mouth of the well is 24 feet above Rocky Creek, a small tributary of Savan- nah River. The depth is 470 feet and the principal water-bearing bed is reported to be a hard shell marl or limestone at a depth of 371 feet that probably belongs to the McBean formation of the Claiborne group. (See analysis 3, Table 71.) W. J. Floyd, the driller, fur- nishes the following log: i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 161, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 163-164. SCREVEN COUNTY. Log of well of Mears & Sanders near Hears (No. 4, Table 70). 381 Depth. Sand Clay Coarse sand and pebbles Whitish honeycomb rock Red clay White sand White rock * Sand and clay Rock Sand and clay Rock Marl Soft rock Marl and layers of soft rock Marl and clay Soft rock. . . ." Marl Hard rock Marl and clay Hard rock . . '. Marl .- Porous rock with good water-bearing beds Marl and rocks Clay Hershman. — Hershman is a village near Savannah River, 22 miles northeast of Sylvania. A flowing well 3 miles to the southwest, owned by W. K. Harrison, is said by W. J. Floyd, the driller, to be 415 feet deep, 2 J inches in diameter, and to flow 18 gallons per minute 7 feet above the surface. The elevation of the mouth of the w T ell is not known, but it is probably 50 to 75 feet above Savannah Eiver. The water, which is said to be hard, is used for domestic purposes on a plantation. Log of well of W. K. Harrison, Hershman (No. 3, Table 70). [Authority, W. J. Floyd.] Thick- ness. Depth. Feet. Feet. 39 39 2 41 2.5 43.5 14.5 58 4 62 20 82 2 84 3 87 5 92 16 108 2 110 31 141 3 144 4 148 5 153 10 163 10 173 3 176 5 181 18 199 4 203 4 207 26 233 108 341 2 343 19 362 53 415 Red and yellow clay White pipe clay Gravel, sand, and pebbles Red and yellow clay Soft rock and shells Sand arid soft limestone Hard rock Coarse sand and gravel Soft limestone with small water-bearing bedg; good supply of water rises to within 18 feet of the surface Sand Sand and clay Sand with some yellow clay Soft rock Hard rock Clay Soft rock Clay ; Soft rock Clay Gray marl Soft rock Very hard rock: used dynamite to shatter Marl Marl, partly indurated in some layers Hard rock Marl and soft rock; water at 362 feet flowed 8 gallons per minute 3 feet above surface Marl and layers of rock, water bearing; flows IS gallons per minute 7 feet above surface . 382 UNDEBGEOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. Specimens of borings from 210 and 343 feet are hard shell marl or impure limestone similar to rock of the McBean formation exposed in bluffs of Savannah River in Burke County. Table 70.— Wells in Screven County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. in Dover. Halcyondale Hershman, 3 miles southwest of. Mears, 3 miles north- east of. Millhaven Ogeechee Rockyford. ....do Sylvania . . . Central of Georgia Ry. E. S. Marsh W. K. Harrison Mears & Sanders . W. J. Floyd. ....do S.W.McCallieo. Postmaster.. W. J. Floyd. 104 110 .do. Town . ....do. E. L. Edenfleld T.D.Lloyd. Town. .do. .do. .do. Sylvania Water Sup- ply Co. T. A.Marks L.H.Hilton Hughes Special- ty Well Drill- ing Co., Char- leston. S. C; J.E.Connelly, driller in charge. E.L. Edenfleld... A. B.Lovett, Syl- vania, Ga. Oliver Parker S.W.McCallieo... Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co, A. B. Lovett. 1908 ( c ) 130 130 1911 w S.W.McCallieo... ....do 1895 1895 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 350 290 (?) 415 470 286 Inches. 3 Feet. 125, 225 Feet. Feet. + 19 - 12 + 7 Galls. Galls. See Table 71, analy- sis 1. ?, Sand pump Flows 3 2J 4£ 302-415 371 2S0 87-92 18 Hard. 4 fl 175 + 14 40 Flows sis 3. Hard, slightly sul- phurous. 6 . .do 7 185 180 320 400 697 285 4 4 8 4 3 185 100-1S0 210-230 350 190 + 12 + 15 -100 - 90 - 70 - 80 Sulphurous. Hard, sulphurous. Slightly hard. Hard. 8 9 150 10 Deep-well pump . . 11 50 Slightly hard. 12 280 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 161-164, 1908. b Elevation about 24 feet above low-water level of Rocky Creek. « Elevation about 10 feet above low- water level of Briar Creek. d Elevation about 35 feet above low-water level of Ogeechee Eiver. STEWAET COUNTY. Table 70. — Wells in Screven County — Continued. 383 No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Supply of loco- motive boilers. Cost of well, $300. 2 Chattahoochee for- mation (?) McBean formation do 3 .do See log, p. 381. 4 Hard shell rock See log, p. 381. 5 Domestic, manu- facturing. .do 6 about $400. Mr. Erlenfieldhas drilled 3 other flowing wells and 3 nonflow- ing wells for the Comer Trading Co. near Miilhaven. 7 Chattahoochee for- mation (?) do Cost of well, $200. s Seven 4-inch flowing wells have been q Municipal supply. Former municipal supply. Soft shell rock . drilled at and near Rockyford, all about 180 feet deep. 8-inch casing, 150 feet; cpst of well,$l,200; in Oligocene or Eo- cene. of machinery, $1,200. See log, p. 379. 11 Cost of well, $900. 1? Cost of well, $350. See log, p. 379. Table 71. — Analyses of underground waters from Screven County. [Parts per million.) No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Well of Central of Georgia Ry. Eureka Spring, owned by H. S. White. Well of Mears & Sanders. Oligocene? Surflcial depos- its. McBean forma- tion. Feet. 350 470 Edgar Everhart.a Do. Do. 2 3 July, 1909 Apr. 25,1911 Eureka Spring, 12 miles south of Sylvania. Mears, 3 miles northeast of. a> O < a "c? O 3 a ■3" a .5 03 03 03 SO o3-~: -d . <-<0 o O . Remarks. 03 3 .9 a a .2 IB a a o J3 03 "c3 S-/ ft IS CD .9 "o3 03 |Zj 33 U < 03 o o CO O 03 o pq pi CO fc Q &H 1 50 64.2 36 6.2 20 7.1 149 3.9 29 229 WeU 1, Table 70. 2 5.2 6.3 0.1 1.4 .2 3.4 .4 61 1.4 5.0 33 3 28 1.0 44 2.0 1 4 0.0 156 6.0 Tr. 3.5 190 Well 4, Table 70. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 163, 164, 1908. & Fe 2 3 -I-Al203. STEWART COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Stewart County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 411 square miles and its population 13,437 (census of 1910). The chief industry is agriculture. 384 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. TOPOGRAPHY. The county lies in the physiographic division of the fall-line hills. In greater part it is more or less broken and hilly, being the result of the dissection of an upland plain. Bordering Chattahoochee River are two small Pleistocene terrace plains whose limits have not been determined in detail. The lower (the Satilla) lies 40 to 50 feet above low-water level of Chattahoochee River, and the higher (the Okefenokee) lies 110 to 130 feet above the same datum. The drainage of the county is received by Chattahoochee River through its tributaries, Pat aula, Hannahachee, Hichetee, and several smaller creeks. The maximum topographic relief of the county is believed to be at least 400 feet and may exceed that amount. GEOLOGY. Upper Cretaceous, Eocene, and Pleistocene deposits are the surface formations. The Tombigbee sand member of the Eutaw forma- tion, which consists of about 120 feet of massive, more or less cal- careous and glauconitic sands and interbedded clays with indurated layers at intervals, outcrops in the bluffs of Chattahoochee River in the extreme northwestern part of the county. This member is con- formably underlain by 400 or 500 feet of sands and clays, which are also referable to the Eutaw formation but which do not appear at the surface within the county. The Eutaw formation is underlain unconformably by Lower Cretaceous sands and clays, probably not less than 500 feet thick, which rest upon deeply buried crystalline basement rocks. The Tombigbee sand member of the Eutaw formation is conform- ably overlain by the Ripley formation, which has an estimated thick- ness of 950 feet. Immediately along the river the formation is made up of beds of sand, clay, and marl of marine origin. These beds are more or less glauconitic and calcareous and contain some lignite. They are" in part loose and irregularly bedded and in part compact and massive. Northeastward the lower part of the forma- tion merges horizontally into the irregularly bedded shallow-water sands and clays of the Cusseta sand member. The upper 125 or 150 feet of the formation consists of irregularly bedded, coarse to fine sands with subordinate clay lenses of shallow-water origin which have been designated the Providence sand member of the formation. This member outcrops in a belt a few miles wide, extending from a point near the southwest to the northeast corner of the county. The Providence sand member is overlain unconformably by the Midway formation (Eocene), which appears at the surface over approximately the southeastern half of the county. The Creta- ceous and Eocene strata all incline southeast 20 to 40 feet to the mile. (See PL III, p. 52.) STEWART COUNTY. 385 Pleistocene loams, sands, and gravels 15 to 30 feet in thickness have been laid down as terrace deposits on two terrace plains in small areas bordering the river. One of these plains lies 40 to 50 feet and the other 110 to 130 feet above low-water level. Their extent is not known in detail. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water for domestic purposes is derived chiefly from dug wells 20 feet to over 100 feet deep. On the terraces bordering Chatta- hoochee River shallow wells 20 to 30 feet deep draw sufficient water for ordinary domestic purposes from the sands and gravels at the base of the Pleistocene deposits. Because of the absence of imper- vious strata between this horizon and the earth's surface there is constant danger of contamination from surface sources, especially where wells are near dwellings or stables. On the hilly upland region east of Chattahoochee River, which makes up the greater part of the surface of the county, it is necessary to sink the wells 100 feet or more. On the hill slopes and in the small valleys water is obtained at less depth. Small springs are common throughout the hilly parts of the county and are used to some extent. In general they yield waters of good quality unless locally contaminated by too close proximity to dwell- ings or other sources of decaying organic matter. In the belt of typical marine strata of the Ripley formation the spring waters are apt to be more or less charged with lime, iron, and sulphur. In the southeastern half of the county water of good quality is available in considerable quantities from the Providence sand mem- ber of the Ripley formation. Along the belt of outcrop running northeast-southwest through the center of the county the water- bearing beds of this member are tapped by numerous shallow wells. To the southeast the same beds should be reached at slightly increasing depths beneath the Eocene strata. The quantity of water available probably increases in the same direction away from the catchment area. The Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation, which outcrops over the greater part of the northwestern third of the county, is a possible source of artesian supply to the east and southeast of its catchment area. Here it is necessary to drill through the overlying typical marine beds of the formation, or still farther to the southeast through the overlying Eocene strata, the Providence member of the Ripley formation, and the typical marine beds of the Ripley forma- tion. The depth of the beds increases to the southeast but probably does not exceed 700 or 800 feet within the county. 38418°— wsp 341—15 25 386 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Ill the western part of the county good water is obtained by drilling through the basal strata of the Ripley formation and the Tombigbee sand member of the Eutaw formation into the irregularly bedded sands and clays of the Eutaw, which are reached at 200 to 700 feet. The wells owned by W. C. Bradley near Omaha and near Coffinton tap these Eutaw beds. Flowing wells are possible only on the lowest Pleistocene terrace bordering Chattahoochee River, at elevations less than 60 feet above low-water level. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Lumpkin (population 1,140, census of 1910). — Mayor W. L. Mardre has furnished information concerning the water plant owned by the town. The supply is derived from springs a mile to the southwest and is stored in a reservoir having 40,000 gallons capacity. From the reservoir it is pumped into a tank of like capacity located in the town. The capacity of the pump is 500 gallons per minute, and there is a duplicate boiler and pump for use in emergencies. The length of the distributing mains is 3^ miles, the tank pressure is 45 pounds, and the direct pressure from the pumps is 50 pounds. The daily amount used is 40,000 gallons (124 taps) for domestic purposes and 10,000 gallons for manufacturing purposes (3 taps). There are also 22 fire hydrants. The water is soft and the supply satisfactory. The springs emerge from the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. (See analysis 2, Table 73.) Detailed information concerning a well (No. 5, Table 72) owned by C. H. Humber, located 3 J miles east of south of Lumpkin, is furnished by Mr. M. Walton. (See analysis 3, Table 73.) Log of well of C. H. Humber, 3% miles east of south of Lumpkin (No. 5, Table 72). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene (?), Midway formation (?): Red clay White sand White rock Dry cavity Cretaceous (?), Ripley formation, Providence sand member (?): White, yellow ; and bluish sands, with interbedded thin layers of rock; water-bearing sands, especially at 145, 200, 245, and 290 feet, the latter being the principal one ; the last 100 feet contained more or less water throughout Feet. 30 100 6 190 Feet. 30 130 136 144 334 Richland (population 1,250, census of 1910). — Richland owns a municipal water-supply system which obtains water from a well 425 feet deep (No. 12, Table 72; for analysis see Table 73, analysis 4). The water is distributed from a tank the pressure of which is 52 pounds; the direct pressure from the pump is 100 pounds; the length of the water mains is 4 miles. There are 75 taps and 35 fire hydrants. The water is somewhat sulphurous. As to both quality and quantity, the water supply is said to be satisfactory. STEWART COUNTY. 387 Omaha. — On the plantation of W. C. Bradley, 5 miles north of Omaha, near Chattahoochee River, are four wells (Nos. 6 to 9, Table 72) . Three of these, located on the lowest Pleistocene terrace bordering the river, are 270 feet deep and afford flows; the fourth, located on higher ground, is 315 feet deep and does not flow; the water of this well is pumped by a windmill to a tank holding 15,000 gallons and is used for stock, fire protection, and other plantation purposes. All are believed to tap approximately the same water-bearing bed in the Eutaw formation. An analysis of the water from one of these wells is given in Table 73 (analysis 1). Daniel Bradley, who owns another well (No. 10, Table 72) in the same vicinity, furnishes the following log : 1 Log of well of Daniel Bradley, near Julia (No. 10, Table 72). Thick- ness. Depth. Clay Sand Marl, with here and there a stratum of hard rock, water bearing at 475 feet. Feet. 12 Feet. 12 72 740 This well penetrates an undetermined thickness of strata referable to the Ripley formation, passes entirely through the Eutaw formation, and enters the uppermost Lower Cretaceous deposits. The principal water-bearing stratum, 475 feet deep, is probably in the irregularly bedded portion of the Eutaw formation below the Tombigbee sand member. Coffinton. — On another plantation, owned by W. C. Bradley near Comnton, a well 660 feet deep (No. 2, Table 72) flows 25 gallons per minute, supplying the needs of a large plantation on which there are about 250 tenants. Mr. Bradley states that there are several flowing wells in the area between Comnton and Omaha. Other localities. — The logs and descriptions of a number of dug wells which penetrate Cretaceous strata are given on the following pages. In each case the authority for the lithology is the owner unless otherwise stated : Log of well of J. B. Simpson, 2\ miles south of Lumpkin (No. 3, Table 72). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene (?) : Red clay Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Providence sand member (?): Soft "chalk" [clay] Sand, water bearing Feet. 90 Feet. 90 105 106 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 165, 1908. 388 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log of well of W. S. Boyett, 4 miles west of Lumpkin (No. 4, Table 72). Eocene (?): Feet. Red clay 30 Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Providence sand member: "Chalk" [clay] white and pink ? Coarse sand with small rock (pebbles) ? "Chalk" [clay] ? Thick layer of white sand ? ("And so on until water was struck.") 70 In another well, 132 feet deep, 25 yards from the preceding, water was obtained in coarse sand 128 to 132 feet below the surface. Prob- ably all the strata penetrated in this well below the red Eocene clay should be referred to the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation. Log of well of Mrs. Marian Glenn, 1 mile southeast of Brooklyn (No. 1, Table 72). Thick- ness. Depth. Eocene (?): Red clay with gravel rock [pebbles] Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Providence sand member: "Chalk" [clay] White and yellow sand; some beds of rock 4 to 5 feet thick; water bearing at base (stopped on "chalk" [clay]) Feet. 30 Feet. ?0 40 110 A well 140 feet deep, 50 feet from the preceding, is said to have penetrated similar materials. G. L. Walton, of Charles, Ga., owns two wells, one 65 feet deep, near the station at the level of the track (Seaboard Air Line Railway) , and another 85 feet deep, seven-eighths of a mile east of the station, 80 feet above the level of the track. Mr. Walton states that " the land is underlain with hard marl and no one in the neighborhood has ever been able to carry a well through it." This marl belongs to the typical marine portion of the Ripley formation. Log of well of E. H. Acker, 2 miles southwest of Charles. Thick- ness. Depth. Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation: Sand. . ." '. Hard dark-brown and gray streaked clay with one small layer of sand, water bearing (stopped on black marl) Feet. 10 Feet. 10 26 Mr. Acker states that the black marl has been encountered in other wells in this neighborhood. STEWABT COUNTY. 389 Log ofivell of E. M. Averett, one-quarter of a mile east of Renfroes (No. 11, Table72). [Authority for lithology, C. V. Stephens, Renfroes.] Thick- ness. Depth. Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation, Providence sand member: Sand, gray or white Light-yellow firm clay Soft yellow sand Sand and clay, water bearing Feet. Mr. Stephens states that 1J miles west of Renfroes blue marl is entered at 10 to 15 feet and that wells 90 feet deep have not penetrated its entire thickness. This marl belongs to the typical marine portion of the Ripley formation. Table 72. — Wells in Stewart County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Brooklyn, 1 mile southeast of. Cofflnton, 1 mile southwest of, on the Rankin place. Lumpkin, 2J miles south of. Lumpkin, 4 miles west of. Lumpkin, 3J miles east of south of. Omaha, 5 miles north of. do J. M. G 1 e n n , Brooklyn. 1889 1911 1890 1886 1912 1895 1895 1895 1895 Feet. 600 9 W. C Bradley, Col- umbus, Ga. J. B. Simpson W. S. Boyett C. H. Humber W. C. Bradley, Col- umbus. do John R. Chap- man, Colum- bus. 215± s do 600 4 Andrew Thomas, Lumpkin. Harper Reeves, Preston. L. B. Clay, Bar- tow. do do 550 5 6 M. Walton 210 ± 7 do 210± 8 do do do do 210 ± q do do do do in do S. W. MeCalliea.. n Renfroes, J mile east of. Richland C. V. Stephens, Renfoes. S. W.McCalliea... 1888 1898 660? 12 Town 600 No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 9, Feet. 110 660 106 132 334 270 270 270 315 740 60 425 Inches. 36 6 48 36 2 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 3 36 6 Feet. 110 660 106 128 290 Feet. 40 60 145 200 245 Feet. -107 +30 -102 -128 -150 +3 +9 +22 -16 Galls. 25 Galls. Rope and bucket . . Ferruginous and sulphurous. 3 4 5 6 20 30 40 20 Deep-well pump. . See Table 73, analy- sis 3. Sulphurous and fer- ruginous. Do. 7 do 8 . .do .- Do. q 35 Do. 10 475 57 Strongly sulphurous. Soft. Sulphurous. See Table 73, anal- ysis 4. ll i? —56- -100 Small. 50 Bucket and rope .. Steam pump a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 165, 1908. 390 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 72. — Wells in Stewart County — Continued. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Providence sand member of Rip- ley formation. Providence sand member of Rip- ley formation ? Ripley formation (Providence sand member). Ripley formation. . Dug, cased; cost $50. See log, p. 388. Cost of well, $1,200; 6-inch casing to 300+ feet. Furnishes water for 250 tenants. Dug, cased 30 feet; cost $20. See log, p. 387. Dug, cased 30 feet. See log, p. 388. 3-inch casing to 300 feet; cost of well and machinery, $360. See log, p. 386. (On lowest Pleistocene terrace.bordering Chattahoochee River; cost of wells < 6, 7, 8, and 9, each, $350. Wells cased 2 Domestic and boiler supply. do do Sand 4 5 do do fi Domestic and boiler supply. do do 7 do do 8 do do do for 100 to 150 feet. q do do do [Not permitted to flow when not in use. On hill above river terrace, probably 300 feet or more above sea level; cost of windmill, $250. See log, p. 387. in Domestic do 11 do Ripley formation (Pro v i d e n c e sand member). do Dug, partly cased; cost $3,600. See log, p. 389. Hard rock at 300 feet. i? Municipal supply . Table 73. — Analyses of underground routers from Stewart County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. Feel. 1 June 4,1911 Wells of W. C. Bradlev. Omaha, 5 miles north of. Eutaw formation . 270 Edgar Everhart. 2 May 5,1911 Town springs . . Lumpkin, 1 mile southwest of. Ripley formation (P r v i d ence sand member). Do. 3 Jan. 13,1913 Well of C. H. Humber. Lumpkin, 3J miles east of south of. Ripley formation 290 Do. 4 Mar. 28,1911 Richland . Ripley formation . 425 Do. in o> a "+ Fh l-i • -d ■o . . d O S 03 a o >- 03 O I D o "ol O s .5 a 03 a 03 2, m CO SB a M 03 i 6 offi 03 s ^6 03 w A ft 03 03 "]? nO 08 5 a 2 Remarks. 1 26 0.2 12 0.5 62 7.0 170 23 0.2 5.0 197 Wells 6, 7, 8, 9, Table 72. 2 4.0 Tr. 2.0 .5 5.0 .0 12 Tr. 1.2 2.5 3 23 4 50 4 14 .0 198 12 .1 3 211 Well 5, Table 72. 4 24 1.1 47 4.4 7.2 .0 178 11 3.0 4.0 209 Well 12, Table 72. UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. 391 SUMTER COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Sumter County is in the western part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Americus, the county seat, is 62 miles southwest of Macon and 48 miles east of the Alabama line. The area of the county is 456 square miles and the population (census of 1910) is 29,092. Agri- culture is the principal industry. Cottonseed-oil mills, fertilizer factories, and other small manufacturing plants are located at Americus. Lumbering and turpentining, though declining in impor- tance, are still carried on. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county is somewhat hilly and broken, owing to the rapid erosion of underlying unconsolidated sands and clays; the western part, in the vicinity of Plains, is nearly level; the southwestern and eastern parts are slightly undulating and less broken than the northern; the southeastern part is nearly flat, is covered with a few feet of loose gray sand, and contains many lime sinks and cypress ponds. Flint River, which forms the eastern boundary, is bordered by two Pleistocene terrace plains, the "swamp" or second bottoms lying 10 to 15 feet and a sand-covered plain less clearly denned lying 50 to 75 feet above the river. Flint River, Muckalee and Kinchafoonee creeks, and their numerous small tributaries drain the county. Flint River rises in the Pied- mont Plateau and is always more or less turbid from suspended silt and clay. The other streams originate in the Coastal Plain and flow through shallow swampy valleys; their waters are dark, owing to their high content of organic matter. The known elevations above sea level are Americus, 360 feet; Andersonville, 394 feet; and Sumter, about 372 feet. The highest land in the northern part of the county probably lies 400 or 450 feet above sea level, and the lowlands along Flint River probably lie about 200 feet above the same datum plane. GEOLOGY. The surface formations of the county are of Tertiary age and belong in part to the Eocene and in part to the Oligocene. The Eocene deposits, which have not been accurately discriminated, consist of sands, clays, marls, and limestones several hundred feet in thickness. They outcrop in the north and northwest, and extend southward in the valleys of Flint River, and of Muckalee and Kinchafoonee creeks, to or beyond the southern boundary of the county. 392 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Surface observations in this and adjoining counties seem to indicate that the Eocene deposits are divisible in ascending order into the Midway and Wilcox formations, the Claiborne group, and the Jack- son formation. However, the interpretation of the age of the strata penetrated in city well No. 4 at Americus, as given in the partial log on pages 394-395, indicates that at Americus the total thickness of the Eocene is only 200 feet, and that at least 157 feet of this thickness belongs to the Jackson formation. If this be true only 43 feet of strata remain to represent the Midway and Wilcox formations and the Claiborne group, which, according to the evidence afforded by surface outcrops, intervene between the Cretaceous and Vicksburg formations. Either great unconformities exist which cut out some of the formations locally, or the formations have not been correctly correlated. Over the central, southern, and southeastern parts of the county the Vicksburg formation (Oligocene) appears at the surface except in the immediate valleys of the larger streams. The terrane, which consists mainly of heavy-bedded, soft, cavernous, water-bearing limestones and interbedded water-bearing sands 200 to 250 feet thick, weathers to red argillaceous sands which at many places contain masses of fossiliferous flint. Pleistocene terrace deposits have been laid down in small areas bordering Flint River. The Eocene deposits are underlain by 800 to 1,000 feet of sands, clays, and marls (Ripley formation of the Upper Cretaceous), which do not appear at the surface within the county. The Ripley formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated strata of Cretaceous age, which rest upon a deeply buried basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The principal sources of domestic water supply are dug and bored wells from 20 to 100 feet deep. The waters are soft and are of good quality if the wells are properly curbed or cased to prevent contami- nation from surface sources. Artesian wells are preferable, how- ever, because they afford less opportunity for pollution and are less apt to be affected by drought. Artesian wells have been drilled at Americus, near Huguenin, at Leslie, old Danville, Plains, and Sumter, and near Andersonville. Small springs are fairly numerous in the northern part of the county and many of them are perennial. In Americus a portion of the water supply is taken from small springs, and in the rural districts SUMTER COUNTY. 393 springs are used locally for domestic supplies. The spring waters usually contain less mineral matter than the artesian waters, but many of them are rather strongly ferruginous. The better-known springs are Magnolia, Myrtle, Sweetwater, and Providence, the latter being the historic spring of the Confederate prison at Andersonville. The waters of streams and ponds are used locally for watering stock and for boiler supply. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. In the south large supplies may be obtained from cavi- ties or beds of sand in the Vicksburg formation at depths of 250 feet or less. The Eocene deposits, which underlie the Vicksburg forma- tion in the south and come to the surf ace in the north, contain water- bearing beds, and beneath the Eocene at still greater depths the Cretaceous deposits carry numerous important water-bearing beds. The prospects are good for obtaining flowing wells along Flint River at elevations less than 75 feet above low-water level and in the low- lands south of Americus. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Americus (population 8 r 063, census of 1910). — At Americus the public water supply is derived in part from artesian wells and in part from springs. The city artesian wells are four in number and are located on the north side of Town Creek one-half mile north of the county courthouse. (See PI. XX, B, p. 240.) Well No. 1 is 337 feet deep, and the water stands within 65 feet of the surface. The casing rusted out and was recently replaced to a depth of 245 feet, but was prevented from going deeper by an obstruc- tion. The water in the well at the time of Mr. Veatch's visit (April, 1911) was turbid, and when the pumps were started large quanti- ties of gray lignitic quartz sand were forced out. Well No. 2 is 450 (?) feet deep and the water rises to within 60 feet of the surface. Originally the water stood within 16 feet of the sur- face, but wells subsequently drilled to about the same depth at the Central of Georgia Railway station and at the fertilizer factory are believed to have caused the static head to sink to its present position. Well No. 3 is about 700 feet deep and yields a slight flow above the surface. Well No. 4 was drilled in 1907 (?) and is 992 feet deep, 10-inch casing was inserted to 226 feet, 8-inch casing to 402 feet, and 6-inch casing to 962 feet. The principal water-bearing bed is between 962 and 992 feet and the water rises to within 60 feet of the surface. From data and a few samples in the office of J. B. Ansley, superin- tendent of the city waterworks, Mr. Veatch has prepared the fol- lowing log: 394 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Log of city ivell No. 4, Americus (No. 4, Table 74). Thick- ness. Depth. Feet. Feet. 10 10 60 70 8 78 2 80 26 106 4 110 3 113 2 115 29 144 3 147 5 152 5 157 23 180 45 225 8 233 22 255 20 275 34 309 4 313 8 321 17 338 20 358 18 376 166 542 3 545 112 657 10 667 20 687 15 702 188 890 72 962 30 992 Sand Bluish and drab sandy micaceous clay Coarse white sand, water bearing Gravel White glauconitic sandy 1 imestone ; fragments or shells; % Ostrea Limestone containing shells and corals (?) Flinty formation, contains shells Slightly glauconitic shell marl Black clay Medium-grained sandlike material consisting chiefly of fragments of limestone with scat tered quartz grains and some glauconite Very sandy glauconitic limestone; shells Sandy limestone or calcareous sandstone Clean white sand, water hearing Gray micaceous very sandy clay Hard calcareous quartzite Marl (probably sandy clay) Sand, gravel, and conglomerate Fine white sand and gravel , Flint (quartzite) containing shells Fine brownish sand, some shell marl Fine white sand, water bearing Flint (quartzite) and shell conglomerate Fine gray sand containing a little clay Soft limestone rock Fine sharp sand, water bearing Very fine quartz sand, water bearing Soft black marl (clay) Sand Marl (clay) Fine gray sand. This stratum flows 8 gallons a minute Marl (clay) containing a small amount of fragments of shells; bottom of casing Water-bearing strata Since the preceding log was prepared Mr. Stephenson has obtained from Mr. Ansley a partial set of well borings of well No. 4, on the basis of which the following partial log has been prepared : Partial log of city well No. 4, Americus (No. 4, Table 74). [Total depth, 992 feet.] Eocene: Jackson formation (?): Feet. Brown very sandy clay at 60 Light-gray very coarse sand 60- 68 Jackson formation : Gray sandy limestone with numerous fragments of shells, chiefly Grypheea sp.; contains also the bryo- zoan Idmonea maxillaris Lonsdale * 80-106 Small fragments of slightly glauconitic sandy limestone with numerous fragments of shells and some scattered grains of quartz sand 113-115 Loose, medium-grained, sandlike material consisting chiefly of fragments of limestone with scattered grains of quartz and some glauconite; contains Heteropora sp. nov. 1 . . . 144-147 Mixture of fragments of sandy, slightly glauconitic limestone, fragments of shells, and quartz sand; con- tains Heteropora sp. nov. 1 (same species as in the pre- ceding sample) and Lunatia eminula Conrad 2 141-152 1 Identified by R. S. Bassler, who states that the age indicated is Jackson (Eocene). 2 Identified by T. W. Vaughan, who states that the age indicated is Eocene. SUMTEB COUNTY. 395 Eocene — Continued. Feet. Coarse clear quartz sand with numerous fragments of gray sandy limestone 152-157 Eocene (?): Not represented by sample but probably Eocene 157-180 Coarse gray argillaceous, micaceous, calcareous sand, with angular pebbles up to one-quarter of an inch in length; possibly a basal conglomerate 180-200 Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation (?) : Dark-gray sandy, micaceous, calcareous clay with frag- ments of shells 200-225 Upper Cretaceous, Ripley formation: * Fragments of hard gray calcareous, fossiliferous sandstone and a few loose shells and fragments of shells; recognized Breviarca sp. Nemodon?, Ostrea tecticosta Gabb?, Cardium sp., Crassatellites sp. , Lithophaga sp 225-238 Fragments of gray calcareous sandstone and fragments of shells; recognized Exogyrasp., Anomia argentaria Morton, Anomia lintea Conrad 255-273 Yellow fine-grained quartz sand 273-309 Fragments of hard calcareous sandstone and numerous frag- ments of shells; recognized Ostrea tecticosta Gabb and Ostrea subspatulata Forbes ? (young individual) 309-313 Mixture of yellow sand, fragments of hard gray calcareous sandstone, fragments of dark-gray shaly clay, and frag- ments of shells; recognized Ostrea tecticosta Gabb, Exo- gyra sp., Anomia argentaria Morton, Anomia lintea Con- rad, Lima reticulata Forbes ? 313-321 Fine gray sand containing numerous fragments of hard gray calcareous sandstone and a few fragments of shells ; recog- nized Cheilostomatous bryozoa (identified by E. O. Ul- rich), Exogyra sp., and Anomia argentaria Morton 358-376 The city springs are on the west side of Town Creek, north of the city wells and \\ miles north of the courthouse. They issue from a ferruginous quartz sand which outcrops at the base of the hills along the edge of the creek swamp. There were, originally, several natural springs at this locality, but the 42 so-called springs now in use have been developed by sinking shallow holes and are really shallow wells. Each spring is walled in the manner of a cistern or well and is covered by an iron lid which is kept closed and locked to prevent contamina- tion. The water (150 gallons per minute) flows by gravity from the springs to the pumping station at the city artesian wells. The spring waters are probably safe, but will probably be contaminated if many more houses or factories are built in the vicinity. Waters from wells Nos. 1 and 4 and from the city springs were analyzed (Table 75, analyses 1, 2, and 3). The two well waters, which are similar in composition, would be classed as hard and, on account of their high calcium content, are poor for boiler supply unless softened; each emits a slight odor of hydrogen sulphide. The spring 1 Fossils identified by L. W . Stephenson except as otherwise indicated. 396 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. waters are softer and contain much less mineral matter than the well waters. There are several other artesian wells in the vicinity of Americus. One, owned by the Central of Georgia Railway, located near the station on the lowland along Town Creek, is reported to be 480 feet deep. It flows a small stream. A well was drilled in 1883 on the present site of Windsor Hotel. Reports differ as to its depth; McCallie 1 states that it was 1,725 feet deep and that at 1,000 feet water was encountered which rose to within 30 feet of the surface. The well was abandoned because it did not flow. A well on the public square is reported to be 900 feet deep and is nonflowing. The log of a well (No. 11, Table 74) owned by Dr. P. F. Bahnsen, 1£ miles south of Americus, has been furnished by the owner as follows : Log of well of Dr. P. F. Bahnsen, 1\ miles south of Americas. [Authority, J. J. James, driller.] Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Sand and clay mixed Sand, water bearing Purple clay '. , Sand and blue marl Blue marl White limestone in hard and soft layers; water-bearing cavity at a depth of 177 feet. Feet. 15 25 20 20 10 40 50 Feet. 15 40 60 80 90 130 180 The water-bearing cavity at 177 to 180 feet is probably in limestone of the Jackson formation. An analysis of the water is given in Table 75 (analysis 4). A well owned by T. B. Hooks, 5 miles southeast of Americus, is reported to be 450 feet deep. The water stands within 40 feet of the surface and is said to be hard; when exposed to the atmosphere an oily scum probably due to iron oxide appears on the surface. Rock was encountered at 40 feet, but the principal water supply is said to come from sand at a depth of 340 feet. The water is pumped by means of a gasoline engine and supplies a plantation. McCallie 2 gives the following additional well data: In addition to the wells above described there are two wells near the city limits of Americus, one of which is owned by Mr. E. C. Speer and located 1J miles north of Americus. This well is 4 inches in diameter and 212 feet deep. The water, which is said to be apparently inexhaustible, rises to within 102 feet of the sur- face and is used for drinking purposes, also to supply a ginnery and a sawmill. The other well, owned by Messrs. Perry & Brown, is 2\ miles southeast of Americus. > Georgia Geol. Survey Bull*. 15, p. 166, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 168, 169. SUMTER COUNTY. 397 Itis 284 feet deep and 4 inches in diameter. The water rises to within 100 feet of the surface. Both the Speer well and the Perry & Brown well are located on elevated ground, which accounts for the low static head of the water. Hard rock is reported in the Perry & Brown well at 270 feet. Above the rock occur sands, clays, and marls. The principal water supply is said to come from a cavity 2 or 3 feet deep in the rock at the bottom of the well. A second water-bearing stratum is reported at 100 feet, but this is cased off, and the only water used is from the first-mentioned stratum. The water, which is elevated by the means of a deep-well pump, operated by a windmill, is used for general farm purposes. It is said to contain iron and sulphur. Plains (population 400, census of 1910). — The town of Plains has no water-supply system but owns a deep well from which a part of the inhabitants obtain their domestic water supply. The well, drilled in 1910, is near the Seaboard Air Line Railway station and is 244 feet deep and 3 inches in diameter. The water, which is hard and ferruginous, is said to come from a cavity at 243 feet and rises to within 85 feet of the surface; it is lowered 10 feet by pumping 10 gallons per minute. T. J. James furnishes the following log of the well: Log of the town well at Plains. Thick- ness. Depth. Clay Sand and clay Purple marl (clay) Blue mar] (clay) Sand with black specks, water bearing Blue marl (clay) Rock Thin layers of rock and marl Rock Thin layers of rock and white marl with hard flinty places (clay) Feet. 20 60 . 10 60 10 10 10 40 10 14 Feet. 20 80 90 150 160 170 180 220 230 244 Eight wells in and near the town range in depth from 244 to 280 feet A well owned by J. D. Clark and T. J. Spann is 265 feet deep and is cased to a depth of 150 feet; the water probably comes from the upper part of the Midway formation. (See analysis 5, Table 75.) The following is an approximate log : Log ofioell of J. D. Clark and T. J. Spann, Plains. Sand and clay Compact bluish or grayish argillaceous sand or sandy clay Sand and ' ' marl ' ' or clay with some shell rock Thin layers of hard rock, limestone ( ?) ; water bearing Thick- ness. Feet. 90 75 75 25 Depth. Feet. 90 165 240 265 Magnolia Spring. — Magnolia Spring, which has a local reputation, is about 3 J miles north of Plains. The yield has not been accurately measured but is, perhaps, 30 or 35 gallons per minute. The water issues from a gray argillaceous, micaceous, slightly calcareous sand 398 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. (Wilcox), containing iron sulphide and bits of lignitic matter, which outcrops in a small valley near the head of a small creek. The water is slightly sulphurous and is rather hard and high in iron; it is, however, a wholesome drinking water. (See analysis 6, Table 75.) Sumter. — A well owned by H. J. Webb, one-half mile south of Sumter, is 308 feet deep. The principal water-bearing bed is reported to be at the bottom, and the water stands within 26 feet of the surface. The water is described as clear "with a little sulphur," and is used for general domestic and farm purposes. Huguenin. — Wells at Huguenin are described by McCallie * as follows : The Huguenin wells, located on the Huguenin plantation near Flint River, in the extreme southeastern part of Sumter County, are several in number, but only one furnishes a flow. Mr. J. M. Johnson, of Macon, Ga., the present owner of the Huguenin plantation, states that the flowing well on his property is located at Huguenin station, 1 mile west of Flint River. This well is 4 inches in diameter and 167 feet deep; it flows 10 gallons a minute. Mr. Johnson reports six or seven other wells on the property varying from 75 to 220 feet in depth, but they are all located on high ground and are nonflowing. Andersonville. — A well near Andersonville is described by McCallie x as follows: The Andersonville well, which is located on A. F. Hodges's farm, near Anderson- ville, is 244 feet deep and 3 inches in diameter. The water rises to within 132 feet of the surface. The well is cased to a depth of 200 feet and is supplied with a deep-well pump, operated by a windmill. The water, which is said to be wholesome, is used for general domestic and farm purposes. Mr. Hodges was unable to give a complete rec- ord of the well, but he states that a thick bed of kaolin was penetrated at a depth of perhaps 100 feet from the surface. A spring of both historic and scientific interest is located at the site of Andersonville prison. It illustrates one of the ways in which springs originate, for it was formed during the Civil War, while the prison was in use, by a heavy rain which washed a gully on one of the slopes within the stockade deep enough to intersect a water-bearing stratum. Old Danville. — The well near Old Danville is described by McCallie * as follows: Mr. C. S. S. Home's well, located near Old Danville, was completed in 1900. The well is 3 inches in diameter and 355 feet deep. The water, which rises to within 90 feet of the surface, is said to come from a porous rock, first struck at about 300 feet. The static head of the water is lowered by long-continued pumping. The well is cased to hard rock at 114 feet. Leslie. — Wells at Leslie are described by McCallie 2 as follows : Leslie has several bored wells, varying from 100 to 125 feet in depth. These wells are all small and are reported to have struck hard rock at 50 feet. The water rises to 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 169, 1908. - * Idem, p. 170. SUMTER COUNTY. 399 points varying from 14 to 40 feet from the surface, depending upon the location of the well. Long pumping is said to lower the static head of the water. The water-bearing stratum is sand which occurs near the bottom of the well. Table 74. — Wells in Sumter County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Americus, No. 1 City '. Feet. 360 9 do do 360 3 do do 360 4 do do 1907? 1883 360 5 S. W. McCallieo.. 360 6 Americus (public square). City 360 7 Central of Georgia By. E. C. Speer S. W. McCallieo.. 348 8 Americus, 1J miles north of. Americus, 2J miles southeast of. Americus, 5 miles southeast of. Americus, 1£ miles south of. Andersonville (near). Huguenin, 1 mile west of F lint River. do... q do 10 11 T. B. Hooks Peter F. Bahnsen. . . A. F. Hodges Wm. Brewer J. J. James, Sum- ter. T. B. Hooks 1907 1912 1? S. W. McCallieo .. 394 13 14 1=i Old Danville (Flint River). C. S. S. Home S. W. McCalliea.. T J. James 1900 1910 16 James Edwards. 17 .do J. D.Clark and T.J. 18 Sumter, J mile south of. Spann. H.J. Webb M. N. Brewer, Dawson. H.J.Webb 1906 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 337 450? 700± 992 1,725 900? 480 212 284 450 180 244 167 160 355 244 265 308 Inches. Feet. Feet. Feet. 65 60 Galls. Galls. See Table 75, anal- 2 ysis 1. Slightly hard. Hard. 3 4 10 4 962-992 1,000 (?) 60 30 Hard: see Table 75, s analysis 2. 6 7 8 4 4 4 5 3 4 102 100 40 80 132 q 284 340 177-180 100 40-60 Windmill, deep- well pump. Gasoline engine. . . Electric motor Windmill, deep- well pump. Flows Force pump Ferruginous and sul- 10 phurous. Hard. 11 See Table 75, anal- i? ysis 4. 13 10 10 14 15 90 85 Hard. Severalwells. 15 3 3 300-355 243 150 240-265 16 ' 17 10 Gasoline engine, deep-well pump. Hard, ferruginous. See Table 75, analy- 18 2 308 26 sis 5. Soft. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 166-169, 1908. b See log, p. 394. 400 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 74. — Wells in Sumter County — Continued. Use. Municipal supply .do. .do. .do. Boilers of locomo- tives. Domestic, boiler supply. Domestic ....do Drinking Domestic and farm Domestic, manu- facturing. Domestic .do. Domestic . Principal water bed. Geologic horizon. Ripley formation. . Ripley formation? Upper Cretaceous. Cretaceous Cretaceous? Ripley formation. Eocene? Eocene or Ripley formation. .....do Jackson formation? Ripley formation ? Eocene Vicksburg forrha- mation? Eocene? Midway forma- tion? do Eocene? Character. Cavity in rock Sand Cavity below rock. Sand Porous rock. Cavity with some sand. Thin layer of rock. Remarks. Cased to 245 feet. 10-inch casing to 226 feet; 8-inch casing to 402 feet; 6-inch casing to 962 feet. See logs, pp. 394-395. Abandoned. Cost of well, $480. 5-inch casing to 125 feet. See log, p. 396. 3-inch casing to 200 feet. Also 6 or 7 nonflowing wells 75 to 220 feet deep. Water lowered by pumping; 3-inch cas- ing to 114 feet. Cost of well, S268; 2-inch casing to 185 feet. See log, p. 397. 2-inch casing to 285 feet. Cost of well, Table 75. — Analyses of underground ivaters from Sumter County. [Parts per million.] Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. Apr. 19,1911 ....do ....'do Dec. 16,1912 Apr. 20,1911 ....do City well No. 1.. City well No. 4. . Springs (part of municipal sup- ply). Well of Peter F. Bahnsen. Well of J. D. Clark and T. J. Spann. Magnolia Spring. Americus ....do ....do Americus, 1£ miles south of. Plains Plains, 3£ miles north of. Ripley forma- tion. Cretaceous Jackson forma- tion? do Feet. 337 962-992 Midway forma- tion? Wilcox forma- tion. 177-180 240-265 Edgar Everhart. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. w » s> « a ■3 ■c? i aw T3 -3 03^, > o . O 53 & a .2 a 3 'g a * iz; la o go 03 w ,3 P. .5. O o .2 ' "3 Remarks. 6 o 8" 03 u 3 S 3 o 5 CO H a S o o ■a o o fl ^ ■d ■d o o s > 2 33 £ < a 1 "e3 o a- a I X) ■a . 03 "S uO 5 as cS c3 .2 a o . ■31 Remarks. d C3 a o a 'o a -8 C3 O S (3 Q ft c3 o 3 ,2 C3 O 'A 0Q 1— ( < O y TO Ph o pq ca 2 o > H 1 44 2.0 43 8.0 1{ ! 2.5 207 2.0 Tr. 10 262 Weill, Table 78. 2 30 1.36 46 8.0 11 78 14 18 4.0 210 Well 2, Table 78. 3 8.3 17 6 40 5.1 8.1 1 2.6 58 30 10 180 Well 3, Table 78. 4 38 .4 54 6.0 12 Tr. 246 2.0 0.5 8.0 272 Well 7, Table 78. 5 43 .1 0.1 62 9.8 7.1 1 1.7 221 4.7 10 251 Well 9, Table 78. a Georgia Geol. Survey BuU. 15, pp. 172, 173, 1908. TERRELL COUNTY. 6Fe20 3 +Al 2 3 . GENERAL FEATURES. Terrell County is in the western part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Dawson, the county seat, is at the intersection of the Seaboard Air Line and the Central of Georgia railways, 66 miles southeast of 416 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Columbus and 98 miles southwest of Macon. The area of the county is 322 square miles and the population is 22,003 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. In the north the surface is rolling to hilly and the land well drained; the creeks and branches have cut their courses 100 to 150 feet below the divides. In the south the surface is slightly hilly to nearly level; the creeks are bordered by broad swamps, and lime sinks and cypress ponds are common. The general upland surface lies 300 to 485 feet above sea level, the highest elevation being in the north. The known altitudes above sea level at railroad stations are Parrott, 482 feet; Dawson (Sea- board Air Line Railway), 376 feet; Dawson (Central of Georgia Rail- way), 326 feet; Sasser, 336 feet; Central of Georgia Railway bridge, Kinchafoonee Creek, 265 feet; and Central of Georgia Railway bridge, Ichawaynochaway Creek, 283 feet. GEOLOGY. Deposits of Eocene age outcrop in the valley of Ichawaynochaway Creek in the west and in the valley of Kinchafoonee Creek in the northeast, and underlie the remainder of the county beneath the younger (Oligocene) Vicksburg formation. The Eocene beds con- sist of several hundred feet of sands and clays locally indurated. They have not been accurately differentiated within the county, but it is believed that their basal portion represents the Midway formation, which does not appear at the surface within the county. The Wilcox formation probably overlies the Midway and appears at the surface in the valley of Ichawaynochaway Creek in the extreme west; the Wilcox is overlain by about 150 feet of strata believed to represent the Claiborne group. The Eocene deposits contain impor- tant water-bearing beds. The Vicksburg formation, which consists of limestones with inter- bedded sandy layers, overlies the Eocene deposits and appears at the surface throughout the remainder of the county; the formation weathers to red argillaceous sands and sandy clays containing frag- ments and masses of flint. The thickness of the formation in the north is 50 to 100 feet, but southward it becomes thicker, reaching 200 or 250 feet along th esouthern border, where it becomes an impor- tant aquifer. The Eocene deposits are underlain by 1,800 or 2,000 feet of sands, clays, and marls of Cretaceous age which do not appear at the sur- face within the county and which at an unknown depth, perhaps 2,000 or 2,500 feet, rest upon crystalline basement rocks. The Cre- taceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. TERRELL COUNTY. 417 WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug and bored wells 20 to 80 feet deep are the chief source of domestic water supply. Of the two types, the bored wells are pref- erable, for if properly cased they afford less opportunity for contami- nation from surface sources. The shallow wells yield small supplies and some of them fail during times of drought. Artesian wells have been drilled at Dawson, Graves station, Parrott, and Sasser. There are no large springs in the county, but in the north small springs are numerous and supply water for household use on small farms. The waters of streams are suitable for stock and boiler supply. The prospects are good for obtaining artesian water anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more, and it is probable that flowing wells can be obtained on the lower lands bordering Kinchafoonee, Ichawaynochaway, and Chickasawhatchee creeks. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Dawson (population 3,827, census of 1910). — The town of Dawson owns a water-supply system and obtains water from a deep well. C. D. Marshall and F. W. McNulty, of Dawson, have furnished the following information : The well was drilled in 1903, is 447 feet deep, and is 8 inches in diam- eter at the bottom. The water rises within 36 feet of the surface and is lifted to the surface by means of an air-compressor pump at the rate of 500 gallons per minute. The water is used for general domes- tic and manufacturing purposes. (See analysis 1, Table 81.) The well described probably taps a water-bearing bed in the upper part of the Cretaceous deposits (Ripley formation). Spencer x describes another well drilled by the town at an earlier date. The water, which rises nearly to the surface, is obtained by a hand pump and is used locally for drinking and domestic purposes. The depth to the principal water-bearing bed is not known, but the well probably enters the Ripley formation. (See analysis 2, Table 81.) Spencer gives the following log: Log of old toivn well at Dawson. Thick- ness. Depth. Clayey white sand Coarse sand Limestone, followed by sand and rock. Quicksand Feet. 40 40 570 10 Feet. 40 80 650 660 1 Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 79, 1891, 38418°— wsp 841—15 27 418 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Parrott (population 360, census of 1910). — At Parrott water for domestic use is obtained chiefly from a well 300 feet deep, in which the water rises to within 65 feet of the surface. The daily consump- tion is about 8,000 gallons, and the supply is said to be satisfactory. A few shallow wells are in use. Graves station. — Wells near Graves station have been described by McCallie * as follows: Two deep wells have been put down near Graves station, one by Mr. J. B. Graves and the other by Mr. W. D. Davidson. The former well is 3 inches in diameter and 321 feet deep. Water rises to within 50 feet of the surface. Several layers of hard rock, 20 feet thick, are reported in this well, and a marl bed at 150 feet. No data have been received concerning the Davidson well. Sasser. — Wells in the vicinity of Sasser are described by McCallie * as follows: There are several nonflowing deep wells in the vicinity of Sasser. They vaiy from 214 to 540 feet in depth and furnish a copious supply of water, rising from 28 to 60 feet from the surface. Mr. M. N. Brewer, a well contractor, has kindly furnished the following record of Mr. J. H. Wooten's well, located 2 miles southwest of Sasser: [Log of well of J. H. Wooten, 2 miles southivest of Sasser (No. 7, Table SO).] Feet. Clay « 0-50 Red sand 50-80 Limestone 80- 90 White sand, water bearing 90-120 Limestone 120-130 White clay 130-140 Limestone, with thin layers of flint 140-147 Fine white water-bearing sand 147-160 Hard rock, water bearing ; 160-165 Bluish sand ,.. 165-225 Limestone with thin layers of flint : 225-260 Gray marl 260-300 Hard rock 300-303 White water-bearing sand 303-310 Limestone with layers of flint 310-340 Blue marl 340^28 Hard flint 428-131 Gray marl and white clay 431-504 Hard rock, water bearing 504-530 Another well, 7 miles east of Sasser, owned by Mr. J. M. King, attains a depth of only 214 feet. Water-bearing strata are reported in this well at 96, 150, and 214 feet, respectively. The water from the 214-foot stratum rises to within 28 feet of the surface. 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 175, 1908. TERRELL COUNTY. 419 Table 80. — Wells in Terrell County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 S. W. McCalliea.. Feet. 326 2 Dawson, £ mile north- east of. C. D. Marshalland F.W.McNutty. S. W. McCalliea . 1903 326 3 379? 4 Town 5 S.W. McCalliea... 336 fi Sasser, 7 miles east of. Sasser, 2 miles south- west of. J. M. King 7 J.H. Wooten M. N. Brewer Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 660 447 321 300 214-540 214 530 Inches. Feet. Feet. Feet. 30 36 50 65 28-60 28 1 Galls. Galls. Hand pump Air-lift pump Hard; see analysis 2, Table 81. See analysis 1, Table 81. 2 3 8 3 447 500 4 12 X a O -So go Is OS'S- 43 ^6 csPM .El — ' ft O 1 «3 °o Remarks. d 5> 03 T3 ft 3 O as 'A 3 CD Ph O M OS P-, O &H fe 1 40 4.0 5.4 2.0 0.0 128 8.S 0,4 9.5 174 18 Well 1, Table 82. 2 48 22 9.0 2.6 .0 179 81 Tr. 12 278 4 Wells 4 and 5, Table 82. 3 48 22 7.8 2.1 .0 159 82 Tr. 12 274 20 Do. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 177-180, 1908. TIFT COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Tift County is in the south-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia in the long-leaf pine or wire-grass region. Tifton, the county seat, is 105 miles south of Macon. The area of the county is 243 square miles and the population is 11,487 (census of 1910). Lumber and. naval stores are the chief products, but the pine timber is being rapidly exhausted and the inhabitants are giving increased attention to agriculture, which will doubtless be the chief industry hi the near future. TIFT COUNTY. 425 TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level to moderately hilly. The upland portion lies 300 to 400 feet and the partly swampy lowlands along Little and Alapaha rivers somewhat less than 300 feet above sea level. The streams are small and now sluggishly through wide, dense swamps. The waters are free from silt or clay in suspension but are dark from their high content of organic matter. Little River, which flows south through the western part of the county, and Alapaha River, which forms a part of the northeastern boundary, are the principal streams. GEOLOGY. The Alum Bluff formation (of Oligocene age), which consists of 100 feet or more of greenish or drab sandy clays and sands interbedded with thin, hard layers, outcrops in a small area along Little River in the southwestern part of the county. The formation contains water-bearing beds and is overlain throughout the greater part of the county by 100 feet or less of mottled, irregularly bedded argillaceous sands, greenish sandy clays, and subordinate lenses of gravel, which are probably of Oligocene age. These materials weather to a sandy soil, which contains in places great numbers of small iron-oxide nodules and is locally known as " pebble" or "pimple" land. The deposits yield soft waters to shallow wells. In a narrow belt on the east side of Little River accumulations of soft surficial sand form small sand hills of probable Pleistocene age. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by 400 or 500 feet of water- bearing limestones, which probably represent in descending order the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations of the Oligocene and the Jackson formation of the Eocene. These limestones are underlain in descending order by undifferentiated strata of Eocene and Cretaceous age, having an aggregate thickness of 2,000 feet or more. The Cre- taceous probably rests upon a deeply buried surface of ancient crys- talline rocks. The Eocene and Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Shallow dug wells are the chief source of domestic water supply Deep wells have been drilled at Tifton. Streams and ponds are used locally for stock and are the principal source of boiler supplies for sawmills, factories, and railway locomo- tives. A few small springs on the edges of the creeks and swamps are used for domestic supplies. The water from the Murrow Mineral Spring, 4 miles west of Tifton, is bottled and sold for drinking (See Table 85, analysis 4.) 426 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1 ; 000 feet or more. It is doubtful if flowing wells can be obtained. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Tifton (population 2,381, census of 1910). — The town of Tifton owns a public water-supply system which obtains water from an artesian well 550 feet deep drilled in 1906. The water rises to within 125 feet of the surface, and the maximum yield by pumping is 420 gallons a minute. Kock is said to have been entered at 270 feet. The principal water-bearing bed is between 300 and 550 feet. The water has a slight odor of hydrogen sulphide and is moderately hard, but is used for general domestic and manufacturing purposes. (See analysis 1, Table 85.) A partial set of well borings on file in the office of the United States Geological Survey (well No. 1174) probably came from the town well just described. The samples were furnished by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., of Charleston, S. C. The following partial log has been prepared: Partial log of town well at Tifton. Thick- ness. Depth. Missing Mixture of clear quartz sand and fine fragments of claystone White sandy claystone Fine white sand Chunks of light-gray flint showing dendritic growths Missing '. Fine light-gray argillaceous, calcareous sand 1 . . . Very fine light-gray argillaceous, slightly calcareous sand Mixture of coarse quartz sand and fragments of gray clay and white limestone. Missing ., Very fine calcareous sand Fine calcareous sand Missing White sandy limestone Flint Feet. 80 20 20 10 5 5 8 2 18 10 7 15 12 66 5 Feel. 80 100 120 130 135 140 148 150 168 178 185 200 212 278 283 The limestones penetrated between 212 and 278 feet probably belong to the Chattahoochee formation. Another sample, bearing the well number 1,325, received in Janu- ary, 1907, from the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., was taken from the town well (probably the well just described) and is said to represent the materials penetrated between 298 and 400 feet. It consists of pure white limestone having a botryoidal appearance. Capt. H. H. Tift's well, completed in 1896, is 368 feet deep and the water rises to within 125 feet of the surface. Two or three water- bearing strata are said to have been struck. Limestone was encoun- tered at 260 feet. The principal water-bearing bed is sand, at a depth of 330 feet. TIFT COUNTY. 427 A well owned by the Tifton Ice & Power Co., 1 near the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station about 10 feet above the railroad track, is 572^ feet deep. The water, which rises to within 115 feet of the surface, is used chiefly for the manufacture of ice. The following is a partial log: Partial log of well of Tifton Ice & Power Co., Tifton. Thick- ness. Depth. Clay and sand Sand rock Rock and clay (20-foot layers) Quicksand Not reported Hard flint Porous limestone, containing water in caverns in lower 172 feet Not reported Feet. 30 20 100 25 95 30 212 60.5 Feet. 30 50 150 175 270 300 512 572.5 Table 84. — Wells in Tift County. No. Location. Owner. Authority. Date com- pleted. Approxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Tifton. do do W. S. Walker 1906 1896 Feet. 370 ? H. H. T Tifton It ft 370 3 e & Power Co W. 343? Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 ? Feet. 550 368 572J Inches. 8 8 6 Feet. 300-550 330-368 340-512 Feet. Feet. 125 125 115 Galls. Galls. 420 150 Air-lift pump Hard, slightly sul- phurous. See an- alvsisl, Table 85. 3 2, Table 85. Hard. See analysis 3, Table 85. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Municipal supply. Vicksburg forma- tion? do Porous limestone. . do 8-inch casing to 270 feet. Cost of well, $2,000; of machinery, $2,000. See log, p. 426. Limestone at 260 feet; 330 feet of 8- inch 3 Manufacture of ice and boiler supply. Vicksburg forma- tion? do easing. Water from cavities in limestone. Cost of well, $2,000; of pumping plant, $1,000. See log above. 1 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 54, 55, : 428 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 85. — Analyses of underground waters from Tift County, [Parts per million.) No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1911. Feet. 1 May 24 Tifton Vicksburg forma- tion? do 300-550 Edgar Everhart. H. C. White." ■?. Well of H. H.Tift... do 330-368 3 Well of Tifton Ice Xr ...do ...do.... 340-512 Boiler Compound Co.* Power Co. 4 Apr. 3 Tifton, 4 miles Edgar Everhart. Spring. west of. © CD 0) O 73 03 ■So oW OS'? M o T3 • So 6 03 O ,J > o . Remarks. EG 3 a a a a a w 03 "^ q 2 a ■o S 6 03 55 a o H 3 < '3 "3 o a 03 a '■3 o CO J Is o ,Q .03 O 03 o s ft CO 03 o 3 o 3 > <3.8 35 4.9 34 49 12 176 Total depth of well 572i feet. Well 3, Table 84. 4 22 .2 38 2.0 6.0 .0 154 Tr. Tr. 3.0 168 a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 54, 55, 1908. b Idem, p. 55. c Fe20 3 +Al 2 03. TOOMBS COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Toombs County is in the east-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Lyons, the county seat, is on the main line of the Seaboard Air Line Railway, 75 miles west of Savannah. The area of the county is 393 square miles and the population is 11,206 (census of 1910). TOPOGRAPHY. The county is for the most part slightly undulating to hilly, but some of the interstream areas are nearly level. Altamaha River, which forms the southern boundary, has cut 100 or 150 feet below the general upland level. Ohoopee River and Pendletons Creek, the next largest streams, are bordered on the east by low hills or ridges with conspicuous coverings of incoherent quartz sand, the origin of which has not yet been satisfactorily explained. Small branches and creeks are numerous and flow through swamps in broad shallow valleys. The known altitudes at railroad stations are Lyons, 254 feet; Ohoopee, 187 feet; and Vidalia, 257 (?) feet. The elevation of the swamp along Altamaha River, estimated from bench marks estab- lished by United States Army Engineers, is 75 to 85 feet above sea level. TOOMBS COUNTY. 429 GEOLOGY. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of sands and bluish or drab sandy clays, in part fuller's earth, with interbedded layers of sandstone or aluminous grit, outcrops in the valley of Altamaha River and underlies the remainder of the county. The deposits contain water-bearing beds. The Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 75 or 100 feet of irregu- larly bedded, locally indurated sands, sandy clays, and gravels, which probably are of Oligocene age, and which form the surface throughout nearly all the county. These materials are the source of the water obtained in shallow wells. Pleistocene terrace deposits occur in small areas along Altamaha River. The Alum Bluff formation is underlain by a series of undifferen- tiated limestones, sands, clays, and marls, which in descending order are of Oligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous age. At an unknown depth, perhaps 2,500 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Oligocene, Eocene, and Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 15 to 40 feet deep are the chief source of domestic water supply; most of them tap water-bearing beds in the surficial sands and gravels of Oligocene ( ?) age and yield soft potable waters suitable for household use, except where not properly protected from surface pollution. Deep wells have been drilled at Lyons and Vidalia. Small seepage springs are scattered throughout the county but are comparatively unimportant as sources of water supply; most of them occur at the edges of the swamps bordering the streams and issue either from the base of sand hills or from sandy layers in the Oligocene ( ?) surficial deposits. An analysis of water from a spring owned by J. M. and C. S. Meadows, Normantown, is given in Table 87 (analysis 2). The waters of streams are suitable for stock and boiler supply Abundant supplies of artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. The prospects for obtaining flows are good only on the low-terrace plains bordering Altamaha River and on the lowlands bordering Ohoopee River and Pendletons Creek. 430 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Lyons (population 927, census of 1910). — Two public artesian wells have been drilled at Lyons. The first, 1 drilled in 1900, is 450 feet deep and the water rises to within 85 feet of the surface; the well is no longer in use. The second, 1 drilled in 1909, is 406 feet deep and is 8 inches in diameter at the top and 6 inches at the bottom. The principal supply is said to come from a sand at 400 feet, and the water rises to within 100 feet of the surface. This well furnishes the mu- nicipal water supply for both domestic and manufacturing purposes. (See analysis 1, Table 87.) Vidalia (population 1,776, census of 1910). — The public water supply at Vidalia is obtained from a well 805 feet deep at the electric- light plant in the eastern part of the town. The water comes chiefly from limestones below 440 feet and rises to within 140 feet of the surface. Another water-bearing stratum was penetrated at about 400 feet but was cased off. The water from the limestones is suitable for drinking but is rather hard and is objectionable for boiler supply. The following log has been furnished by the driller: Log of well at the electric-light plant, Vidalia. Thick- ness. Depth. Clay Marl (?) Gray sandstone (water) Laminated clay Sandstone (water) Sand Drab laminated clay Sand (water) Dark-colored clay Yellow ferruginous sandstone Gray laminated clay Sand (water bearing) Clay Sand Laminated clay Sand. Hard clay or shale Sand with shells Sand Blue marl Principally limestone, water bearing Not reported Feet. 40 30 40 27 8 20 30 1 20 8 46 27 25 2 11 1 19 20 20 40 365 5 Feet. 40 70 110 137 145 165 195 196 216 224 270 297 322 324 335 336 355 375 395 435 800 805 A sample from 800 feet is a glauconitic sandy marl. A well at the ice factory, about one-fourth mile west of the Seaboard Air Line Railway station, is 507 feet deep and is cased to 377 feet, where a water-bearing stratum is said to have been entered. The water, which stands within 120 feet of the surface, is pumped at the rate of 93 gallons per minute. It is said to be much softer than the citv water and is used for the manufacture of ice and for boiler i McCallie, S. W., Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 171, 1908. TOOMBS COUNTY. 4S1 supplies. This well and the town well are about three-quarters of a mile apart and are at about the same elevation. Table 86. — Wells in Toombs County. Ap- proxi- mate Date eleva- No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. com- pleted. tion of mouth above sea level. Feet. 1 Lyons. do. To S. W. McCalliea.. E. L. Edenfield... 1900 1909 254 2 .do E. L. Edenfield. 254 3 Vidalia do 1908 257? 4 Vidalia, \ mile west 257? of Seaboard Air Line Ry. No. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute by pump- ing. How obtained. Quality. Feet. Inches. Feet. Feet. Feet. Galls. 1 450 406 2i 6 450? 400-406 85 100 Hard. 2 100 Air-lift pump See analysis 1, Table 87. 3 805 507 440-500? 337? 400 140 120 Hard. 4 93 - No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Domestic Manufacturing, domestic. Domestic Eocene? ? do 6-inch casing to 200± feet. Diameter at top 8 inches and at bottom 6 inches. Cost of well, about SI ,000. See log, p. 430. 3 Eocene 4 Manufacture of ice and boiler sup- ply- Oligocene or Eo- cene. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 171, 1908. Table 87. — Analyses of well and spring waters from Toombs County. [Parts per million.] Silica(Si0 2 ) Iron (Fe) Aluminum ( Al) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) . Sulphate radicle (SO*) Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Chlorine(Cl) Total dissolved solids 1. Well No. 2, Table 86. Sample collected Apr. 15, 1911. Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Spring owned by J. M. and C. S. Meadows, Normantown; water-bearing formation, Oligocene surficial material. 432 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. TURNER COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Turner County is in the central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Ashburn, the county seat, is on the Georgia Southern & Florida Rail- way, 85 miles south of Macon. The area of the county is 231 square miles, and the population is 10,075 (census of 1910). TOPOGRAPHY. Turner County is moderately hilly, but the hills are low and the val- leys broad with gentle slopes. The general upland surface is 350 to 400 feet above sea level. Small ponds occur throughout the county, and in the west lime sinks indicate the presence of limestone at no great depth. The streams which drain the county originate in the Coastal Plain and are small and clear. GEOLOGY. Strata of Oligocene age underlie the entire county but have not been accurately discriminated. It is believed, however, that they represent in ascending order the Vicksburg, Chattahoochee, and Alum Bluff formations. The Vicksburg formation, which consists of 200 feet or more of limestones with interbedded layers of sand and clay, does not appear at the surface. The Chattahoochee formation is lithologically similar to the Vicks- burg formation, but probably does not exceed 100 feet in thickness. It comes to the surface in a small area in the extreme west. Both the Vicksburg and the Chattahoochee formations are believed to carry potable waters in great abundance. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 100 feet or more of bluish sandy clays, sands, and sandstones, outcrops in a belt a few miles wide extending north and south in the extreme west. The for- mation contains water-bearing beds. The Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 100 feet or less of irregularly bedded coarse ferruginous sands and blusish sandy clays, which are probably also of Oligocene age. These beds form the surface materials throughout the remainder of the county and are the source of the waters obtained in shallow dug wells. Deeply buried beneath the Vicksburg formation are undifferentiated deposits of Eocene age, probably representing in descending order the Jackson formation and the Claiborne group and perhaps, also, the Wil- cox and Midway formations. They contain water-bearing beds. The Eocene deposits are underlain in turn by deposits of Cretaceous age, the aggregate thickness of which is probably between 1,500 and 2,500 feet; these deposits also contain water-bearing beds. The Cretaceous TURNER COUNTY. 433 deposits are believed to rest upon a deeply buried basement of ancient crystalline rocks. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 10 to 60 feet deep, yielding soft waters, are the chief source of domestic water supply. Deep wells have been drilled at Ashburn and Worth. Creek water is used locally for stock. A few of the small springs of the county are used for domestic water supplies. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths ranging from 100 to 1,500 feet or more. On the lowlands bordering the larger creeks it is probably possible to obtain flows by drilling to depths exceeding 500 feet. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Ashburn (population 2,214, census of 1910). — The town of Ashburn obtains its municipal water supply from three deep wells drilled in 1895 by the J. S. Betts Lumber Co. but now owned by the munici- pality. The wells are about 500 feet deep and are 20 feet apart. The water rises to within 175 feet of the surface and the yield is 125 to 150 gallons per minute. The water, which is probably derived from the Vicksburg formation, is slightly hard, is low in total solids, and has proved satisfactory for domestic and manufacturing purposes. A sample of water from one of these wells, collected June 15, 1911, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart as follows : Analysis of water from one of the public wells at Ashburn. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 26 Iron (Fe) .4 Calcium (Ca) 24 Magnesium (Mg) 7. Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 8. Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 2. Bicarbonate radicle (HCO,). . 117 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 8. Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) 2 Chlorine (CI) 3.5 Total dissolved solids 100 Worth (population 169, census of 1910). — At Worth domestic water supplies are obtained in part from a well 375 feet deep, in which the water rises to within 10 feet of the surface. McCallie 1 describes a well at this place, drilled by the Enterprise Lumber Co. in 1896, the depth of which is 300 feet. The water, which is probably derived from the Vicksburg formation, rises to i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 197, 1908. 38418°— wsp 341—15 28 434 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. within 60 feet of the surface. Limestone is said to have been encoun- tered. The water was used for boiler supply. TWIGGS COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Twiggs County is in the north-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 314 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 10,736. Agriculture and the mining of kaolin and high- grade clays are the chief industries. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is a dissected upland plain within the physiographic division known as the falhline hills. Its central part forms the divide between the Ocmulgee and Oconee river systems. Numerous small creeks and branches flow southwestward into Ocmulgee River, and other small streams flow southeastward, eventually reaching Oconee River. Erosion by Ocmulgee River and the numerous small streams in the county has rendered much of the surface broken and hilly. In relatively narrow areas bordering Ocmulgee River Pleistocene terracing processes have produced two plains, one 10 to 20 feet and the other 60 to 75 feet above low-water level of the river. GEOLOGY. Eocene strata outcrop over the greater part of the county, perhaps reaching a maximum thickness of 200 feet at the extreme southern border. The Eocene beds rest unconformably upon Cretaceous strata which consist predominantly of irregularly bedded sands with subordinate clay lenses. These Cretaceous sands and clays outcrop in a narrow strip bordering Ocmulgee River along the western edge of the county and along the bottoms and lower slopes of the valleys of the small tributary streams entering Ocmulgee River from the east; they appear also in the valley of Big Sandy Creek in the north. Both the Lower and Upper Cretaceous are believed to be represented. Lower Cretaceous deposits lie immediately beneath the Eocene in approximately the northern third of the county. The Cusseta sand member of the Ripley formation (Upper Cretaceous) intervenes between the Lower Cretaceous and Eocene beds in a belt 4 or 5 miles wide in the west-central part of the county and extends eastward beneath the Eocene. In the southwestern part of the area the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation intervenes between the Cusseta sand and the Eocene and extends eastward beneath the Eocene. The Eocene deposits present in the county have been referred to the Claiborne group, the Jackson formation, and the WAEE COUNTY. 435 Vicksburg formation. The Claiborne group is composed of sands and clays, the Jackson formation consists chiefly of limestones, and the Vicksburg formation consists chiefly of the residual products of decomposed limestone. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) Thin Pleistocene deposits of sandy loams, sands, and gravels cover narrow terrace plains along Ocmulgee River. Water-bearing sands are numerous in the Cretaceous deposits and are present, though fewer in number, in the Claiborne group of the Eocene. WATER RESOURCES. Domestic water supplies throughout the county are obtained chiefly from dug or bored wells 30 to 100 feet deep and from numerous springs. Both wells and springs yield waters of excellent quality for domestic and industrial purposes. The numerous creeks and branches are sources of excellent water for stock and for steam making. Lower and Upper Cretaceous deposits underlie the whole county but appear at the surface only in the valleys of Ocmulgee River and its tributaries along the western side of the county and in the valley of Big Sandy Creek in the north. The Cretaceous deposits are com- posed largely of beds of porous sand capable of carrying large quan- tities of water. In the northern part of the county these water- bearing beds he at 100 to 300 feet and in the extreme south at probably 150 to 1,500 feet or more. The Eocene deposits, particu- larly the sandy strata of the Claiborne group, should yield small to moderate amounts of potable water at depths not exceeding 200 feet. Conditions appear favorable for obtaining flowing wells in the valley of Ocmulgee River at elevations less than 50 feet above low- water level. WARE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Ware County is in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, its eastern boundary being about 50 miles from the Atlantic coast. Its area is 804 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 22,957. The principal industries are lumbering and the manufacture of turpentine and resin, but increased attention is being given to agriculture, which will doubtless be the chief industry of the future. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part is a gently rolling to nearly level upland plain having a very slight general southward slope and a maximum eleva- tion of about 250 feet. The southern part is a swampy, poorly drained, pine and saw-palmetto flat lying 115 to 130 feet about sea 436 UNDEBGEOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEOEGIA. level. Okefenokee Swamp covers the extreme southern part of the county. Satilla River, the largest stream, flows eastward across the north- ern part of the county and forms the northeastern boundary; it is a sluggish dark-water stream, flowing through a low, sand-covered, poorly drained terrace plain. Low-water level at the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad bridge, 3 miles northeast of Waycross, is about 70 feet lower than the surface at Waycross, where the altitude is 140 feet above sea level. The smaller streams spread out through swamps and carry a large amount of decayed vegetation. GEOLOGY. Throughout all but a few relatively small areas in the southern part of the county the surface terrane consists of 150 feet or less of irregu- larly bedded sands and clays which are probably of late Oligocene age. They weather to loose gray or yellowish quartz sands and are in part water bearing. At many places the materials immediately beneath the surface sands consists of mottled reddish, yellowish, and bluish argillaceous sands, in part cemented by iron oxide and locally known as hardpan. The remainder of the county is covered by sands and clays of Pleistocene age. The late Oligocene ? beds are the source of the waters obtained in shallow wells. A series of undifferentiated sands, clays, limestones, and marls of Tertiary age underlies the Pleistocene deposits and probably includes in descending order representatives of the Pliocene, Miocene, Oligo- cene, and Eocene. According to the log of a 700-foot well at Waycross (pp. 438-439) fossils corresponding to the Tampa formation (Oligocene) of Florida ( = Chattahoochee formation of Georgia) were found at 415 feet. Limestones interbedded with layers of sand and shell marl, probably representing the lower portion of the Chattahoochee forma- tion and the Vicksburg formation of the Oligocene, and perhaps also the Jackson formation of the Eocene, were encountered between 440 and 691 feet. Nothing definite is known concerning the deposits beneath the limestones, but it is believed that they are underlain in descending order by sediments of Eocene and Cretaceous age, and that at some depth, perhaps 3,000 feet or more, the latter rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. Both the Eocene and Cretaceous deposits probably contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug and driven wells 10 to 40 feet deep are the chief source of domestic water supply. They yield an abundance of soft water which in wet seasons often stands within 3 or 4 feet of the surface. WARE COUNTY. 437 The waters of the shallow wells are liable to contamination from surface sources owing to the porous character of the soils and subsoils. Deep wells have been drilled at Waycross and at Beach. (See Table 88.) Springs are few in number, small, and of little value. The waters of streams and ponds are used to some extent for stock and for boiler supply. ^ Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. Waters from deep sources, provided the wells are properly cased, are not subject to contamination from surface sources and are more suitable for all purposes, except boiler supply, than the waters of shallow wells and streams. The prospects for obtaining flows are not good except on the low- lands bordering Satilla River, where flowing wells can probably be obtained at depths of 1,000 feet or more. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Waycross (population 14,485, census of 1910). — The city of Way- cross owns a public water-supply system, which obtains water from two artesian wells, at the intersection of Plant Avenue and Mary Street. The surface at the mouth of the wells is about 2 feet lower than the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station, which is 140 feet above sea level. According to H. M. Pafford, city engineer, the first well, drilled in 1893, is 700 feet deep, 12 inches in diameter at the top, and 8 inches in diameter at the bottom; and the second well, drilled in 1895, is 700 feet deep, 10 inches in diameter at the top, and 6 inches in diameter at the bottom. The principal water-bearing bed is be- tween 670 and 700 feet, and the water rises to within 58 feet of the surface. The combined maximum yield of the wells is 1,800 gallons per minute. The city consumes 1,080,000 gallons of water per day, which is distributed from a standpipe having a capacity of 287,000 gallons. The wells probably tap a water-bearing bed in Eocene deposits, possibly in the Jackson formation. The water from the wells is clear and odorless, and although hard is of good quality for drinking, but, as it is rather high in calcium, mag- nesium, and sulphate it would probably produce considerable scale in boilers. (See analyses 2 and 3, Table 89.) Although water for domestic and industrial purposes is furnished chiefly by the municipal water-supply plant, many shallow dug and driven wells owned by individuals are still in use, and some of the manufacturing concerns obtain their supplies from deep or shallow wells. 438 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. McCallie l gives the following log of one of the city wells, prepared from a set of well borings : Log of city well at Waycross. [Authority, H. Murphv, chairman of water works commission.] Feet. Surface sand 2 Motley red, yellow, and white clays at 9 A rather coaise-grained, waterworn reddish sand at 20 A sample of sand differing mainly from the above in being of a red- dish-brown color at 30 Coarse quartz sand cemented by iron oxide at 40 Dark gray plastic clay at 50 Very coarse white sand at 55 Very coarse white sand at 80 Dark gray clay at 100 Yellow sandy clay at 115 Fine gray sand containing glauconite at 130 Dark-gray clay at 140 Sandy clay with glauconite at 145 Fine glauconitic sandy clay at 160 Coarse white sand with glauconite at 185 Dark-gray greenish marl at 215 Medium fine-grained glauconitic sand at 217 . Hard, flinty, sandy drab-colored claystone at 226 Drab-colored calcareous sandy clay with fragments of flint and limestone at 228 Hard vitreous glauconitic sand at 230 Gray glauconitic marl at 232 Fine dark-gray sand with fragments of shells at 234 Blue clay at 236 Gray sandy marl at 275 Coarse sand and phosphatic pebbles, sharks' teeth, dental plates of . rays, and glauconite at 300 Fine sand with glauconite at 302 Hard compact sandstone at 310 Dark sandy clay with dental plates of rays and glauconite at 312 Gray marls, fragments of pectens, spines of sea urchins, etc., at. . . . 325 Very hard compact sandstone at 340 Fine gray glauconitic sand at 343 Shells at 380 Shell marl at 400 Highly fossiliferous limestone, Tampa horizon, at 415 Gray marl, pectens, and spines of sea urchins at 425 White chalky sandy limestone at 440 Fossiliferous limestone having a concretionary structure at 450 White chalky arenaceous limestone at 455 Gray sandy marl at. 475 Fine yellow argillaceous sand at 480 Gray sandstone and claystone at 500 White chalky limestone at 510 Compact dark-gray limestone with fragments of corals and shells at . . 525 > Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 181-185, 1908. WAEE COUNTY. 439 Feet. Shell marl at 527 White chalky limestone at 530 Dark gray marl with fragments of shells at 550 Hard, compact dove-colored glauconitic claystone at 555 White chalky limestone at 560 Gray porous limestone with casts of gastropods at 600 White chalky limestone at 610 White compact f ossiliferous limestone at 650 "Peninsular'' limestone, coral, Foraminifera, and bryozoans in abundance at 665 White chalky limestone at 670 White limestone made up largely of the tests of Foraminifera, some of which are an inch or more in diameter, at 675 White chalky limestone at 680 Dark-gray fossiliferous limestone at 685 Fossiliferous limestone, Basilosaurus horizon, at 691 Information has been obtained concerning two other deep wells at Way cross. One of them, owned by the Way cross Gas & Construction Co., is 647 feet deep and supplies water which rises to within 55 or 60 feet of the surface and is pumped at the rate of 500 gallons a minute. The other well, owned by the Hebard Cypress Co., at its lumber mill just outside the city limits, is 613 feet deep and contains water which stands within 57 feet of the surface. Beach (population 358, census of 1910). — A deep well at Beach, owned by McMillan & Co., is 850 feet deep. The water, which rises to within 75 feet of the surface, is the principal domestic supply and is also used for making steam at a sawmill. It is clear, colorless, odorless, and wholesome. Table 88.- — Wells in Ware County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Beach (500 feet east of the post office). Way cross (Plant Ave. and Mary St.). do McMillan & Co T.H.Calhoun.... S.W.McCallieaand H. H. Pafford. do 1904 1893 1895 Feet. ? City B.D.Finn do 138 3 do 138 4 Waycross Gas & Construction Co. H. H. Pafford S Waycross(near north- west city limits). do a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 181-183, 1908. 440 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 88. — Wells in Ware County — Continued. Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal w aliT- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 2 Feet. 850 700 700 647 613 Inches. 6 8 6 6 6 Feet. 850 670-700 670-700 Feet. 350 / 300 \ 400 / 300 \ 400 Feet. 75 | 58 \ 58 58 57 Galte. Galls. 50 900 900 500 Air-lift pump do See analysis 1, Table 89. See analyses 2 and 3, Table 89. Do. 3 do 4 fi No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 2 3 Domestic, boiler supply. Domestic, indus- trial. do Claiborne group?. . Jackson forma- tion? do Gravel and sand . . Porous limestone. . do Cost of well, $1,700; pump, S500. Out- side casing 6 inches, inside casing 4 inches, both inserted to 850 feet. Diameter at top 12 inches, at bottom 8 inches. Diameter at top 10 inches, at bottom 6 inches. 4 do Limestone do s do... Table 89. — Analyses of underground ivaters from Ware County. [Parts per million.] No. Date of collec- tion. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 1912. Dec, 17 1911. Apr. 8 Well of McMillan & Co. Town wells do Beach Claiborne group ? . . Jackson formation? do Feet. S50 670-700 670-700 Edgar Everhart. ? Wavcross Do. 3 do H. C. White.a a t^ T3 -3 03 . ■3 _o u j> C3 . O ^ Q a A a £0 o s l 1.1 Remarks. m Ph a a SSi ■gco ^Z q a> o O I 03 o to J3 -2 5 d o a o o T3 o go B 1 £ 3 c3 03 O A m 1-H O & m Ph O 5 m A o > H 1 44 3.0 33 16 2 5 0.0 193 27 0.0 12 249 Well 1, Table 88. 2 3 45 9.9 .2 1.0 40 54 18 .6 24 2.8 0.5 .0 78 175 49 10 .0 20 3.6 16 296 177 jWell 2, Table 88. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 183, 1908. UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. 441 WARREN COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Warren County is in the northeastern part of Georgia on the border between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its area is 404 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 11,860. Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. Except for relatively small areas in the southeastern and southern parts of Warren County, which are in the Coastal Plain, the county lies in the Piedmont Plateau region. The Coastal Plain areas are on the northern border of the physiographic division called the fall-line hills. The southern part of the county is drained by the headwater streams of Ogeechee River, Rocky Comfort Creek, a tributary of Ogeechee River, and Brier Creek, a tributary of Savannah River. The dissection produced by these streams has rendered the surface hilly, the maximum topographic relief being probably between 250 and 350 feet. GEOLOGY. Crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Plateau outcrop at the surface over the greater part of the county. However, in relatively small areas in the south and east coarse arkosic sands and light massive clays of Lower Cretaceous age outcrop above crystalline basement rocks which extend southward beneath them. The maximum thick- ness of the Lower Cretaceous deposits probably does not exceed 100 feet. Small patches of strata referable to the Claiborne group of the Eocene cap the ridges in very small areas in the extreme southeast. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) Although in texture and composition the Lower Cretaceous strata are good water bearers, they are too thin and too much dissected to be important as a source of water supply except for domestic pur- poses. WATER RESOURCES. Dug wells 25 to 100 feet deep and small springs furnish domestic supplies in the small Lower Cretaceous areas. Wells exceeding 100 feet in depth pass through the Lower Cretaceous deposits and enter the underlying crystalline rocks. The Lower Cretaceous sands are favorable in composition and texture to the storage of water, but on account of their high elevation and easy drainage they furnish only moderate supplies. However, the contained waters are soft and of good quality. 442 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN" OF GEORGIA. WASHINGTON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Washington County is in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 669 square miles and its population is 28,174 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The northern part of the county is for the most part hilly and broken, with rather level interstream areas. Oconee River, which forms a part of the western boundary, has cut its valley about 250 feet lower than the plain on which Tennille and Sandersville are located. The southern part of the county is undulating and much less broken than the northern. The known elevations above sea level at railroad stations are Davisboro, 302 feet; Sunhill, 362 feet; Ten- nille, 477 feet; Oconee, 228 feet; and Oconee River bridge, 221 feet. The hills in the extreme northwest reach 500 feet above sea level. (See atlas sheet of Milledgeville quadrangle, U. S. Geological Survey.) GEOLOGY. Ancient crystalline rocks outcrop in the valley of Oconee River, Baldwin County, within a few miles of the northwestern boundary of Washington County, and in the valley of Ogeechee River, in the extreme northern part of Washington County. They slope south- eastward beneath overlying sediments of the Coastal Plain and in the extreme southeastern part of the county probably lie 1,000 to 1,200 feet beneath the surface. The crystalline rocks are overlain by 500 or 600 feet of irregularly bedded coarse sands with interbedded lenses of white clay of Lower Cretaceous age, which in turn are unconformably overlain through- out the greater part of the county by strata of Eocene age. Oconee River and Buffalo Creek in the west and Ogeechee River in the northeast have cut through the Eocene strata, bringing the Lower Cretaceous deposits to the surface along the sides and bottoms of their valleys. The Eocene deposits, which probably reach a maximum thickness of 300 or 350 feet, have been referred to two divisions named in ascending order the Claiborne group and the Jackson formation. The Claiborne group, which is composed of 250 or 300 feet of red ferruginous sands and clays in the nature of fuller's earth and marls or impure limestones, outcrops throughout the greater part of the county north of the Central of Georgia Railway and in a few small areas south of that railway. The Jackson formation consists of limestones or the residual products of limestones, and appears at the surface in only a small area in the southwest. WASHINGTON COUNTY. 443 Overlapping the Jackson formation and the Claiborne group in the southern part of the county and forming the surface materials are 75 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays of undeter- mined but probably of late Oligocene age. Pleistocene terrace deposits appear in narrow areas bordering Oconee River on the west. The beds of porous sand which largely compose the Lower Creta- ceous deposits carry large quantities of water, and sands carrying moderate amounts of water are present in the Claiborne group of the Eocene. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Shallow dug and driven wells 25 to 100 feet deep are the chief sources of domestic water supply in the county. In the north such wells, if located on the lowlands bordering the streams, tap water- bearing beds in the Lower Cretaceous deposits and yield soft waters. Those on the hills tap water-bearing beds in the Claiborne group. In the central part of the county shallow wells draw from the Claiborne group, and in the south from the late Oligocene ? sands. Deep wells have been drilled at Sandersville, Tennille, Davisboro, and Oconee. Small springs are numerous throughout the greater part of the county and furnish part of the domestic water supply. Large springs issue from limestones or marls of the Claiborne group near Sandersville, Tennille, Davisboro, and Sunhill. The Lower Cretaceous deposits are present beneath practically the entire county, except in the valley of Oconee River and its tribu- taries on the west and in the valley of Ogeechee River in the north. They are concealed at the surface by overlapping Eocene beds which reach a thickness in the extreme southeast of perhaps 350 feet. As the Lower Cretaceous deposits are composed predominantly of sands, many beds of which are coarse and porous, they should contain numerous water-bearing beds, which should be reached in the north- west at 100 to 300 feet and in the southeast at a maximum of 1,000 to 1,100 feet. A flowing well has been obtained at Oconee, and flows can probably be had in the valleys of Oconee River and Buffalo Creek for several miles above Oconee and in the Oconee Valley below Oconee. A flowing well has also been obtained at Davisboro and flows can probably be obtained in the valley of Williamsons Swamp Greek from Davisboro downstream to the county line. The Claiborne group contains beds of sand which are water bearing and which should be reached at depths not exceeding 300 or 400 feet. 444 UNDEBGBOUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Sandersville (population 2,641, census of 1910). — McCallie 1 has published information concerning deep wells at Sandersville, the county seat. The following log of the first city well (No. 3, Table 90) was prepared by McCallie from samples furnished by C. E. Worthen: Log of first city tvell, Sandersville (No. 3, Table 90). Feet. White and dark clays with pyrite at 35 White sandy limestone at 85 Gray limestone with fragments of shells at 103 Dark clay at 160 Yellow coarse sand at 215 White kaolin at 270 Fine white sand at 285 Dark pyritif erous sand at 335 White kaolin at 370 Rather coarse brownish sand at 387 White sand at 426 Fine white sand at 436 The materials at 35, 85, 103, and 160 feet probably belong to the Claiborne group of the Eocene. The strata below the dark clay at 160 feet are probably of Lower Cretaceous age. If this interpretation is correct the water-bearing beds at 325 and 425 feet are in the Lower Cretaceous deposits and those at 120 and 185 feet are in the Claiborne group. Mayor A. W. Evans has furnished the following information con- cerning the municipal water plant at Sandersville: The plant is under municipal ownership. The supply is derived from artesian wells (Nos. 3 and 4, Table 90). Air-lift pumps having a combined capacity of 200 gallons per minute raise the water to a reservoir with a capacity of 125,000 gallons, from which it is pumped to a tank with a capacity of 75,000 gallons. There are 6 miles of distributing mains. The standpipe pressure is 50 pounds and the direct pressure from the pumps 70 pounds. There are 200 taps for domestic purposes, 5 taps for manufacturing purposes, and 51 fire hydrants. Sixty-six thousand gallons are used daily. An analysis of the water is given in Table 91 (analysis 4). McCallie says further: "The two private deep wells of Sanders- ville, one owned by Mr. Lewis Cohen, and the other by Dr. C. G. Rawlins, each has about the same depth as the deeper city well, and penetrates similar strata." The well owned by Mr. Cohen is 400 feet or more deep. The water is probably derived from a bed in the upper part of the Lower Cretaceous deposits. An analysis is given in Table 91 (analysis 5). i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 185-187, 190S. WASHINGTON COUNTY. 445 Tennille (population 1,622, census of 1910). — Information concern- ing the development of artesian supplies at Tennille is given by McCallie. 1 In the report just cited * McCallie has published the following log of the first city well (No. 5, Table 90), which he obtained from the notes of the well contractor : Log of first city well at Tennille (No. 5, Table 90). Thick- ness. Depth. Sandy clay White clay Yellow sandy clay White sand Yellowish limestone in the form of bowlders Gray sand White sand White sandstone containing shells Bluish marl ■. Yellow clay Brownish sand containing sharks' teeth and fragments of oyster shells Blue marl Quicksand Blue marl White clay Blue clay Blue and gray sands Blue clay Quicksand , White clay and sand Coarse white sand White "sticky" clay Red clay White clay Clay and sand, except at 820 feet, where sandstone occurs Feet. 38 14 28 11 5 7 27 10 45 9 16 50 10 30 10 40 10 44 32 4 30 30 30 20 440 Feet. 38 52 80 91 96 103 130 140 185 194 210 260 270 300 310 350 360 404 436 440 470 500 530 550 The upper 250 or 300 feet of strata is referred tentatively to the Claiborne group of the Eocene and the remainder to the Lower Cre- taceous. An analysis of the water is given in Table 91 (analysis 6). McCallie mentions a second city well, which is known to be about 300 feet deep and which probably penetrated water-bearing sands in the upper part of the Lower Cretaceous deposits. Oconee. — A flowing artesian well has been drilled at Oconee. J.W. Barksdale, the postmaster, furnishes the following information: The well was drilled by the town in 1908 on a slope about 75 yards northeast of the post office, 10 feet above the Central of Georgia Railway tracks and 231 feet above sea level. It is 140 feet deep and has 4-inch casing to 40 feet and 3-inch casing to 120 feet. The water comes from a bed of sand and gravel at the bottom of the well and will rise 10 feet above the surface; it now flows several gallons per minute 4 feet above the surface. Sand caving from the walls of the well below the end of the casing is slowly filling the boring and caus- ing a gradual decrease in the flow. The water has a slight odor of hydrogen sulphide but is used for general domestic purposes. The cost of the well was $220. i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 187-188, 1908. 446 TJNDERGROTJISrD WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN" OP GEORGIA. The Oconee well penetrates Lower Cretaceous strata only, and the water comes from a bed of sand and gravel. An analysis is given in Table 91 (analysis 3). Chalker. — At Chalker and vicinity there are many wells 50 feet or more, and some 100 feet in depth. All tap water-bearing beds in Lower Cretaceous deposits. Davisboro (population 589, census of 1910). — McCalHVhas described a flowing well (No. 1, Table 90) 325 feet deep, owned by the town of Davisboro, which yields 5 gallons per minute. The following is a log of the well: Log of town well at Davisboro (No. 1, Table 90). Thick- ness. Depth. Sand Brownish clay with white pebbles Coarse white "sand Dark greenish marl Shell rock with sharks' teeth Water-bearing sands with fragments of shells which continue to quicksand at the bottom of the well Feet. 20 20 20 20 Feet. The water-bearing bed is probably in the Claiborne group of the Eocene. An analysis is given in Table 91 (analysis 1). Mineral Spring. — According to T. Julian Orr, of Davisboro, Mineral Spring, 4 miles west of Davisboro, owned by W. J. Henderson, pos- sesses therapeutic properties. A mineral analysis of the water is given in Table 91 (analysis 2). Table 90. — Wells in Washington County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 S.W-. McCallie.2... James W. Barks- dale. S. W.McCaUie^.. do 1882 1908 1900 1904 1892 Feet. ?, ..do J. B. Carter 231 3 do 4 ....do ....do 5 do do 477 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 188, 189, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 185-189. WASHINGTON COUNTY. Table 90. — Wells in Washington County — Continued. 447 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 325 140 436 195 990 Inches. 2 3 4* 6 4 Feet. 88-325 120-140 425 Feet. 70-120 70, 120 185,325 Feet. + 3 + 10 -134 Galls. 5 Galls. Flows See analysis 1, Table 91. See analysis 3, Table 91. Soft; see analysis 4, Table 91. Hard. ? do ? 120 150 4 s 380-426 - 90 See analysis 6, Table 91. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 ? do Lower Cretaceous. do Sand and gravel... White sand 4-inch casing to 40 feet, 3-inch casing to 120 feet; caving of sand is decreasing flow. 3 4 12 inches in diameter at top, 4 inches at bottom. Not used ; another well owned by city is said to be 300± feet deep. See log, p. 445. 5 Lower Cretaceous. Sand Table 91. — Analyses of underground waters from Washington County. No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 Well owned by the town. Mineral spring of W. J. Hen- derson. Town flowing well. First town well. Well of L. D. Cohen. Town well Davisboro Davisboro, 4 miles west of. Claiborne group. do Feet. 88-325 Edgar Everhart. a ?, Apr., 1909 Apr. 24,1911 Do. 3 Lower Cretace- ous sand and gravel. Lower Cretace- ous. do do 120-140 70-325? 400± 380-426 Do. 4 Sandersville do Tennille 5 6 Apr. 24,1911 do Do. Do. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 185-189, 1908. 448 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 91. — Analyses of underground waters from Washington County — Continued. [Parts per million.] CO a> a » _CJ T3 6 55 6 CO 03 u s b o "5" o a" 3 '3 a .3 a a O CO a 3 i o Fh •3 03 ©O IS a o 1 •a 03 Is 3 ■a oj^. -d ®co 03^ 3 CO o •a . 03 'n 03 3 CD .3 o 3 o 03 fcJC °c fig ••3 s _03 "o O . "a o Eh Remarks. 1 13 a4.0 59 1.8 14 3.7 105 7.2 5.6 213 A trace of the phosphate rad- icle (P0 4 ). Well 1, Table 90. F v ee carbon d ioxide (C O2) = 5. 2 17 o.C 56 .9 1.6 .6 .0 173 1.4 3.0 166 3 16 1.0 29 3.0 1 4 .0 110 8.0 Tr. 3.5 134 Well 2, Table 90. 4 27 alO 75 2.7 9.6 1.9 125 4.2 6.8 264 Total depth of well 436 feet. A trace of the phosphate radicle (P0 4 ). Well 3, Table 90. 5 38 .2 60 6.0 8 .0 234 5.0 0.2 3.5 234 6 19 1.0 4.0 2.0 6. .0 12 Tr. .5 12 65 Well 5, Table 90. a Fe 2 3 +Al 2 03. WAYNE COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Wayne County is in the southeastern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Jesup, the county seat, is at the intersection of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Southern Railway, 57 miles southwest of Savannah and 39 miles northwest of Brunswick. The area of the county is 764 square miles and the population is 13,069 (census of 1910). TOPOGRAPHY. The county presents two well-marked topographic divisions. The greater part of the area southeast of Jesup and the Waycross line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad is a poorly drained pine and saw- palmetto flat or plain lying 60 to 100 feet above sea level and con- taining many small swamps and cypress ponds. It forms part of the Okefenokee plain, and its soil, vegetation, and topographic aspect are characteristic of that physiographic division. The northwestern part of the county lies 100 to 175 feet above sea level, is slightly undulating, and is more completely drained. Its topographic aspect approaches that of the Altamaha upland or long-leaf pine region. Altamaha River, which marks the northeastern boundary of the county, has its source in the Piedmont Plateau of Georgia and is a so- called muddy-water stream. On the Wayne County side it is bordered by high, steep bluffs. The smaller streams of the county are sluggish and are confined by low sandy banks or are spread out through swamps ; their waters are black or coffee-colored from their high con- tent of organic matter. WAYNE COUNTY. 449 GEOLOGY. From a few miles southeast of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to the northern part of the county undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleisto- cene deposits, consisting of 100 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays, in part water bearing, form the surface materials and weather to loose gray sands. The remainder of the county is covered by sands and clays of Pleistocene age, probably not exceed- ing 50 feet in thickness. The undifferentiated and the known Pleisto- cene deposits are the source of the waters obtained in shallow wells. The undifferentiated sands, clays, limestones, and marls of Tertiary age, which underlie the surficial deposits, probably include, in descend- ing order, representatives of the Pliocene, Miocene, Oligocene, and Eocene. (See logs of wells at Jesup, Mount Pleasant, and Doctortown pp. 450-453.) Strata belonging to the Miocene and to the Alum Bluff formation have been recognized in the bluffs of Altamaha River at and above Doctortown. It is believed that the Tertiary deposits are underlain by a considerable thickness of sediments of Cretaceous age, and that at some unknown depth, perhaps 3,000 feet or more, the Cretaceous deposits rest upon a basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Tertiary deposits and probably also the Cretaceous deposits contain important water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug and driven wells 10 to 30 feet deep tap water-bearing beds in the surficial deposits and are the chief sources of domestic water supply throughout the county. The waters obtained are soft, and where the wells are properly curbed to prevent contamination from surface sources are of satisfactory quality for domestic use; some of them, however, are rather strongly ferruginous. The driven well consists of a small iron pipe with a strainer point driven down to water-bearing sand and a small suction pump attached above the ground. This type of well is inexpensive and is practicable through- out the county, for water-bearing sands and gravels lie at small depths and no hard rocks are present. Such wells are preferable to open dug wells, because they afford less opportunity for pollution from surface sources. Artesian wells have been drilled at Jesup, Doctortown, and Mount Pleasant. Most of the few small seepage springs are in low swampy places, and many of them yield waters having an astringent taste or a strong 38418°— wsp 341—15 29 450 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. taste of iron. Streams and ponds furnish water for stock and for boiler supply. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. The Tertiary limestones at 300 to 1,200 feet or more will yield large quantities of water. It is probable that flowing wells can be obtained in the southeastern part of the county and in the valleys of the Altamaha, Satilla, and Little Satilla rivers wherever the elevation above sea level does not exceed 65 feet. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Jesup (population 1,415, census of 1910). — The town of Jesup has recently drilled a well 675 feet deep to obtain a municipal water supply. Water which rises to within 30 feet of the surface was obtained between 600 and 670 feet; the yield by pumping is 1,000 gallons per minute. (See well 3, Table 92 ; and analysis 1, Table 93.) The following log has been furnished by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., of Charleston, S. C: Log of town well at Jesup (No. 3, Table 92). [Authority, C. C. Roberts, driller in charge.] Thick- ness. Depth. Black soil White sand Red clay Red sandy clay Gray marl Coarse light sand Gray marl White sand Blue marl Gray gravel Hard gray sandstone Blue marl Hard gray layer of shells Coarse gray sand Hard gray layer of shells Blue marl Hard gray sandstone Gray sandy marl Hard sandstone Coarse gray sand Hard shell rock White sand Hard gray sandstone Blue marl Gray sandstone, water bearing in lower 30 feet Gray sandy marl, water bearing Hard gray sandstone, water bearing Feet. 1 5 12 37 20 50 10 15 15 19 21 15 35 10 25 5 25 20 45 10 70 10 60 15 80 8 37 Feet. 18 55 75 125 135 150 165 184 205 220 255 265 290 295 320 340 385 395 465 475 535 550 630 638 675 WAYNE COUNTY. 451 The following log of a well, drilled in 1890 and owned by the town but not now in use, has been given by Spencer : * Log of town well at Jesup (No. 2, Table 92). Thick- ness. Depth. Sana Quicksand Yellow clay soil with layers of quicksand Quicksand Limestone Quicksand Limestone Clay with sand Soft spongy rock Blue marl Quicksand; water rose within 33 feet of the surface Feet. 10 4 12 26 3 10 ■ 13 155 4 253 (?) Feet. 10 14 26 52 55 65 78 233 237 490 (?) The limestone at 55 feet probably corresponds to the Miocene marl exposed in the bluffs of Altamaha River near Doctortown. Mount Pleasant. — Mount Pleasant is a village of 100 inhabitants in the southeastern part of the county at an elevation of 59 feet above sea level. A well owned by L. R. Akin is 729 5 feet deep and flows 10 feet above the surface. The water is used for domestic and boiler-supply purposes. (See well 4, Table 92, and analysis 2, Table 93.) Another well (No. 5, Table 92) owned by the Southern States Pine Products Co., one-half mile southwest of Mount Pleasant, was drilled in 1906 by the Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co. (J. R. Connelly, driller in charge). It is 560 feet deep and has 6-inch casing to 210 feet and 4^-inch casing to 345 feet. The main supply comes from 540 to 560 feet, but some water comes from 430 feet. The static head is 19^ feet above the surface and the well flows 150 gallons per minute. Mr. Connelly, who furnished the information just given, has also furnished a set of well samples (U. S. Geol. Survey well 1416) from which the following log has been prepared: 1 Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 75, 1891. 452 UNDEKGKOUND WATEJRS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. Log of well of Southern States Pine Products Co., one-half mile southwest of Mount Pleasant (No. 5, Table 92). Thick- ness. Depth. Fine gray sand Fine gray sand containing fragments of shells Coarse argillaceous sand with small fragments of fossils Missing Fine gray sand with small fragments of fossils Soft gray sand, limestone, or marl, with numerous fragments of Ostrea, Pecten, etc Fine gray, slightly argillaceous sand with small fragments of fossils Gray, coarsely arenaceous clay Gray, slightly argillaceous sand with small fragments of fossils Missing Fine gray, slightly micaceous and calcareous sand Medium-grained clear quartz sand Missing Fine light-gray sand , Coarse clear sand, chiefly quartz; water bearing at 206 feet; water rises to within 10 feet of surface Fine dark-gray argillaceous, slightly calcareous sand Gray medium-grained sand with numerous small fragments of shells Very fine micaceous, slightly argillaceous sand Medium-grained calcareous clear quartz sand with scattered dark grains (phosphate?). . . Missing Gray sandy clay Fine gray micaceous sand and chunks of sandy clay Missing Medium-grained, very calcareous clear quartz sand Gray fine micaceous, argillaceous sand Medium-grained calcareous clear quartz sand with dark grains (phosphate?); water bearing; water rises to 10 feet above the surface and flows at the rate of 30 gallons per minute Fine gray calcareous sand Medium-grained gray calcareous sand (Samples labeled 440 to 470, 470 to 480, and 480 to 500consistof coarse grains of quartz, dark pebbles of phosphate?, and fragments of limestone, and appear to be washings.) White sandy limestone; water bearing in lower 20 feet; waterrises 19£feetabove the sur- face and flows 150 gallons per minute Feet. 20 20 13 2 14 2 25 19 28 4 13 5 3 26 16 75 8 40 6 2 U 28 20 18 4 Feet. 20 40 53 55 69 71 96 115 143 147 160 165 168 194 210 285 293 333 339 341 352 380 400 418 422 430 472 476 560 Doctortown. — Doctortown is in the northeastern part of the county near Altamaha River. The following log of an oil-prospecting well, a mile to the southwest, has been published by McCallie: 1 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 190-192, 1908. WAYNE COUNTY. 453 Log of oil-prospecting well near Doctortown (No. 1, Table 92). [Authority, C. A. Gibson.] Thick- ness. Depth. Sand Sand and yellow clay with some shells Sand and laminated clay Conglomerate and marl; water rises to within 20 feet of the surface . Sand, gravel, and laminated clay Greenish-gray marl and chalky limestone with some pebbles Quicksand and marl Layers of hard rock, marl, and conglomerate Marl with sandstone layers and some limestone Quicksand with layers of conglomerate Soft limestone and sandstone with flint layers 2 feet thick Quicksand Marl and soft limestone Quicksand containing a large supply of water Quicksand Soft limestone Hard limestone with layers of sand Water-bearing limestone (quicksand at 793 feet) Gray limestone and brown sandstone Sandstone Limestone Soft limestone Salt water and sand Hard limestone Limestone in hard and soft layers Limestone with some sand Limestone Limestone with two shell layers Limestone with hard layers Limestone, very hard Limestone and sand Limestone, mostly hard Limestone Hard limestone Soft limestone Hard limestone Soft limestone Gray and brown sands Dark-brown sand Sand mixed with pebbles Light-colored sand Glauconitic sand Feet. 20 35 25 15 40 50 45 25 40 30 28 40 15 7 50 2 44 318 20 45 35 10 16.5 10.5 22 17 14 17 15 13 6 134 18 33 59 18 138 170 84 26 12 139 Feet. 20 55 80 95 135 185 230 255 295 325 353 393 408 415 465 467 511 829 929 939 955.5 1,005 1,019 1,036 1,051 1,064 1,070 1,204 1,222 1,255 1,314 1,332 1,470 1,640 1,724 1,750 1,762 1,901 This well was commenced in July, 1905, and completed the last of May, 1906, at a cost of between $15,000 and $20,000. It is cased with 10-inch pipe to 460 feet, 8|-inch pipe to 540 feet, and 6-inch pipe to a point within a few feet of the bottom. The first hard ledge of rock reported in the well occurs at 480 feet. The sample of borings marked 550 to 725 feet contains numerous fragments of Eocene shells. The material consists largely of limestone, and it continues to 1,490 feet, below which point the following samples were collected: Sample marked 1,470 feet consists of medium fine-grained sand with fragments of corals, shells, and particles of glauconite. Sample marked 1,505 feet, glauconitic sand with sharks' teeth and fragments of shells. Sample marked 1,750 feet, grayish marl made up largely of fragments of corals and shells. Sample marked 1,838 feet, glauconite. The well just described probably penetrates all the Tertiary- deposits and enters the upper part of the Cretaceous, although no fossil evidence to this effect was obtained. 454 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 92. — Wells in Wayne County. No. Location. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. 1 Doctortown (near river). Oil prospecting companv. Town C. A. Gilson S.W.McCallieo... J. W. Spencer 6 Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charleston, S. C., and James Steele, town clerk. 1906 1890 1912 1902 1906 Feet. 74 100 3 Jesup (500 yards northeast of post office). Mount Pleasant... do do Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charles- ton, S.C.; C.C.Rob- erts, driller in charge. Fred Baumgartner, Brunswick. Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., Charles- ton, S. C. 100 4 L. R. Akin Southern States Pine Products Co. 55 ± 5 J. R. Connelly, Varnville, S. C. 59 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. How obtained. No. Flow. Pump. Quality. 1 Feet. 1,901 490+ 675 729.5 560 Inches. 6 Feet. Feet. (SO, 408, toll, 939 Feet. \ Galls. Galls. 9, 1 -33 -30 + 10 3 4 8 3 4* 600-670 1,000 Air-lift pump See analysis 1, Table 93. See analysis 2, Table 93. 5 540-560 206, 430 150 do No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 This is an oil-prospecting well. See log, p. 453. This well is not now in use. See log, p. 451. 10-inch casing to 60 feet, 8-inch casing to 480 feet. Cost of well, 83,500; of pumps, $1,635. See log, p. 450. Bored type. ? Oligocene or Eo- cene. 3 Municipal supply. Domestic and manufacturing. Sandstone and sandy marl. 4 do 5 Oligocene or Eo- cene. Sandy limestone . . 210 feet of 6-inch easing and 345 feet of 4A-inch casing. See log, p. 452. a. Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 190-192, 1908. b Georgia Geol. Survey First Rept. Progress, p. 75, 1891. WEBSTER COUNTY. 455 Table 93. — Analyses of well waters in Wayne County. [Parts per million.] Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium and potassium (Na-|-K) Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) Sulphate radicle (SO4) Nitrate radicle (NO3) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids 40 42 6.0 4.0 19 31 20 24 26 25 .0 .0 177 177 35 70 Trace. Trace. 7.0 18 229 303 1. Well 3, Table 92. Sample collected Dec. 14, 1912; Edgar Everhart, analyst. 2. Well 4, Table 92. Sample collected Dee. 23, 1912; Edgar Everhart, analyst. WEBSTER COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Webster County is in the northwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its northern boundary is 25 to 30 miles south of the fall line. Its area is 302 square miles and its population is 6,151 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The greater part of the county is a dissected upland plain and is hilly and broken except for some small, nearly level interstream areas. The northern upland lies 500 to 600 feet above sea level, but slopes slightly southward to 450 to 550 feet. Some of the streams have cut valleys 150 to 175 feet deep, and their small tributaries have cut precipitous V-shaped gullies or ravines. GEOLOGY. In the extreme northwest the Providence sand member of the Ripley formation (Upper Cretaceous), which appears at the surface, consists of coarse, irregularly bedded water-bearing sands with subordinate light-colored clay lenses and layers. The Providence sand is under- lain by 1,200 to 1,500 feet of sands, clays, and marls, belonging in descending order to the Ripley and Eutaw formations of the Upper Cretaceous, but these do not appear at the surface within the county. They contain water-bearing beds and constitute a possible source of artesian water. The Upper Cretaceous deposits are underlain by several hundred feet of water-bearing sands and clays of Lower Cretaceous age which, at an unknown depth, perhaps 2,000 or 2,500 feet, rest upon a base- ment of ancient crystalline rocks. 456 UNDERGKOUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The Providence sand inclines slightly southeast and is overlain by several hundred feet of sands, clays, marls, and limestones of Eocene age which, although not accurately discriminated within the county, are believed to represent in ascending order the Midway and Wilcox formations and the Claiborne group. (See PI. Ill, p. 52.) The Mid- way formation outcrops over nearly all the northwestern half of the county. The Wilcox formation outcrops in an irregular belt several miles wide, extending in a general northeast-southwest direction, through the southeastern part of the county. The Claiborne group appears in relatively small areas in the south and east. The Eocene formations contain important water-bearing beds. On the narrow divide between Ichawaynochaway and Lochochee creeks, from a few miles northwest of Weston southeastward to the county line, is a thin overlapping sheet of red argillaceous sand con- taining fragments and masses of flint which belong to the Vicksburg formation of the Oligocene. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug or bored wells 30 to 90 feet deep are the chief sources of domestic water supply. Bored wells, when properly cased, yield safer drinking waters than dug wells. One deep well has been drilled at Preston. Small springs are numerous and are used for domestic purposes on many of the farms. Most of the springs issue from noncalcareous sands in the Midway, Wilcox, and Claiborne formations, but a few are bold limestone springs. The best known is Cole Spring, on the south side of Kinchafoonee Creek, 2\ miles southeast of Preston. The streams are clear and comparatively free from organic matter and are used locally for stock and for boiler supply. It is possible to obtain artesian water in the county at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more. The prospects for obtaining flows are poor except perhaps in the lowlands bordering Kinchafoonee Creek in the extreme southeast. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Preston (population 259, census of 1910). — Preston has no public water-supply system, but owns a deep well located on the courthouse grounds, which furnishes a large part of the water for general domestic purposes. According to T. J. James, the driller, the well was com- pleted in 1910, is 249 feet deep, and is 3 inches in diameter. The cost of the well and pumping machinery was $680. The principal water- bearing bed is sand at 499 feet and the water rises within 76 feet of the surface. The well is pumped by means of a gasoline engine and yields 500 gallons per hour. Mr. James has furnished the following log: WILCOX COUNTY. 457 Log of town well at Preston. Thick- ness. Depth. Sand Clay and sand Sand and marl Alternating layers of hard rock 2 inches to 6 feet thick, and marl 1 foot to 15 feet thick; a water-bearing bed of small yield was struck at 240 feet, and sand, the principal water- bearing bed, at the bottom of the well Feet. 10 90 Feet. 10 100 175 499 The well probably taps a water-bearing bed in the Ripley formation. WHEELER COUNTY. Since this report was transmitted for publication a part of Mont- gomery County has been segregated and organized as Wheeler County. This area is described in connection with Montgomery County (pp. 344-348). WILCOX COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Wilcox County is a little northwest of the center of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 403 square miles and its population is 13,486 (census of 19 10) . Agriculture and the production of lumber and naval stores are the chief industries. Cottonseed-oil mills are located at Abbeville and Pitts ; cotton gins and sawmills are distributed through- out the county. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is nearly level to slightly rolling, except in a narrow area in the east bordering Ocmulgee River, where the surface is some- what hilly. From a few determinations of altitude it is estimated that the general upland surface is 300 to 450 feet above sea level. The highest part is the divide running northeast and southwest through the county between Ocmulgee and Alapaha rivers. According to a bench mark established by the United States Army Engineers at the Seaboard Air Line Railway bridge near Abbeville, the elevation of low-water level of Ocmulgee River is 169 feet above sea leveL The river is bordered by two narrow terrace plains, one about 15 feet and the other 50 or 60 feet above low-water level of the river. There are a number of lime sinks and lime-sink ponds in the eastern part of the county. GEOLOGY. The Vicksburg formation (of Oligocene age), which consists of 100 feet or less of limestones with interbedded layers of sand and clay, outcrops in the valley of Ocmulgee River in the extreme northeast. 458 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. The strata dip slightly southward and underlie the remainder of the county beneath younger formations. The Vicksburg formation is overlain by 100 feet or less of limestones belonging to the Chatta- hoochee formation of the Oligocene that outcrops on Ocmulgee River in the vicinity of Abbeville. Both the Vicksburg and Chattahoochee formations contain important water-bearing beds. In the south the Chattahoochee formation is overlain by the Alum Bluff formation (of Oligocene age), which consists of 100 feet or less of bluish sands and clays, in part water bearing. Overlapping the Alum Bluff, Chattahoochee, and Vicksburg forma- tions and constituting the surface terrane throughout the greater part of the county is 75 feet or less of irregularly bedded sands and clays with subordinate lenses of claystone and conglomerate. The age of these deposits is not determined, but they are probably upper Oligocene. The Vicksburg formation is underlain by several hundred feet of undifferentiated deposits of Eocene age, and the Eocene is underlain in turn by 1,000 feet or more of undifferentiated deposits of Creta- ceous age, which rest upon a deeply buried basement of ancient crystalline rocks. The Eocene and Cretaceous strata do not appear at the surface within the county, but they contain important deeply buried water-bearing beds. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Water for domestic use is obtained chiefly from dug wells 10 to 40 feet deep. The shallow-well waters are generally soft and wholesome, and where the wells are properly curbed to prevent contamination from surface sources they are more suitable for boiler supply and laundry purposes than the artesian waters. Artesian wells have been drilled at Abbeville, Pine view, Pitts, and Rochelle. (See Table 94.) A few bold limestone springs in the eastern part of the county afford clear water of good quality for drinking. Poor Robin Spring, near Abbeville, is described on page 460. The water of Abbeville Mineral Spring, near Abbeville, is bottled and sold for drinking purposes. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere in the county at depths of 100 to 1,000 feet or more. Wells 600 feet deep in the valley of Ocmulgee River will probably flow where the elevation does not exceed 50 or 60 feet above low-water level. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Abbeville (population 1,201, census of 1910). — Abbeville owns a public water-supply system which obtains water from an artesian well. Although the water is regarded as hard it is wholesome for drinking. WILCOX COUNTY. 459 About one-half of the domestic water supply of the town is furnished by the city plant and the remainder is obtained from shallow wells. McCallie * gives the following information regarding wells at Abbeville : There are two deep wells at Abbeville, one owned by the town and the other by the Abbeville Cotton Seed Oil Co. The former well, which was completed in 1898 at a cost of $1,600, is 585 feet deep . It varies from 2 to 8 inches in diameter and it furnishes 50 gallons of water per minute. The water rises to within 60 feet of the surface. Several water-bearing strata are reported between 100 feet and the bottom of the well. Cavernous limestone is said to be the main water carrier. The Abbeville Cotton Seed Oil Mill well was put down in 1902 at a cost of $350. It is a 3-inch well, 175 feet deep, and it furnished daily 13,000 gallons of water, used chiefly for boiler purposes. The water rises to within 80 feet of the surface. Water- bearing strata are reported at 105 feet and 175 feet, respectively. McCallie also gives the following log of the last-described well: Log of well of the Abbeville Cotton Seed Oil Mill, Abbeville (No. 2, Table 94). [Authorities, the owners.] Thick- ness. Depth. Sand and clay Sand Hard flinty rock. Feet. 20 40 115 Feet. 20 60 175 Rochelle (population 860, census of 1910). — Rochelle owns an arte- sian well, but has not installed a system for distributing the water. However, the well is equipped with a pump, operated by a gasoline engine, which raises the water to a tank. The following information is given by McCallie : 1 The Rochelle well is 3 inches in diameter and 286 feet deep. The only water- bearing stratum is near the bottom of the well. It furnishes a good supply of water, rising to within 150 feet of the surface. The water is used for general domestic pur- poses. The following log of the town well at Rochelle is given by McCallie: Log of town well, Rochelle (No. 6, Table 94)- [Authority, J. C Conn, Atlanta.] Thick- ness. Depth. Red clay Black sand Hard flinty rock . Feet. 75 75 136 Feet. 75 150 286 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 193, 1908. 460 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Pineview (population 708, census of 1910). — A well owned by the town of Pineview is 210 feet deep and furnishes water for general domestic purposes to about 200 of the inhabitants. Rock is said to have been entered at a depth of 110 feet and the water rises to within 46 feet of the surface. The following log of a well owned by J. S. Bruce at Pineview is given by McCallie : * Log oftoell of J. S. Bruce, Pineview (No. 4, Table 94). [Authority, the owner.] Thick- ness. Depth. Reddish clays Yellowish jointed clays. Soft limestone Water-bearing cavity . . . Feet. 20 100 155 18 Feet. 20 120 275 293 Pitts (population 279, census of 1910). — At Pitts a well owned by the Pitts Oil Mill & Power Co. is 300 feet deep. The water rises to within 80 feet of the surface and is used for boiler supply. Poor Robin Spring. — Poor Robin Spring, a mile north of Abbeville, yields 5,000 gallons per minute, according to the owner, W. L. Du Vail. The water rises under considerable pressure through openings in the bottom of a small limestone basin 15 or 20 feet deep and is remarkably clear. Fragments of flint found near the spring contain coral and other fossils which probably indicate that the limestone belongs to the Chattahoochee formation. Therapeutic properties have been ascribed to the water and the place is a local resort. The following analysis of a sample of the water collected June 1, 1911, was made by Edgar Everhart: Analysis of water from Poor Robin Spring, Abbeville. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 14 Iron (Fe) 4 Calcium (Ca) 54 Magnesium (Mg) 4. Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 3. Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 185 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 1. Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ). 2 Chlorine (CI) 3.5 Total dissolved solids 190 i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 194, 1908. WILKINSON COUNTY. Table 94. — Wells in Wilcox County. 461 No. Location. Owner. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion of mouth above sea level. Abbeville ....do... Pine view. ....do... Pitts Rochelle. City Abbeville Cotton Seed Oil Mill . Town J. S. Bruce Pitts Oil Mill & Power Co Town S. W.McCallieo.. do L.J.Wilson Ownero J. N. McAllister . . J. C. Conn a 1898 1902 1904 Feet. 225 225 1897 No. Depth. Feet. 585 175 210 293 300 286 Diam- eter. Inches. 2 3 4 Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. 175 100 275 Depth to other water- bearing beds 105 Level of water below surface. Feet. 60 Yield per minute. Flow. Galls. Pump. Galls. 50 10 50 How obtained. Deep- well pump... Air-lift pump . Quality. Slightly sulphurous. No. Use. Principal water bed. Remarks. Geologic horizon. Character. 1 Municipal supply . 8 inches in diameter at top and 2 inches at bottom. See log, p. 459. 9, Vicksburg forma- tion. Vicksburg forma- tion? Jackson forma- tion? Vicksburg forma- tion? do 3 Soft rock 4 $300; of pump, $50. See log, p. 460. 5 fi See log, p. 459. a Georgia Geol. Survey Bull 15, pp. 193, 194, 1908. WILKINSON COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Wilkinson County is in the north-central part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 472 square miles and its population (census of 1910) is 10,078. Agriculture is the chief industry. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is included within the physiographic division called the fall-line hills. The surface, which was originally an upland plain, has been greatly dissected by Oconee River and its numerous tribu- 462 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. taries and is now very hilly. The maximum surface relief is prob- ably between 300 and 400 feet. Two Pleistocene terrace plains, not everywhere well denned, have been formed along the sides of Oconee River valley, one lying 10 to 20 feet and the other 30 to 40 feet above low-water level of the river. GEOLOGY. Crystalline basement rocks outcrop in the bed of Oconee. River in the northern part of the county and extend southward beneath deposits of the Coastal Plain, their upper sloping surface probably lying at depths of 600 to 800 feet in the extreme south. The crys- talline rocks are overlain by 500 or 600 feet of irregularly bedded coarse sands with commercially important interbedded lenses of white clay and kaolin, all of Lower Cretaceous age. The Lower Cre- taceous sands and clays are unconformably overlain throughout the greater part of the county by Eocene strata. Porters and Commis- sioners creeks and Oconee River have cut through the Eocene deposits, bringing the Lower Cretaceous strata to the surface along the sides and bottoms of their valleys. The Eocene deposits, which on the divides between the streams probably reach a maximum thickness of 150 or 200 feet, have been referred to two divisions — the Claiborne group and the Jackson formation. The Claiborne group is composed chiefly of sands and clays, and the Jackson formation consists of limestones or residual products of limestones. (See PI. III.) Pleistocene terrace deposits have been laid down in small areas along the sides of the Oconee River valley. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. The domestic water supply in the county is obtained chiefly from dug wells 25 to 100 feet or more in depth and from small springs. The well waters are derived from beds of porous sand in the Lower Cretaceous deposits or in the Claiborne group of the Eocene. The waters of both wells and springs are commonly of good quality for domestic and industrial purposes. The numerous creeks and branches afford abundant water for stock and for steam production. The whole county is underlain by Lower Cretaceous deposits con- taining numerous beds of porous sand carrying large supplies of arte- sian water. The Lower Cretaceous beds appear at the surface in the valleys of Big Sandy Creek and Oconee River and their tributaries; but in all the interstream areas they are concealed by overlapping Eocene strata which probably reach a maximum thickness of 150 or 200 feet in the southern part of the county. In the extreme north wells 100 feet deep would probably pass entirely through the Lower WILKINSON COUNTY. 463 Cretaceous deposits and enter the underlying basement rocks. The Lower Cretaceous deposits thicken southward beneath the Eocene deposits, and in the extreme south their water-bearing beds prob- ably lie at depths of 200 to 800 feet. Small flows from Cretaceous water-bearing strata have been obtained on low ground at Irwinton and at Toomsboro, and it is probable that flowing wells can be drilled into the same source at low levels in the valleys of Big Sandy and Commissioners creeks and Oconee River in the southern half of the county. Moderate amounts of potable water may be obtained from beds of porous sand in the Claiborne group of the Eocene, which can be reached at depths of 50 to 200 feet in the south and at less depths in the north. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Detailed information concerning all of the deep wells in the county, except that recently drilled at Toomsboro, has been published by McCallie. 1 The water-bearing strata in these wells are in the Lower Cretaceous deposits. Irwinton (population 249, census of 1910). — McCallie described wells at Irwinton as follows : Two attempts have been made at Irwinton to obtain artesian water. The first of these wells, located on low ground, was put down to a depth of 300 feet, at which point a water-bearing stratum yielding a small flow was struck. This well continued to flow for a time, but it finally became filled with sand and was abandoned. The water is said to have had a rather offensive odor and an unpleasant taste, due, probably, to the presence of hydrogen sulphide and iron oxide. Another well, located on high ground, was extended to the depth of 600 feet, but the water did not rise higher than to within 50 feet of the surface. Toomsboro (population 404, census of 1910). — Mayor S. J. Nixon has furnished the following information regarding a public well drilled at Toomsboro in 1912: The well is 315 feet deep and was drilled by S. C. Attaway of Hawkinsville at a cost of $600. Its diameter is 2 inches, and 2-inch casing extends to a depth of 210 feet. Beds of water-bearing sand were encountered at depths of 185, 285, and 315 feet. The water flows 2 gallons per minute 2 feet above the surface, but will rise to 3 feet above it. It is used chiefly for drinking. As the casing extends to only 210 feet the water is doubtless a mixture from the beds at 285 and 315 feet. The age of the strata penetrated by the well is Lower Cretaceous. A sample collected December 16, 1912, was analyzed by Edgar Everhart as follows : i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 194, 1908. 464 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Analysis of water from a flowing town well at Toomsboro. Parts per million. Silica (Si0 2 ) 16 Iron and aluminum (Fe+Al) 4.0 Calcium (Ca) 18 Magnesium (Mg) 2. 4 Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 8. Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) .0 Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 54 Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 13 Nitrate radicle (N0 3 ) Trace. Chlorine (CI) 5. Total dissolved solids 94 McCallie describes other wells at this place as follows: The Toomsboro well was put down in 1882 at a cost of $320. It is 1£ inches in diameter and 320 feet deep; it furnishes a flow rising 3 feet above the surface. When the well was first completed it flowed 8 gallons per minute, but the flow gradually- decreased until it finally ceased about four years after the well was completed. During last spring a second deep well was put down at Toomsboro, but no record of this well was secured. Gordon. — One deep well has been reported from Gordon. McCallie says: A 2-inch well, 365 feet deep, with water rising to within 19 feet of the surface, is reported at Gordon. About 20 feet of soft limestone, together with sands and clays, are said to have been penetrated in this well. The only water-bearing stratum re- ported is near the bottom of the well. WORTH COUNTY. GENERAL FEATURES. Worth County is in the southwestern part of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Its area is 651 square miles and its population is 19,147 (census of 1910). Agriculture is the chief industry, but the pro- duction of lumber and naval stores, though declining, is still carried on to an important extent. There are a few small manufacturing establishments at Sylvester and at Poulan. TOPOGRAPHY. The county is for the most part undulating or rolling, but some of the interstream areas are nearly level. The topography, soil, and native vegetation of the upland portion are characteristic of the physiographic division known as the Altamaha upland or long-leaf pine or wire-grass region. In the area drained by Abrams, Jones, and Swift creeks the surface is nearly level and is underlain by the limestones of the Chattahoochee and Vicksburg formations; here lime sinks are common. Flint River, which forms the northwestern boundary of the county, is bordered by two Pleistocene terrace plains, WORTH COUNTY. 465 one lying about 20 feet and the other about 60 feet above low-water level of the river. With the exception of Flint River the streams are all small. The known altitudes above sea level are Sumner, 350 feet; Poulan, 312 feet; Sylvester, 370 (?) feet; and Willingkam, 299 feet. In the extreme northeastern part of the county, near the Tift and Turner county lines, the elevation of the higher land is believed to be approxi- mately 400 feet. GEOLOGY. Strata of Oligocene age underlie the entire county. They have not been accurately differentiated, but it is believed that they repre- sent in ascending order the Vicksburg, Chattahoochee, and Alum Bluff formations. The Vicksburg formation, which consists of 200 feet or more of cavernous water-bearing limestones in interbedded soft and compact layers, outcrops in the banks and bluffs of Flint River and appears as residual sands and clays over a belt several miles wide in the extreme northwest. The Chattahoochee formation is similar in its lithologic characters to the Vicksburg formation but probably does not exceed 100 feet in thickness. It comes to the surface in a narrow belt running northeast and southwest in the northwestern part of the county, where it is represented chiefly by residual sands and clays. The Alum Bluff formation, which consists of 150 to 200 feet of bluish sandy clays, sands, and sandstones, outcrops in a narrow belt lying southeast of the outcrop of the Chattahoochee formation. It contains water-bearing beds. The Alum Bluff formation is overlain by 100 feet or less of irregu- larly bedded coarse ferruginous sands and bluish sandy clays, per- haps of late Oligocene age. These beds form the surface materials throughout the remainder of the county and are the source of waters obtained in shallow wells. Pleistocene terrace deposits have been laid down in narrow areas bordering Flint River. Deeply buried beneath the Vicksburg formation are undifferen- tiated deposits of Eocene age, probably representing in descending order the Jackson formation and the Claiborne group and perhaps also the Wilcox and Midway formations. They contain water-bear- ing beds. The Eocene deposits are underlain in turn by deposits of Cretaceous age, the aggregate thickness of which is believed to be between 1,500 and 2,000 feet. These deposits also contain water- bearing beds. The Cretaceous deposits rest upon a deeply buried basement of ancient crystalline rocks. 38418°— wse 341—15 30 466 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. WATER RESOURCES. DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER. Dug wells 20 to 50 feet deep are the chief source of water for domestic use. With the exception of those located in the north- western part of the county they yield soft waters. Deep wells have been drilled at Sylvester, Oakfield, Doles, Poulan, and Warwick. Artesian water can be obtained anywhere at depths of 100 to 1,500 feet or more. Waters from the Oligocene limestones are apt to be hard. Flowing wells may be had on the terrace plains bordering Flint River in the northwest. The source of the waters of such wells lies at depths of 500 to 1,000 feet or more and would be in the basal Eocene beds or the underlying Cretaceous deposits. LOCAL SUPPLIES. Sylvester (population 1,447, census of 1910). — Sylvester owns a water-supply system which obtains water from a well 720 feet deep, completed in 1908. The water rises to within 115 feet of the surface, and the maximum yield by pumping is estimated to be 750 gallons per minute, an amount more than sufficient to meet the present needs of the city. The elevation of the mouth of the well is about 3 feet lower than the level of the track at the station of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, where the altitude above sea level is 370 feet. It is estimated that the stratum penetrated at the bottom of this well (720 feet) corresponds approximately to the stratum penetrated at 550 feet in the wells at Albany. At Sylvester, therefore, it would be necessary to drill to a depth of 850 or 900 feet in order to reach the water-bearing stratum tapped at a depth of 680 feet in well No. 1 at Albany. The water from the 680-foot stratum at Albany is only slightly hard and is in other respects well suited for a municipal supply. Several other wells owned by individuals at and near Sylvester range in depth from 100 to 250 feet and tap water-bearing cavities in limestones of the Chattahoochee formation. (See analyses 2 to 5, Table 96.) Poulan (population 652, census of 1910). — At Poulan the chief sources of water for domestic use are shallow dug wells. There are three deep wells in the town. A well owned by the Poulan Cotton Mills was originally 198 feet deep, but was deepened in 1908 to 409 feet, at which depth it probably reached the Vicksburg formation. (See analysis 1, Table 96.) McCallie l gives the following additional information concerning wells at Poulan : i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 196, 197, 1908. WORTH COUNTY. 467 The first attempt to secure water at Poulan by deep borings was made by Mr. J. C. McPhaul in 1890. Mr. McPhaul made two or three efforts to obtain a flowing well at Poulan, but each time he was unsuccessful. At the time of the writer's visit, in 1897, Mr. McPhaul furnished the following notes on his well, then in use: The well is from 6 to 8 inches in diameter and 315 feet deep. Water rises to within 75 feet of the surface. The main water-bearing stratum is reported as occurring at a point between 85 and 95 feet from the surface, but it is cased off. The static head of the water in the well is said to be lowered as much as 75 feet during a long-continued drought. The water is used chiefly for steam purposes, 75,000 gallons being used daily. Mr. McPhaul has furnished the following record: [Log of well of J. C. McPhaul at Poulan (No. 5, Table 95).] Feet. Red clay to 15 Yellow clay to .' 20 White clay to 35 Hard rock at 75 The last extends to the bottom of the well. Another deep well at Poulan, on which Mr. [W. W.] Burnham has furnished data, is the Jordan & Simerly well, located at a sawmill half a mile west of the post office. This well, completed in June, 1904, at a cost of $330, is 6 inches in diameter and 220 feet deep. Water-bearing strata are reported at 90 and 210 feet. Water rises to within 82 feet of the surface, or from 5 to 10 feet above the railroad track at the station. Sand and clay are reported in the well to 120 feet, limestone at 145 feet, and quicksand at 220 feet. The water is used only for boiler purposes. Warwick (population 226, census of 1910). — A well owned by C. P. Homes 1 at Warwick is 497 feet deep and yields a large supply of sul- phurous water. At a depth of 22 feet the drill entered a water-filled cavity 8 feet thick. The rocks penetrated in the well were chiefly limestone. Boles. — A well owned by J. M. Chapman at Doles 2 is 257 feet deep and 3 inches in diameter and yields an abundance of water, which rises to within 12 feet of the surface. The following is a partial log: Partial log of well owned by J. M. Chapman at Doles (No. 1, Table 95). Thick- ness. Depth. Clay Blue marl Limestone Coarse pebbles Limestone with shells Blue marl or clay Limestone containing corals and shells . Flint Not reported Feet. 15 81 12 15 20 50 16 Feet. 15 96 108 123 143 193 209 ? 257 OaJcfield (population 276, census of 1910). — Several wells at Oak- field range in depth from 185 to 365 feet. Some of them flow, the maximum static head reported being 7 feet above the surface. A i Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, p. 197, 1908. 2 Idem, pp. 195, 196. 468 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. well owned by the town, completed in 1901, is 185 feet deep and con- tains water that rises to within 8 feet of the surface. Table 95. — Wells in Worth County. Owner. Driller. Authority. Date com- pleted. Ap- proxi- mate eleva- tion above sea level. Doles Oakfield do Poulan do , Poulan (J mile west of). Sylvester , Warwick J. M. Chapman. Feet. Town Poulan Cotton Mills. J. C. McPhaul Jordan & Simerly . . . Town C. P. Romes. J. C. Cock M. A. Jerrard. W. J. Hall, mayor. do P.M. Kimble S. W. McCallieft.. do W. W. Tison S. W. McCallie ft. 1901 1908 1890 1904 1908 355 312 367 Depth. Diam- eter. Depth to prin- cipal water- bearing bed. Depth to other water- bearing beds. Level of water above or below surface. Yield per minute. Flow. Pump. How obtained. Quality. Feet. 257 365 185 409 315 220 720 497 Inches. 3 Feet. 185 140-360 130-170 210-220 80, 160 S5-95 90 Feet. - 12 + 7 - 8 - 85 - 75 - 82 -115 Galls. Galls. 60 12 100 100+ Plows Deep well pump . Air-lift pump Air-lift pump. Soft. See analysis 1, Table 96. Hard; see analyses 2 and 3, Table 96. Sulphurous. Use. Principal water bed. Geologic horizon. Character. Remarks. Domestic. .do. .do. Domestic and manufacturing. Boiler supply Vicksburg forma- tion. Eocene Vicksburg forma- tion ? Tertiary Gravel. See log, p. 467. 3-inch casing to 60 feet. Cost of well, $300; of pump, $20. Cost of well, $750; of machinery, $275. .do Domestic and man- ufacturing. Chattahoochee for- tion? Alum Bluff for- mation ? Eocene or Creta- ceous. Eocene Hard rock.. Sand Limestone . See log, p. 467. Cost of well, $3c 8 inches in diameter at top and 2 inches at bottom. a Elevation about 20 feet above low-water level of Flint River. 6 Georgia Geol. Survey Bull. 15, pp. 196, 197, 1908. WORTH COUNTY. 469 Table 96. — Analyses of underground waters from Worth County. [Parts per million.) No. Date of collection. Source. Location. Principal water- bearing stratum. Depth. Analyst. 1 May 24,1911 Apr. 3, 1911 Oct. ,1908 Aug. , 1908 do Well of Poulan Cotton Mills. Town well do Poulan Sylvester do Feet. 140-360 720 720 2*00± 100 Edgar Everhart. Do. Do. 2 3 Eocene or Creta- ceous. do 4 do Chattahoochee for- mation? do Do. fi Well of Joseph McGrill? do Do. O s "a? < s 3 a "a 3 '3' o a a I 3 g I 3 C3 0 "SB o 03 T3 c3"~^ 03^ 5 .a o . SI Remarks. d _o a o o 03 •o o ,Q S3 O ft o 3 o 'A 02 *— t -< O y 02 P4 o w CO & O H 1 22 0.4 52 10 8 Tr. 224 6.0 0.4 5.0 213 Well 4, Table 95. 2 15 .4 54 7.0 6.0 0.0 195 2.0 .2 7.0 Well 7, Table 95. 3 15 .4 0.5 54 7.2 4.5 3.0 195 2.3 7.0 191 Free carbon dioxide (CO a ), 2. Phosphate radicle (POO, trace. Well 7, Table 95. 4 21 .1 .2 51 7.3 12 2.5 198 .7 7.0 204 5 26 .4 .5 54 7.2 24 7.0 .0 209 2.0 .0 35 261 Free carbon dioxide (C0 2 ), 4. Phosphate radicle (P0 4 ), 1.6. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. By R. B. Dole. STANDARDS FOR CLASSIFICATION. MINERAL CONSTITUENTS OF WATER. All natural waters contain dissolved or suspended materials derived from substances with which they have come into contact. They take up such materials in amounts determined principally by the chemical composition and physical structure of the substances, by the temper- ature, pressure, and duration of their contact, and by the condition of substances that they have previously incorporated. To designate such suspended and dissolved materials "impurities" is scarcely cor- rect, because they have been introduced normally, in strict accordance with natural conditions and not necessarily by human agency. It has become customary, however, to call them impurities if their presence is detrimental to some proposed use of a water supply. For purposes of examination the substances that may be present in natural waters are classified as suspended matter, such as particles of clay or leaves; dissolved matter, either of mineral or organic origin; microscopic animals or plants; and bacteria. The presence of very small animals and plants likely to affect the quality of waters is determined by microscopic examination, and the chance of con- tracting disease by drinking the water is ascertained by bacteriologic processes. In the present study consideration is given chiefly to the suspended and dissolved mineral matter. The amount and nature of this are most commonly determined by estimating the total suspended matter, total dissolved matter, total hardness, total alkalinity, silica, iron, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonates, bicarbonates, sulphates, nitrates, chlorides, free carbonic acid, and free hydrogen sulphide, these being the materials most commonly present and most likely to affect the value of the waters. Estimates of all of them are not necessary, however, in computing the economic value of a supply for a particular purpose, as will be shown in a dis- cussion of the various practical uses of water. 470 CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 471 USES OF WATER. In judging the value of a water from its analysis it is necessary to consider the supply both in relation to its intended use and to other available supplies. Besides its general domestic use, water is essential in steam making, paper making, starch manufacture, and many other industrial processes. Many waters are valued for the sup- posed medicinal properties of their dissolved minerals. Much water is used for irrigation, both in the West and to some degree in the South, in the latter especially in rice growing. For each of these purposes the relative amounts of certain ingredients in a water deter- mine its value and assist in its classification. For example, consider- able iron in a water may be harmful in one industrial process and harmless in another. The value of a water for another purpose may be directly measurable by its suspended matter, its dissolved matter not being significant. Furthermore, many waters that are con- sidered of great medicinal value are unfit for boiler use. To catalogue waters as good or bad, hard or soft, pure or impure, is indefinite and may be misleading, unless the arithmetical values of such terms are rigidly defined. And even when the descriptive words in a classification are rigidly defined and carefully applied, it is highly advisable to know the intended use of a water and the composition of other available supplies before pronouncing final judgment as to its suitability. WATER FOR BOILER USE. FORMATION OF SCALE. The most common trouble in boilers is the formation of scale or deposition of mineral matter within the boiler shell. When water is heated under pressure and concentrated by evaporation, as in a boiler, certain substances are thrown out of solution and solidify on the flues and crown sheets or within the tubes. These deposits in- crease fuel consumption because they are poor conductors of heat, and increase the cost of boiler repairs and attendance because they have to be removed. If the amount of scale is great or if it is allowed to accumulate, the boiler capacity is decreased and disastrous explo- sions are likely to take place. The incrustation (scale) consists of the substances that are insoluble in the feed water or become so within the boiler under conditions of ordinary operation. It includes practically all the suspended matter or mud ; the silica, probably precipitated as the oxide (Si0 2 ) ; the iron and aluminum, appearing in the scale as oxides or hydrated oxides; the calcium, precipitated principally as carbonate and sul- phate; and the magnesium, found chiefly as oxide but also partly as carbonate. Scale is therefore a mixture which varies in amount, 472 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN" OF GEORGIA. density, hardness, and composition with the quality of the water supply, the steam pressure, the type of boiler, and other conditions of use. Calcium and magnesium are the principal basic substances in the scale, over 90 per cent of which usually is calcium, magnesium, carbonate, and sulphate. If much organic matter is present part of it is precipitated with the mineral scale, as the organic matter is decomposed by heat or by reaction with other substances. If mag- nesium and sulphate are comparatively low, or if suspended matter is comparatively high, the scale is soft and bulky and may be in the form of sludge that can be blown or washed from the boiler. On the other hand, a clear water relatively high in magnesium and sulphate may produce a hard compact scale that is nearly as dense as porcelain, clings to the tubes, and offers great resistance to the transmission of heat. Therefore the value of a water for boiler use depends not only on the quantity but also on the physical structure of the scale pro- duced by it. CORROSION. Corrosion or "pitting" is caused chiefly by the solvent action of acids on the iron of the boiler. Free acids capable of dissolving iron occur in some natural waters, especially in the drainage from coal mines, which usually contains free sulphuric acid, and also in some factory wastes draining into streams. Many ground waters contain free hydrogen sulphide, a gas that readily attacks boilers, and some contain dissolved oxygen and free carbon dioxide, which are also cor- rosive. Organic matter is probably a source of acids, for waters high in organic matter and low in calcium and magnesium are corrosive, though the nature and the action of the organic bodies are not well understood. The chief corrosives are acids freed in the boiler by the deposition of hydrates of iron, aluminum, and magnesium, the last named being the most important as it is the most abundant. The acid radicles that were in equilibrium with these bases may pass into equilibrium with other bases, displacing equivalent quantities of car- bonates and bicarbonates; they may decompose carbonates that have been precipitated as scale; they may combine with the iron of the boiler, thus causing corrosion ; or they may do all three, their action depending on the chemical composition of the water. Even with the most complete analysis this action can be predicted only as a probability. If the acid thus freed exceeds the amount required to decompose the carbonates and bicarbonates, it attacks the iron of the boiler and produces pits or tuberculations of the interior surface, leaks, particularly around rivets, and general deterioration. CHEMICAL CHAEACTER OP WATERS 473 FOAMING. Foaming is the formation of masses of bubbles on the surface of the water in the boiler and in the steam space above the water, and it is intimately connected with priming, which is the passage from the boiler of water mixed with steam. Foaming results when any- thing prevents the free escape of steam from the water. It is usually ascribed to an excess of dissolved matter that increases the surface tension of the liquid and thereby reduces the readiness with winch the steam bubbles break. As sodium and potassium remain dis- solved in the boiler water, while the greater portion of the other bases is precipitated, the foaming tendency is commonly measured by the degree of concentration of the alkaline salts in solution, because this figure, in connection with the type of boiler, determines to a great extent the length of time that a boiler may run without danger of foaming. It is a fact that the worst foaming waters in railroad practice are encountered in the arid and semiarid regions of the Southwest, where the quantity of dissolved alkali is greatest. However, it is well known that suspended matter can cause foaming, for certain surface waters that deposit a moderate amount of scale but do not foam when clear foam badly when they carry a great quantity of mud. Greth * states that foaming is due to condition of boiler, design of boiler, size and shape of water space, steam pipe, irregu- larity in blowing off, introduction of oil into the feed water from the exhaust steam, neglect to change water periodically, irregularity of load, or improper firing and feeding. He concludes that it is not merely the presence of sodium salts in solution that causes foaming, but the presence of other substances which together with the sodium salts and operating conditions brings about foaming. A strong solu- tion of sodium carbonate might not induce excessive foaming in water otherwise pure, but its introduction into a boiler which under operating conditions invariably contains suspended matter or pre- cipitated sludge might produce foaming by increasing the suspended matter either by precipitating calcium and magnesium or by loosen- ing previously deposited scale. Under working conditions it is diffi- cult to distinguish the actual cause of the trouble. Experience has shown that the type of boiler, steam pressure, and other .operating conditions may greatly accelerate or retard foaming. REMEDIES FOR BOILER TROUBLES. The best way of remedying unsatisfactory boiler supplies is to treat them before they enter the boiler, but where this is imprac- ticable trouble can be minimized in various ways. Low-pressure i Greth, J. C. W., Water softening and purification for coal-mine operations: Paper read before the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute, Bluefield, W. Va., June 7, 1910. 474 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. large-flue boilers are used in many stationary plants with hard waters, and it is said that the scale formed in them is softer and more flocculent and can therefore be more readily removed than that formed in high-pressure boilers. Blowing off is about the only practical means of preventing foaming, because this trouble is due principally to concentration of substances in the residual water of the boilers. Accumulated sludge, or soft scale, is removed by blow- ing, particularly in locomotive practice. In condensing systems much of the trouble due to mineral matter in the feed water is obvi- ated because the quantity of raw water supplied is proportionately small. Yet the problem is not completely solved in such systems, because the incrusting or corrosive action is transferred from the boiler to the condenser, which requires more or less cleaning and repairing in proportion to the undesirable qualities of the water supply. BOILER COMPOUNDS. Boiler compounds are widely used in regions where hard waters abound, but treatment within the boiler should be given only when it is impossible to purify the supply beforehand, or when the supply is relatively pure and requires only minor correction. If previous purification is not practicable, some feed waters can be improved by judicious addition of chemicals. Many substances, ranging from flour, oatmeal, and sliced potatoes to barium and chromium salts, have been recommended for such use, but only a few have proved to be really efficient. These substances have been classified 1 ac- cording to their action within the boiler. Those that attack chem- ically the scaling and corroding constituents precipitate incrusting matter and neutralize acids. Soda ash, the commercial form of sodium carbonate, containing about 95 per cent Na 2 C0 3 , is the most valuable substance of this character, because it is cheap and its use is attended with the least objectionable results. Tannin and tannin compounds are also used for the same purpose. The addi- tion of limewater to the feed to prevent corrosion and to obviate foaming has been recommended, 2 and it is probable that it would improve waters high in organic matter and very low in incrustants. Such practice increases the incrustants in proportion to lime added but prevents corrosion. Soda ash neutralizes free acids, precipitates the incrusting ingredients as a softer, more flocculent material, which is more easily removed from the boiler and increases the foam- ing tendency of the water by increasing its content of dissolved matter. The proper amount to be used depends on the chemical composition of the water and the style of the boiler. 1 Cary, A. A., The use of boiler compounds: Am. Machinist, vol. 22, pt. 2, p. 1153, 1899. 2 Palmer, Chase, Quality of the underground waters in the Blue Grass region of Kentucky: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 233, p. 187, 1909. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 475 The second class of boiler compounds comprises those that act mechanically on the precipitated crystals of scale-making matter soon after they are formed, surrounding them and robbing them of their cement-like action. Glutinous, starchy, and oily substances belong to this class, but they are not now used to any considerable extent because they thicken and foul the water more than they prevent the formation of hard scale. The third class comprises compounds that act mechanically, like those of the second class, and also partly dissolve deposited scale, thus loosening it and aiding in its ready removal. Of these, kero- sene is very effective, but graphite is believed to be still better. Many boiler compounds possessing or supposed to possess one or more of the functions just described are on the market and are widely sold. Some are effective and some are positively injurious. Most of them depend for their chief action on soda ash, petroleum, or a vegetable extract, but all are costly compared with lime and soda ash. Boiler compounds can not reduce the amount of scale and may increase it. Their only legitimate functions are to prevent corrosion and deposition of hard scale and to remove accumulations of scale that have become attached to the boiler. Every engineer should bear in mind that steam boilers are costly and that fuel and boiler repairs are expensive, and should hesitate to add sub- stances to his feed water without competent advice as to their effect. It is far more economical to have the water supply analyzed and to treat it effectively by well-known chemicals in proper proportion, either within or without the boiler, than to experiment with com- pounds of unknown composition. NUMERICAL STANDARDS. The value of natural waters for boiler use depends primarily on their corroding and foaming tendencies and on the amount and character of scale likely to be deposited by them. This value, how- ever, should always be considered in connection with local standards, for no matter how low a water may be in undesirable constituents it can not be classed as good if it is poorer in quality than the average water of the region in which it occurs. On the other hand, if the best available supply is poor the economy of purifying it, even at large expense, is obvious. Along the Atlantic coast, where waters containing less than 100 parts per million of incrusting ingredients are extremely common, a supply carrying 200 parts of such substances would not be considered fair for boiler use. Throughout most of the Mississippi Valley, however, such a supply would be considered good, because in that region natural waters not exceeding 100 parts in scale- forming constituents are rare. Because of this variance in local conditions, numerical standards should be interpreted relatively and 476 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. not literally. At the same time any classification by nominal ratings must be applied absolutely if the terms are to have comparative significance outside the region where the waters exist. Stabler's excellent mathematical discussion of the quality of waters with reference to industrial uses 1 contains several formulas by which the effect of waters may be computed, and his formulas, quoted here in slightly altered form, have been used in classifying tne waters discussed in the present report. The terms involving iron, alumi- num, and free acids have been omitted because these substances are too scarce in most Georgia waters to call for consideration in such approximate ratings; and the terms involving sodium and potas- sium have been united for simplicity. (1) s =Sm+Cni-f-2.95 Ca+1.66 Mg. (2) h=Si0 2 +1.66 Mg+1.92 Cl+1.42 S0 4 -2.95 Na. (3) f=2.7Na. (4) c=0.0821 Mg-0.0333 CO 3 -0.0164 HC0 3 . These equations express numerically some of the relations that have been discussed hi the preceding sections on scale, corrosion, and foaming. Sm, Cm, Si0 2 , Ca, Mg, Na, CI, S0 4 , C0 3 , and HC0 3 repre- sent the amounts in parts per million, respectively, of suspended matter, colloidal matter (oxides of silicon, iron, and aluminum), silica, calcium, magnesium, alkalies, chlorine, sulphate, carbonate, and bicarbonate. It is uncertain in some waters whether iron and aluminum are in solution or in colloidal state, but in applying these formulas to Georgia ground waters little error is introduced by as- suming that they are colloidal. The first formula gives the amount of scale-forming ingredients (s) that would probably be formed from the water under ordinary con- ditions of boiler operation. If it is desired to compute the scale- forming ingredients of waters whose analyses in this report give no values for silica, iron, or aluminum, Cm may be taken as 20 without introducing great error. In clear waters suspended matter (Sm) would of course be zero; and consequently for most Georgia ground waters the amount of scale may be estimated practically from the figures representing silica, calcium, and magnesium. Suspended matter can not, however, be disregarded in estimating the scale- forming ingredients of unsettled surface waters, for it frequently is greater than the dissolved matter. The second formula gives the amount of the hard scale forming h mgredients (h). The ratio - expresses the relative hardness of the scale. If — is greater than 0.5 the scale may properly be called hard; if it is less than 0.25 the scale may properly be called soft. i Eng. News, vol. 60, p. 355, 1908; U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 274, p. 165, 1911. CHEMICAL CHAEACTER OF WATERS. 477 The third formula gives the amount of the foaming ingredients (f) as estimated from the probable content of alkali salts. The fourth formula has been used to calculate the corrosive tend- ency of the water (c). As can be readily seen from the coefficients, it expresses the relation between the reacting values of magnesium and the radicles involving carbonic acid (p. 472). If c is positive, the skater is corrosive. If c + 0.0499Ca (the reacting value of calcium) is negative, the mineral constituents will not cause corrosion; but whether organic matter or electrolysis will cause it is uncertain. If c + 0.0499Ca is positive, corrosion is uncertain. After these three attributes of boiler feed have been computed rating the water is largely a matter of judgment based on experience. The committee on water service of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association has offered two classifications by which waters in their raw state may be approximately rated; but, as the report states, "it is difficult to define by analysis sharply the line between good and bad water for steam-making purposes. 7 ' Table 97 gives these classifications with the amounts transformed to parts per million. Table 97. -Ratings of waters for boiler use according to proportions of incrusting and corroding constituents and according to foaming constituents. Incrusting and corrod- ing con stituents (parts per million). Classifica- tion.o Foaming constituents (parts per million). Classifica- tion. b More than— Not more than— More than— Not more than— 90 200 430 680 Good. Fair. Poor. Bad. 150 250 400 Good. Fair. Bad. Very bad. 90 200 430 150 250 400 a Proc. Am. Ry. Eng. and Maintenance of Way Assoc, vol. 5, p. 595, 1904. b Idem, vol. 9, p. 134, 1908. The classification by incrusting and corroding constituents has been applied to the computations of scale-forming ingredients (s) in the analytical tables accompanying this report. (See Tables 107-118, pp. 509-527.) The quantity of foaming ingredients (f) should always be considered in conjunction with the probable amount of scale or sludge that would be formed, the hardness of thescale, and the tendency toward corrosion. Those who are thoroughly familiar with local conditions in Georgia and with the chemistry of water will doubtless prefer to disregard the descriptive terms of the classification and draw their own conclusions regarding the quality of the waters from the figures representing scale, foaming constituents, and probability of corrosion. The classifications are given principally for the aid of those not thor- oughly familiar with such matters and rather to indicate the limits of usefulness than to define rigidly the value of the waters. 478 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Waters of poor quality can be improved by treatment in softening plants. How bad a water may be used without treatment depends on the cost of artificially softening the water and the relative saving effected by the use of the softened water. A report 1 of the commit- tee on water service of the American Railway Engineering and Main- tenance of Way Association sets forth the factors involved. The benefits include the saving in boiler cleaning, repairs, and fuel, the decrease in the time during which the boilers must be withdrawn from service for cleaning and repairs, the decrease in the depreciation of the boilers, and the value of the materials removed by softening. The cost of softening includes the cost of labor and power for the softening apparatus, the cost of softening chemicals, the interest on the cost of installation, depreciation in the value of the softening plant, and the waste in changing boiler feed due to increased foaming tendency. In locomotive service it is, in general, economical to treat waters containing 250 to 850 parts per million of incrustants and to treat those containing less than 250 parts if the scale formed contains much sulphate. 2 As the incrusting solids may commonly be reduced to 80 or 90 parts per million, the economy of treating boiler waters de- serves consideration in a region where many supplies contain 300 to 500 parts per million of incrusting matter. The amount of mineral matter that makes a water unfit for boiler use depends on the combined effect in boilers of the softening reagents used with such waters and of the constituents not removed by soften- ing. Sodium salts added to remove incrustants or to prevent corro- sion increase the foaming tendency, and this increase may be great enough to render a water useless for steaming. It is not of much benefit to soften water containing more than 850 parts per million of nonincrusting material and much incrusting sulphate. 2 Trouble from priming in locomotive boilers begins at a concentration of about 1,700 parts per million of foaming constituents, and the limit of safety for stationary boilers is reached at a concentration of about 7,000 parts. Though waters containing as high as 1,700 parts per million of foaming constituents have been used, it is usually more economical to incur considerable expense in replacing such supplies by better ones. WATER FOR MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL USES. GENERAL REQUISITES. Many articles are affected by the ingredients of the water used in their manufacture and can be improved by its purification. If by the same process the boiler efficiency of the factory can be increased the 1 Proc. Am. Ry. Eng. and Maintenance of Way Assoc, vol. 8, p. 601, 1907. 2 Idem, vol. 6, p. 610, 1905. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 479 expense is often justified when it would not be warranted merely by the increased value of the product. This observation applies par- ticularly to paper, pulp, and strawboard mills, laundries, and other establishments where large quantities of water are evaporated to furnish steam for drying, and to ice factories and similar plants where distilled water is required. Besides its use for steam making water plays a specific part in many manufacturing processes. In paper mills, strawboard mills, bleacheries, dye works, canning factories, pickle factories, creameries, slaughterhouses, packing houses, nitroglycerin factories, distilleries, breweries, woolen mills, starch works, sugar works, canneries, glue factories, soap factories, and chemical works water becomes a part of the product or is essential to its manufacture. In most of these estab- lishments the water is used principally as a cleansing agent or as a vehicle for other substances, and therefore a supply that is free from color, odor, suspended matter, microscopic organisms, and especially from bacteria of fecal origin, and fairly low in dissolved substances, especially iron, is generally satisfactory. But water that is also hy- gienically acceptable is necessary where it comes into contact with or forms part of food materials, as in the making of beverages, sugar, and dairy or meat products. As ideal waters for any use are rare, the manufacturer must ascertain what degree of freedom from substances is necessary to prevent injury to his machinery or to his output and whether the cost of obtaining such purity is counterbalanced by decreased cost of production and increased value of product. Com- petitive business methods and increased facilities of transportation have standardized the values of manufactured articles so thoroughly that makers are now obliged to scrutinize every item of production cost in order to obtain reasonable profits. Any appreciable saving effected by improvement of the water supply is one of the easiest sources of profit for the manufacturer. EFFECTS OF DISSOLVED AND SUSPENDED MATERIALS. The effects in some industries of the substances most commonly found in water are outlined in the following pages, the object being to offer approximate standards for classification. FREE ACIDS. Free mineral acids, such as the sulphuric acid in drainage from coal mines or the hydrochloric acid in the effluents of some industrial establishments, are especially injurious and nearly always have to be neutralized before the waters containing them can be used indus- trially. In paper mills, cotton mills, bleacheries, and dye works waters containing a measurable amount of free mineral acid decom- 480 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. pose chemicals, streak and rot fabrics, and corrode and rapidly destroy metal screens, strainers, and pipes. SUSPENDED MATTER. Suspended matter in surface waters may be of vegetable, mineral, or animal origin, as it consists of particles of sewage, bits of leaves, sticks, and sawdust, and sand and clay. The fine silt so common in rivers of the South is largely derived from clay. Few well waters contain suspended animal or vegetable matter, but many carry finely divided sand and clay, and many become turbid by precipitation of dissolved ingredients. Suspended matter is objectionable in all processes in which water is used for washing or comes into contact with food materials, because it is likely to stain or spot the product. Suspended matter due to precipitated iron is especially injurious even in small amount. Suspended vegetable or animal matter liable to decomposition or to partial solution is much more objectionable, even in small amounts (10 to 20 parts per million), than equal quan- tities of mineral matter. For these reasons water should be freed from suspended matter before being used for laundering, bleaching, wool scouring, paper making, dyeing, starch making, sugar making, brew- ing, distilling, and similar processes. In making the coarser grades of paper, such as strawboard, a small amount of suspended matter is not especially injurious, but for the finer white and colored varieties clear water is essential. COLOR. Color in water is due principally to solution of vegetable matter. Materials bleached, washed, or dyed light shades in colored water are likely to become tinged. Highly colored waters can be used in making wrapping or dark-tinted papers but not in making the white grades, and paper manufacturers are put to great expense for water purification on that account. The lower waters are in color, therefore, the more desirable they are for use in bleacheries, dye works, paper mills, and other factories where brown tints in the products are undesirable. IRON. Iron is the most undesirable dissolved constituent, and its presence in comparatively small quantities necessitates purification. Many ground waters in Georgia contain 1 to 20 parts per million of iron, which may be precipitated by exposure to the air and by release of hydrostatic pressure, causing the waters to become turbid; and many such waters develop rusty-looking gelatinous growths that may interfere in industrial operations. In all cleansing processes, espe- cially if soap or alkali is used, precipitated iron is likely to cause rusty or dull spots. In contact With, materials containing tannin CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 481 compounds iron forms greenish or black substances that discolor the product. Therefore many waters containing amounts even as small as 1 or 2 parts per million of iron have to be purified before they can be used industrially. In water for dye works iron is especially objectionable and commonly prevents the use of the water Without purification. 1 Iron in the water supply of paper mills may be pre- cipitated on the pulp, giving a brown color, or during sizing or tinting, giving spotty effects. Water containing much iron can not be used in bleaching fabrics, because salts that spot the goods are formed. The dark-colored compounds that iron forms with tannin discolor hides in tanning and barley in malting, and give beer a bad color, odor, and taste. 2 CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM. Calcium and magnesium are similar in their industrial effects. In water their amounts bear a more or less definite relation to each other, most waters carrying 10 to 50 per cent as much magnesium as calcium. Both are precipitated on whatever is boiled in water containing them, forming a deposit that may interfere with later op- erations. They also decompose equivalent amounts of many chem- icals employed in technical operations, causing waste and forming alkaline-earth compounds that interfere with the later treatment of fabrics. These troubles are the strongest incentives to preliminary softening. Some of the chemicals used to disintegrate the fibers in making pulp are consumed by the calcium and magnesium in the water supply, though the loss from this source is not nearly so great as that which occurs later when the resin soap used in sizing the paper is decomposed by the calcium and magnesium. The insoluble soaps thus created do not fix themselves on the fibers, but form clots and streaks. Similar decomposition of valuable cleansing materials and subsequent deposition of insoluble compounds take place in launder- ing, wool scouring, and similar processes. In the manufacture of soap calcium and magnesium form with the fatty acids curdy pre- cipitates that are insoluble in water and therefore have no cleansing value. They interfere with many dyeing operations, neutralizing chemicals and changing the reactions of the baths, besides forming insoluble compounds with many dyes. Highly calcareous waters can not be used for boiling the grain in distilleries because they hinder proper action by causing the deposition of alkaline-earth salts on the particles of grain, nor for diluting spirits because they cause turbidity. 3 Very soft water, on the other hand, is said to be unde- sirable in paper mills for loading papers with any form of calcium 1 Sadtler, S. P., A handbook of industrial organic chemistry, Philadelphia, p. 4S3, 1900, =De la Coux, M. A. J., L'eau dans l'industrie, Paris, pp. 187, 232, 1900. 3 Idem, p. 251. 38418"— wsp 341—15—31 482 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. sulphate, because such waters dissolve part of the loading materials. 1 Probably waters high in chlorides would also be bad for this purpose, because chlorides increase the solubility of calcium sulphate. CARBONATES. The effects of carbonates and bicarbonates in waters used in industrial processes are not differentiated in this paragraph. It is not unusual to estimate the combined carbonic acid and to state it as the carbonate without distinguishing between carbonates and bicarbonates, though in most natural waters of Georgia the carbonate radicle is absent and the combined carbonic acid is in the form of bicarbonates. If hard waters proportionately high in carbonates and low in sulphates are boiled, the bicarbonate radicle is decom- posed, free carbonic acid is given off, and the greater part of the cal- cium and magnesium is precipitated. Consequently waters of that character are generally more desirable for industrial operations than waters high in sulphates and low in carbonates, whose hardening constituents are not greatly reduced by boiling. In beer making waters high in carbonates are said to produce dark-colored beers with a pronounced malt flavor because the carbonates increase the solubility of the nitrogenous bodies, whereas waters high in sulphates yield pale beers with a definite hop flavor because the sulphates reduce the solubility of the malt and the coloring matters. 2 SULPHATES. The influence of sulphates in beer making has been noted. Hard waters with sulphates predominating are desirable in tanning heavy hides because they swell the skins, exposing more surface for the action of the tan liquors. 3 Sulphates, however, interfere with crystal- lization in sugar making by increasing the amount of sugar retained in the mother liquor. CHLORIDES. High chlorides are usually accompanied by high alkalies in Georgia waters. Appreciable amounts of chlorides are injurious in many industrial processes. Beverages and food products, of course, can not be treated with waters very high in chlorides without becoming salty. In tanning, chlorides cause the hides to become thin and flabby. 3 Animal charcoal used in clarifying sugar is robbed of its bleaching power by absorption of salt, and the quality of sugars is affected by chloride-bearing waters because saline salts are incorpo- 1 Cross, C F., and Bevan, E. J., A textbook of paper making, New York, p. 294, 1900. 2 Brewing water, its defects and remedies, American Burtonizing Co., New York, p. 19, 1909. Also De la Coux, op. cit., p. 169. 3 Parker, H. N., and others, The Potomac River basin: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 192, p. 194, 1907. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OP WATERS. 483 rated in the crystals. 1 In the preparation of alcoholic beverages chlorides in large amount prevent the growth of the yeast and inter- fere with the germination of the grain. The only commercially de- veloped way of removing chlorides from water is distillation. As the cost of this process has been greatly reduced by the use of multiple- effect evaporators, it is worth considering where chloride-bearing waters must be used. ORGANIC MATTER. Organic matter of fecal origin is of course dangerous in any water that comes into contact with food products, and water so polluted should be purified before being used. Care in this respect is particu- larly necessary in creameries, slaughterhouses, canneries, pickle fac- tories, distilleries, breweries, and sugar factories. Organic matter not necessarily capable of producing disease is further undesirable in industrial supplies because it induces decomposition in other organic materials like cloth, yarn, sugar, starch, meat, or paper, rotting and discoloring them, and because it causes slime spots on fabrics by supporting algas growths. HYDROGEN SULPHIDE. Hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S), a gas with an odor like that of rotten eggs, occurs dissolved in some underground waters and gives them what is known as a "sulphurous" taste and odor. It is corrosive even in small quantities, and it also injures materials by discoloring and rotting them. MISCELLANEOUS SUBSTANCES. Silica and aluminum are usually not present in sufficient quantity appreciably to affect any industrial processes except those in which water is evaporated. Large quantities of sodium and potassium, by adding to the amount of dissolved matter, are objectionable in some manufacturing operations. Phosphates, nitrates, and some other substances not noted in this outline interfere with industrial chemical reactions, but they are present in few natural waters in sufficient quantity to have noticeable effect. WATER FOR DOMESTIC USE. PHYSICAL QUALITIES. Entirely acceptable domestic supplies are free from suspended matter, color, odor, and taste and are fairly cool when they reach the consumer. The more nearly waters fulfill these conditions the more satisfactory they are for general use. Suspended mineral matter clogs pipes, valves, and faucets, and growths of microscopic plants J DelaCoux, M. A. J.,op. cit., p. 152. 484 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. suspended in water frequently cause odors and stains. The outlets of some artesian wells are surrounded by growths of microscopic organisms, which form tufts or layers in pipes and well casings and sometimes clog them. Detached particles escape through faucets, giving the water an unsightly appearance and staining clothes washed in it. So far as known such growths in tanks and mains do not cause disease, but they often impart unpleasant odors that make the water objectionable. True color is usually due to dissolved vegetable matter, and causes serious objection only when it exceeds 20 to 30 parts per million. In general, Georgia well waters are satisfactory in respect to sus- pended mineral matter and color. Finely divided material from quicksands enters some driven wells, but such trouble is not so serious as it is in other parts of the country. A few waters, especially those containing iron, develop a turbidity of 10 to 30 parts per million on exposure to the air by precipitating dissolved matter, and such con- dition gives rise to apparent though not to real color. The odor most commonly noticed in the ground waters of Georgia is that of hydrogen sulphide. BACTERIOLOGIC QUALITIES. Before a water is used for domestic purposes there should be reason- able certainty that it is free from disease-bearing organisms and that it can be guarded against all chances of infection. The disease germs most commonly carried by water are those of typhoid fever. The bacilli enter the supply from some spot infected by the discharges of a person sick with this disease, and though comparatively short lived in water they persist and retain their power of infection in fecal deposits for remarkable lengths of time. Consequently, water from lakes and streams draining from pollution centers or from irrigated fields should not be used for drinking without purification. Wells should be so located as to be guarded against the entrance of filth of any kind, either over the top or by infiltration. Pumps and piping in the system should also be protected. Water from a carefully cased well more than 20 or 30 feet deep is acceptable if the well is located at a reasonable distance from privies, cesspools, and other sources of pollution. Many open dug wells and pits constructed as reservoirs around the tops of casings are exposed to fecal contamination from above or through cracks in poorly built side walls. Care should be taken that the casings of deep wells do not become leaky near the surface of the ground so as to allow pollution to enter. As a matter of ordinary precaution the ground should be kept clean and water should not be allowed to become foul or stagnant near any well, no matter how deep. If shallow dug wells are necessary, they should be constructed with water-tight walls extending as far as practicable CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 485 into the well and also a short distance above ground. The floor or curbing should be water-tight, and pumps should be used in preference to buckets for raising the water. Every possible precaution should be taken to prevent feet scrapings and similar dirt from getting into the well. Underground water is not only less likely to become con- taminated when protected from surface washings, air, and light, but it keeps better and is less likely to develop microscopic plants that give it an unpleasant taste. CHEMICAL QUALITIES. The amounts of dissolved substances permissible in a domestic supply depend much on their nature. No more than traces of barium, copper, zinc, or lead should be present, because these sub- stances are poisonous; however, their occurrence in measurable amounts in ordinary waters is so rare that tests for them are not usually made. Any coiistituent present in sufficient amount to be clearly perceptible to the taste is objectionable. Water containing two parts per million of iron is unpalatable to many people and may cause trouble by discoloring washbowls and tubs and by producing rusty stains on clothes. Tea and coffee can not be made satisfactorily with water containing much iron because a black inky compound is formed. Four or five parts of hydrogen sulphide make a water unpleasant to the taste, and this gas is objectionable also because it corrodes well strainers and other metal fittings. The amounts of silica and aluminum ordinarily present in well waters have no special significance in relation to domestic supply. Approximately 250 parts of chlorine make a water "salty," and less than that amount causes corrosion. In regions where the chlorine content runs as low as 5 or 10 parts in normal waters unaf- fected by animal pollution the amount of chlorine is frequently taken as a measure of contamination. But the establishment of isochlors, or lines of equal chlorine, in Georgia would be of little sanitary value, because many of the waters dissolve so much chloride from the sedi- mentary deposits of the Coastal Plain that the small changes caused by animal pollution are not discernible. Calcium and magnesium are the chief causes of what is known as the hardness of water. This undesirable quality is indicated by increased soap consumption and by deposition on kettles of scale composed almost entirely of calcium, magnesium, carbonates, and sulphates. Calcium and magnesium, forming with soap insoluble curdy compounds that have no cleansing value, prevent the formation of a lather until these two basic radicles have been precipitated. Hardness is measured by the soap-consuming capacity of a water expressed as an equivalent of calcium carbonate (CaC0 3 ), and it can be determined by actual testing with a standard solution of soap or 486 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. can be computed from the amounts of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) by means of the following formula: Total hardness as CaC0 3 = 2.5 Ca + 4.1 Mg. Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is used in many regions to "break" or soften hard water in order to save soap. MINERAL MATTER AND POTABILITY. The lower waters are in mineral content the more acceptable they are as sources of domestic supply. The amount of dissolved sub- stances that can be tolerated in drinking water is, however, much greater than that allowable in city supplies, for which hardness, corrosion, pipe clogging, and general utility have to be considered. Though there are certain limits above which the common ingredients are intolerable, these limits are not only difficult to ascertain but are also liable to shift. A normal water is not a pure solution of one salt whose physiologic effect can be measured, but an indeterminate mixture of solutions of several salts whose effects are not easily differentiated. Further, though all animals select for drinking waters that are lowest in solids and avoid those that are highest, the same animals, when transported to districts of poor water, accustom themselves to supplies of far greater mineral content than those they would not touch before. Consequently any general limits that may be assigned to the various mineral ingredients must be regarded as extremely flexible. The degree of mineralization that can be tolerated in alkaline sulphate waters is greater than that allowable in alkaline chloride waters, and is considerably greater than that allowable in alkaline carbonate waters. Strong calcium sulphate waters can not be used for boiling vegetables and are likely to cause diarrhea, as the presence of calcium necessarily implies the presence of magnesium, which in large quantity is laxative. Calcium carbonate waters are extremely common, but it is unusual for them to be so highly mineralized as to cause noticeable physiologic effect. The usual immediate consequence of drinking waters too high in mineral content is diarrhea. Many persons at first afflicted with this trouble become accustomed to the new supply and acquire what maybe termed immunity. Whether other disorders result from the continued drinking of such waters is not known; and it is equally uncertain whether cattle and horses that so commonly are reported to have been killed by drinking mineral water were killed by the purging of the mineral matter or by the excessive consumption of the water itself. Waters exceeding 300 parts per million of carbonate, 1,500 parts of chloride, or 2,000 parts of sulphate are apparently intolerable to CHEMICAL CHARACTER OP WATERS. 48V most people. These limits are fortunately far beyond the points where the substances in solution become clearly perceptible to the ordinary taste. In conclusion it can not be too emphatically stated that information on this subject is fragmentary and uncertain and that any limits of mineral tolerance are modified by individual idiosyncrasy. 1 WATER FOR MEDICINAL USE. The term "mineral" may reasonably be applied to all natural waters, as all contain dissolved mineral matter, but is commonly restricted to natural spring waters irrespective of whether they are highly or slightly mineralized or whether they are deemed good table waters or reputed to have specific therapeutic properties. The term "medicinal" usually is and should be used to distinguish highly mineralized waters that may cause specific physiologic reaction from those that are low in mineral constituents and are especially acceptable as table waters by reason of their attractive physical characteristics and freedom from contamination. Though the literature on mineral waters is voluminous and though many schemes for the classification of waters reputed to have curative properties have been devised, yet comparatively little has been published on the relations between the concentration of the various dissolved substances and their effects within the body. Further, the distinction between waters having therapeutic action by virtue of their content of certain mineral substances and those having possible therapeutic action only as water itself has not been generally recognized. It seems entirely reasonable to conclude that the specific reactions caused by the radicles in natural waters are similar to those caused by the same radicles in simpler artificial solutions, and that the force or strength of such reactions depends on the concentration of the radicles. In other words, the probability of medicinal action due to the dissolved substances in natural waters can be judged by compar- ing the concentration of such substances with equivalent concen- trations of medicinal preparations whose doses have been fixed and whose properties have been investigated. On this basis the author has computed the smallest doses of certain radicles given in common medical practice and their equivalent concentration in 4 kilograms of water, or a little more than a gallon — a generous day's allowance of drinking water. Consistent effort has been made to have the concentrations finally expressed represent a minimum below which therapeutic activity could not logically be attributed to the radicle in question, and every reasonable allowance has been made with that object in view. The strengths thus obtained are proposed as i For further data see Dole, R . B . , The concentration of mineral water in relation to therapeutic activity: U. S. Geol. Survey Mineral Resources, 1911, pt. 2, pp. 1175-1192, 1912. 488 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. standards for differentiation between medicinal and common waters, the assumption being that water which carries less than one medicinal dose of a physiologically active radicle in a day's allowance would not have therapeutic value by virtue of its mineral content. This does not necessarily imply, however, that use of such water may not be beneficial, for the improvement in health following the ingestion of hygienic ally pure water under proper regimen of diet, exercise, and similar factors is thoroughly recognized. On the other hand, sup- plies exceeding the minimum concentrations may not necessarily possess special medicinal value, as every reasonable allowance tend- ing to lower the standards has been made. Table 98. — Minimum medicinal doses of certain radicles and their equivalent concentration in 4 kilograms of water, arranged in order of concentration. Radicle. Average minimum dose. Equivalent concentration. Arsenite ( As0 2 ) Arsenate (AsOi) Fluoride (F) Barium (Ba) Hydroxide (OH) Aluminum ( Al) Iron (Fe) Lithium (Li) Ammonium (NHi) Manganese (Mn) Metaborate (B0 2 ) Pyroborate (B4O7) Iodide (I) Magnesium (Mg) Orthophosphate (PO4). Carbonate (C0 3 ) Sulphite (S0 3 ) Thiosulphate (S 2 3 ).._. Nitrate (N0 3 ) Bromide (Br) Sulphate (S0 4 ) Grams. a 0. 0002 .002 .003 .013 .011 .024 .075 .078 .12 c.035 .12 .2 .23 .281 .315 .300 .5 .53 Milligrams per kilogram. f 0.2 I -3 .5 .7 3 63 6 15 20 30 r 30 [ 30 30 50 50 70 70 70 100 100 150 a Equivalent as arsenic (As). b In acid solution. c Equivalent as boron (B). The smallest dose of sulphates, which are laxative, recommended by various authorities is equivalent to about 0.6 gram S0 4 . This amount evidently should be contained in a quantity of water that might be drunk within a comparatively short period, because other- wise the radicle would not be concentrated enough to cause perceptible reaction. Nevertheless, for consistency this dose has been divided by 4 in the tabulation of concentrations. A water containing 600 milligrams per kilogram of sulphate (S0 4 ) might exercise gentle laxative action. Many waters containing less than 1 milligram per kilogram of lithium are advertised as having specific curative prop- erties by virtue of the presence of that radicle, but the therapeutic value of such a small amount of this ingredient may well be ques- tioned, because a physician would have to prescribe 40 gallons of the water to administer an ordinary minimum dose of hthium. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 489 Study of analyses and other data on mineral waters yields four significant facts: First, many patients have improved in health under mineral-water treatment; second, waters of widely different chemical composition have been recommended as cures for the same disease; third, curative properties are attributed to many waters whose mineral content is the same or is lower than city supplies used daily by thousands of people without peculiar physiologic effect; fourth, treatment at resorts is very often recommended for those afflicted with chronic organic diseases, many of which are obscure in nature or are caused by failure of proper interchange between food and waste in the tissues of the body. These facts lead to the reason- able conclusion that the free use of water itself — hydrogen monoxide, the common ingredient of all these mineral solutions — is the cause of much of the apparent improvement in health, and that this agent is aided by normal regimen of diet and exercise and by other hygienic restrictions, as well as by possible change of climate and freedom from business or household cares. No doubt can be entertained that many mineral waters have dis- tinct physiologic effect because of the inorganic substances dissolved in them, for certain obvious reactions following the ingestion of some waters differ entirely in kind or in degree from the reactions following the drinking of other waters. Some natural solutions are poisonous; some are cathartic; some have less obvious but demon- strable effects. The nature and the magnitude of these reactions are as much dependent on the nature and the concentration of the dis- solved substances as the reactions caused by any medicine. As the administration of water in one or more of many ways and at various temperatures can cause marked reactions, however, it is pertinent to inquire how much of the therapeutic value of natural mineral waters is due to dissolved inorganic matter and how much to water itself. PURIFICATION OF WATER. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS. Purification of water is removal or reduction in amount of the substances that render waters in their raw state unsuitable for use. It is practiced on a large scale with one or more of three objects in view: First, to render the supply safe and unobjectionable for drink- ing; second, to reduce the amount of the mineral ingredients inju- rious to boilers; third, to remove substances injurious to machinery or to industrial products. The largest purifying plants in this coun- try have been constructed almost solely to render the waters pot- able; and some waters when so purified need no further treatment to make them suitable for steaming and for general industrial pur- poses. But many other waters are hard, and increased appreciation 490 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. of the value of good water has resulted in demand for the removal of the hardening constituents also. Removal of bacteria, especially those causing disease, and removal of turbidity, odor, taste, and iron are the principal requirements in purification of a municipal supply, elimination of bacteria and sus- pended matter being the most important. The common methods of effecting such purification are slow filtration through sand and rapid filtration after coagulation, both methods usually being combined with sedimentation. 1 The first process is known as "slow sand" filtration and the second as "mechanical" or "rapid sand" filtration. The efficiency of such filters is measured primarily by the ratio be- tween the number of bacteria in the applied water and the number hi the effluent. This figure, stated in percentage of removal, should be as high as 98, and it often reaches 99.8 per cent under normal conditions with a carefully operated filter of either kind. Removal of scale-forming and neutralization of corrosive ' con- stituents are the chief aims in preparing water for steam making. For this two general methods are employed — cold chemical precipi- tation followed by sedimentation and heating with or without chem- icals, usually followed by rapid filtration. The first process is carried on in cold-water softening plants and the second in feed-water heaters. METHODS OF PURIFICATION. The requirements of the water supplies for industries are so varied that classification of purification methods is difficult. Water prop- erly prepared for domestic and boiler use is suitable for most indus- trial establishments, and it is more economicalfor small manufac- turers in large cities to obtain such water from the city mains than to maintain private supplies and purification apparatus. It is usually cheaper, however, for large factories to be supplied from sepa- rate sources, not only because of saving in actual cost of water, but also because of the opportunity thus afforded of procuring water specially adapted to the needs of the factory. The common methods of indus trial water purification are those already mentioned, or com- binations of them, modified to meet particular needs. In a few industrial processes, notably the manufacture of ice by the can system, water practically free from all dissolved and suspended sub- stances is necessary, and distilled water must be manufactured. Recent improvements in multiple-effect evaporators have greatly reduced the cost of distillation, so that it is now economical to distill for industrial and domestic use many waters heretofore considered too highly mineralized for treatment. Many large factories, hotels, and even municipalities have installed multiple-effect stills. i For descriptions of filters see Johnson, G. A., The purification of public water supplies: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 315, 1913. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 491 Besides the four common systems of purification many minor processes are used, sometimes alone but more frequently as adjuncts to filters or softeners. Surface waters are screened through wooden or iron grids or through revolving wire screens to remove sticks and leaves before other treatment. Coarse suspended matter can be removed by rapid filtration through ground quartz or similar mate- rial in units of convenient size provided with arrangements for washing the filtering medium similar to those used in mechanical filters. Very turbid river waters may be first allowed to stand in large sedimentation basins in order to reduce the cost of operating the filters by preliminary removal of a large part of the suspended solids. Supplies undesirable only because of their iron content are aerated by being sprayed into the air, by being allowed to trickle over the rocks, or by other methods that cause evaporation of car- bonic acid and absorption of oxygen, thus precipitating and oxidizing the iron in solution so that it can readily be removed by rapid filtra- tion. Similar aeration is employed to evaporate and oxidize dissolved gases that cause objectionable tastes and odors. Disinfection by ozone, copper sulphate, calcium hypochlorite, and many other substances kills organisms that may cause disease or impart bad odors and tastes. Purification of this character must be done with substances that destroy the objectionable organisms without making the water poisonous to animals. Calcium hypo- chlorite, sodium hypochlorite, and chlorine gas are used to disinfect drinking water, and treatment with these substances is now widely practiced either as an adjunct to filtration or as an emergency pre- caution where otherwise untreated supplies are believed to be con- taminated. Disinfection by this method is not a substitute for purification by nitration, for it does not remove suspended matter nor appreciable amounts of color, organic matter, swampy tastes, or odors, and it does not soften water. 1 Natural purification of water is accomplished largely through biologic processes, 2 in which the organic matter is oxidized by serving as food for bacteria, and ob- jectionable organisms are destroyed by the production of conditions unfavorable to their existence. Action of this kind takes place in reservoirs and lakes, and it is also relied upon in many processes for the artificial purification of sewage. 3 SLOW SAND FILTRATION. Slow sand filtration consists in causing the water to pass down- ward through a layer of sand of such thickness and fineness that the requisite removal of suspended substances is accomplished. The • Johnson, G. A., The purification of public water supplies: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 315, p. 71, 1913. 2 Hazen, Allen, Clean water and how to get it, New York, p. S3, 1907. 3 Winslow, C.-E. A., and Phelps., E. B., Investigations on the purification of Boston sewage: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 185, 1906. 492 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. slow sand filter is also called the " continuous" and the ''English" filter. On the bottom of a water-tight basin, commonly constructed of concrete, perforated tiles or pipes laid in the form of a grid are covered with a foot of gravel, graded in size from 25 to 3 millimeters in diameter from bottom to top. A layer of fine sand, 3 to 4 feet deep, is put over the gravel, which serves only to support the sand. When water is applied on the surface it passes through the sand and the gravel and flows away through the underdrain. The suspended materials, including bacteria, are removed by the sand, the action of which is rendered more efficient by the rapid formation of a mat of finely divided sediment on its surface. When this film has become so thick that filtration is unduly retarded, the water is allowed to subside and about half an inch of sand is removed, after which filtration is resumed. The sand thus taken off is washed to free it from the collected impurities and is replaced on the beds after they have been reduced about a foot in thickness by successive scrapings. As cleaning necessitates temporary withdrawal of filters from service, they are divided into units of convenient size, usually one-half to 1 acre each, so that the operation of the entire system may not be interrupted. Most modern filters are roofed and sodded as this facilitates cleaning by preventing the formation of ice, permits work on the filter beds in all kinds of weather, inhibits algse growths, and prevents agitation of the water by wind and rain. The foregoing are the essential features of a slow sand filter, but several adjuncts render this system more efficient. A clear-water basin for the filtered supply, covered to prevent deterioration of the water, is provided in order that the varying rate of consumption may not affect the rate of filtration. Clarification of turbid water is rendered more economical by allowing it to stand for one to three days, during which a large portion of the suspended matter is depos- ited, so that the time between sand scrapings is lengthened. In some plants roughing, or preliminary, filters consisting of beds of coarse sand or fine crushed stone are provided, through which the water flows 15 to 20 times as fast as through the sand filters, a very large proportion of the suspended matter being thus removed. Ob- jectionable odors and tastes may be obviated by aeration before or after filtration. Killing the bacteria before filtration by use of chlorine or other germicides is also practiced. Slow sand filtration removes practically all the suspended matter and the bacteria. Color is only slightly reduced and hardness is not changed. The process is specially adapted to waters low in color, suspended matter, and animal pollution. Very small particles of clay are not removed by these filters, and waters carrying such par- ticles only for short periods may be benefited by the occasional addition of a coagulant before filtration. It can readily be seen that CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 493 the efficiency of this kind of filter depends largely on the character of the sand, as the ability to prevent the passage of suspended matter is governed by the size of the spaces between the sand particles. The rate of filtration depends on the average size of the sand parti- cles, the thickness of the sand bed, the head of the water, and the turbidity. Under ordinary conditions of operation in the United States the rate of slow sand filtration of water previously subjected to sedimentation is 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 gallons per acre per day. RAPID SAND FILTRATION. The rapid sand filter is also known as the American filter, and till recently it was generally styled the "mechanical" filter because of its contrivances for washing the sand. Its distinctive features are its use of a coagulant and its high rate of filtration. While the raw water is entering the sedimentation basin, which is smaller than that used with slow sand filters, it is treated with a definite proportion of some coagulant, which forms by its decomposition a gelatinous pre- cipitate that unites and incloses the suspended material, including the bacteria, and absorbs the organic coloring matter. This com- bined action destroys color and makes suspended particles larger, and therefore more readily removable. When aluminum sulphate, the coagulant most commonly used, is decomposed, aluminum hy- drate is precipitated and the sulphate radicle remains in solution, replacing an equivalent amount of the carbonate, bicarbonate, or hydrate radicle. One part per million of ordinary aluminum sul- phate requires somewhat more than 0.6 part of alkalinity expressed as CaC0 3 to insure complete decomposition. 1 The natural alkalinity of many waters is sufficient to effect this reaction. If the alkalinity is not sufficient, part of the aluminum sulphate remains in solution, and good coagulation does not take place. Therefore lime or soda ash is added if the alkalinity is too low. The proper amount of alu- minum sulphate to be used is determined by the amounts of color, organic matter, and suspended matter, and by the fineness of the suspended matter, and it is best ascertained by direct experimenta- tion with the water to be purified. Much of the trouble in operating the earlier types of rapid filters has been caused by failure to produce a good "floe" or precipitation partly because of improper ratios of coagulant and alkalinity. Ferrous sulphate instead of aluminum sulphate is used as a coagu- lant in some filtration plants. To this lime must be added in order to bring about proper coagulation. The water after having been mixed with the coagulant is allowed to stand for three or four hours in the sedimentation basin, where a large proportion of the suspended particles is deposited. It is then 1 Hazen, Allen, Report of the filtration commission of the city of Pittsburgh, p. 57, 1899, 494 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. passed rapidly through beds of sand or ground stone to remove the rest of the suspended matter. Many filters now in use are built in cylindrical form 10 to 20 feet in diameter, and some are so designed that filtration can be hastened by pressure. The sand, 30 to 50 inches deep and coarser than that used in slow sand niters, rests on a metallic floor containing perforations large enough to allow ready issue of the water but small enough to prevent passage of sand grams. When the filter has become clogged the flow of water is reversed, filtered water being forced upward through the sand to wash it and to remove the impurities, which pass over the top of the filter with the wasted water. A revolving rake with long prongs projecting downward into the sand mixes it during washing and prevents it from becoming graded into spots of coarse or fine parti- cles. In recently constructed works rectangular niters 300 to 1,300 square feet in area have been built, in which the sand is agitated during washing by compressed ajr forced through it at intervals instead of by a revolving rake. Larger orifices in the strainers are also being used, the passage of sand being prevented by fine gravel over the strainer pipes. The rate of filtration is from 100,000,000 to 120,000,000 gallons per acre per day. The time between wash- ings is 6 to 12 hours, depending principally on the turbidity of the water. Mechanical filtration removes practically all suspended matter, reduces the color to unobjectionable proportions, and under some conditions removes part of the dissolved iron. The permanent hardness of the water is increased in proportion to the amount of sulphate added by the coagulant, and if only enough lime to decom- pose the coagulant is added the total hardness is slightly increased. If larger amounts of lime are added, however, the total hardness is reduced. If soda ash is used in place of lime, the foaming constitu- ents are slightly increased. The chemicals are always added in solution. As this method of nitration is used almost entirely for river waters with fluctuating contents of suspended and dissolved matter, proper operation requires constant and intelligent attention. COLD-WATER SOFTENING. The principal objects of water softening are to remove the sub- stances that cause incrustations in boilers, particularly calcium and magnesium, and to neutralize those that cause corrosion. Solutions of chemicals of known strength are added to the raw supply in such proportion as to precipitate all the dissolved constituents that can be economically removed by such treatment. The water is then allowed to stand long enough to permit the precipitate to settle, after which the clear effluent is drawn off, or the partly clarified effluent may be filtered very rapidly through thin beds of coke, CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 495 sponge, excelsior, bagging, or similar material in order to remove particles that have not subsided in the tanks. The water softeners on the market differ from each other principally in the precipitant, in the filtering medium, if one is used, and in the mechanism regulat- ing the incorporation of the chemicals with the water. Installa- tions may be of any size to suit consumption, and the process can be combined with rapid sand filtration for purifying municipal supplies. Among the substances that have been proposed as precipitants are sodium carbonate (soda ash), silicate, hydrate (caustic), fluoride, and phosphate; barium carbonate, oxide, and hydrate; and calcium oxide (quicklime). Lime and soda ash, however, are almost exclu- sively used on account of their excellent action and comparative cheapness. When soda ash (Na 2 C0 3 ) and lime dissolved in water to form a solution of calcium hydrate, Ca(OH) 2 , are added to a water in proper proportion free acids are neutralized, free carbon dioxide is removed, bicarbonates are decomposed, and iron, aluminum, and magnesium hydrates and calcium carbonate are precipitated. The precipitate in settling takes down with it a large proportion of the suspended matter. The treatment removes the incrusting constituents prac- tically to the limit of their solubility and also removes the calcium added as lime. Sodium, potassium, sulphates, and chlorides are left in solution, and the alkalies are increased in proportion to the quantity of soda ash added; that is, the foaming constituents are increased, and the maximum proportion of these that is allowable in the treated water fixes the maximum proportion of incrustants that a raw water can contain and be satisfactorily treated. The proportion of incrustants left in a treated water is determined by the solubility of the precipitated substances and by the completeness of the reaction between the added chemicals and the dissolved matter. It has been brought below 90 parts per million in some well-treated waters. The sulphate radicle can be removed by using barium com- pounds, which precipitate barium sulphate, but the poisonous effect of even small amounts of barium and the relatively high cost of its salts are great objections to their use. The chlorides are not changed in amount by water softening. The chemicals should be very thoroughly mixed with the raw water and sufficient time should be allowed for complete reaction, which proceeds rather slowly, for otherwise precipitation will occur later in pipe lines or in boilers. FEED-WATEPv HEATING. Water heaters are designed primarily to utilize waste heat in sta- tionary boiler plants by raising the temperature of the feed water and thereby lessening the work of the boilers themselves, but they also effect some purification, and many heaters have been specially 496 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. designed with that end in view. The heat is derived from exhaust steam or from flue gases. Heaters utilizing steam either are open — ■ that is, operated at atmospheric pressure — or are closed and operated at or near boiler pressure. In accordance with these different con- ditions, which result in distinct purifying effects, feed-water heaters are classified as "open" or " closed" or " economizers," the last being those using flue gases. In most forms of open heaters, which are best adapted for removing large quantities of the materials that form soft scale, the steam enters at the bottom and the water at the top, and intimate contact be- tween the two is obtained by spraying the water or by allowing it to trickle over or to splash against plates. By this process the water is quickly heated nearly to boiling temperature; dissolved gases are expelled; bicarbonates are decomposed; and iron, aluminum, part of the magnesium, and calcium equivalent to the carbonates after decomposition of the bicarbonates are precipitated as hydrates, oxides, and carbonates, under varying conditions of temperature, pressure, and time. The precipitate agglomerates the particles of suspended matter and makes them more readily removable by sedi- mentation and filtration. The slowness with which the reactions take place and the presence of acid radicles other than carbonates to hold the bases in solution prevent complete removal of calcium and magnesium. The addition of soda ash in proper proportion, however, effects fairly complete precipitation of the alkaline earths, and apparatus for constant introduction of this chemical in solution may be provided. Open heaters operated without a chemical pre- cipitant remove constituents that are soft and bulky and leave those that form hard scale. Scale from water treated without chemicals in such heaters is therefore not so great in amount but is harder than that formed by the raw water. After the precipitate has been formed the water passes through filters of burlap, excelsior, straw, hay, wool, coke, or similar mate- rials arranged in units that can readily be cleaned. In closed heaters the water is passed through tubes surrounded by steam or around steam pipes, and manholes or other openings are provided for removing the scale from the tubes. As the water is heated under pressure some precipitation takes place, but closed heaters are not so efficient in this respect as open heaters, because they do not permit escape of the gases liberated from the water. This objection does not hold if treatment in a closed heater follows "treatment in an open one, from which the gases escape. Several systems accomplish very good purification by using a unit of each type in series. Economizers consist essentially of water tubes set in flues leading from the furnaces. Facilities are provided for cleaning scale from CHEMICAL CHAEACTEE OF WATEES. 497 the inside and soot from the outside of the tubes. As economizers are heated by flue gases, the water in the tubes can be heated under pressure to much higher temperature than in open or closed heaters, and conditions of ordinary boiler operation are approximated. The precipitation of incrustants varies greatly with the normally fluctu- ating temperature of the flue gases. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SURFACE WATERS. From October, 1906, to October, 1907, daily samples of water were collected from six rivers in Georgia by representatives of the United States Geological Survey in connection with an extensive study of the quality of surface waters of the United States. The daily samples were united in sets of 10 consecutive samples from each river and the composites thus obtained were analyzed. 1 Through the courtesy of the authorities in charge at the University of Georgia the Survey was furnished laboratory space and other facilities for the performance of these examinations till May, 1907, when the work was transferred to Survey laboratories at Norfolk, Va., and Washington, D. C. In the following tables of analyses the first column gives the tur- bidity or cloudiness of the water compared with that of standard suspensions of diatomaceous earth, 2 and the second gives the weight of the suspended matter dried at 180° C. The third column is obtained by dividing the weight of the suspended matter by the tur- bidity. It expresses the comparative fineness of the suspended solids, a matter of much interest to operators of plants for purification of water. The last column gives the mean gage height of the river during each sample period in order that the river stage may be com- pared with the mineral content of the water. The next to the last column gives the weight of the total dissolved solids dried at 180° C. in distinction from that of the suspended solids. The other columns indicate the composition of the dissolved solids. 1 For description of methods of analysis see Dole, R. B., The quality of surface waters of the United States: Part I, Analyses of waters east of the one hundredth meridian: U". S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 236, 1909. 2 Report of the committee on standard methods for the examination of water and sewage, Am. Public Health Assoc, New York, p. 7, 1912. 38418°— wsp 341—15 32 498 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 99. — Mineral analyses of water from Chattahoochee River at West Point. - [Parts per million unless otherwise stated.] Date (1906-7). a bio 03 ^ 2. 3 •a S3 . 3 a> 2 3 a d o . is a o O 33 "3" C3 O n 3 IS a s. 03 03O O - z C3 ■Sot 2 g, 6 __, a -. © From — To— H 03 O 3 ^ 3 ft 3 % 3 o o 03 1 Feet. Oct. 20 Oct. 29 86 50 0.59 16 1.0 6.6 1.2 0.0 24 0.0 2.0 50 4.2 Oct. 30 Nov. 8 45 25 .56 30 .6 3.6 .8 .0 19 4 2.5 60 3 4 9 19 Nov. 18 Nov. 29 65 70 37 24 .57 .34 20 26 .20 .7 5.7 6.8 Tr 1.6 .0 .0 22 27 .4 .6 1.5 3.0 54 71 3 5 Nov. 4.1 Nov. 30 Dec. 9 60 37 .62 30 .8 6.0 2.8 .0 2-1 .7 2.8 77 3.3 Dec. 10 Dec. 19 55 34 .62 32 .0 6.4 2.4 .0 29 .4 3.0 81 4.1 Dec. 31 Jan. 1 1311 96 .74 32 .9 3 !1 Tr 15 1 5 60 4.8 Jan. 2 Jan. 11 85 65 .76 24 .7 2.3 .8 .0 .8 2.5 55 5.3 Jan. 12 Jan. 21 25 14 .56 17 .10 4.7 .8 .0 17 .8 3.5 59 3.7 Jan. 22 Jan. 31 15 9.0 .60 24 .30 7.4 1.6 .0 29 .5 3.5 59 3.5 Feb. 1 Fob. 10 220 169 .77 33 1.2 3.6 1.6 .0 .4 1.8 53 7.2 Feb. 11 27 9 19 29 Feb. 26 Mar. 8 Mar. IS Mar. 2S Apr. 7 55 260 290 30 285 42 205 166 26 264 .76 .79 .57 .87 .9? IS 25 24 11 28 .9 1.3 .9 1.0 1.4 4.8 4.4 " 5.6 6.4 6.S Tr Tr. Tr Tr Tr. .0 .0 .0 .0 15 15 20 22 22 .3 .3 .4 .2 4 "i.~5 2.5 2.5 3 56 53 53 40 59 3.8 Feb. 7 7 3.8 3 6 Mar. 3.5 Apr. Apr. Apr. 8 Apr. 17 Apr. 27 May 7 190 220 1 16 27 1.1 ? Tr. .0 9.8 1 6 1 5 40 3.7 IS 185 175 .95 18 1.0 2.5 Tr. .0 9.8 1 S ? 33 5 9 28 1S5'165 .89 16 1.3 3.5 .8 .0 12 1.1 1.5 34 4.6 May 8 May 18 350 279 .80 16 22 .03 4.9 1.1 S.S 68.4 13 4.S .9 57 5.1 May 19 Mav 28 115 76 .66 7.9 23 .03 5.2 l.S 9.2 &S.4 21 5.f .9 1.3 65 3.6 May 29 June 7 260 166 .64 10 14 .03 3.C .6 10 .0 26 4.0 1.2 1.7 47 3.7 June 8 June 17 13(1 91 .70 2.4 16 .03 3.2 1.1 7.2 63.6 21 3.5 .0 1.0 45 3.1 June 18 June 27 12(1 81 .67 5.S 11 .00 5.1 1.2 6.7 .0 16 7.6 .7 1.7 42 2.8 June 28 July 7 340 246 .72 13 12 .00 4.9 .7 7.0 6Tr. 27 4.0 1.1 2.0 45 3.2 Julv 9 July IS 450 448 1.00 35 9.0 .00 4.2 .9 7.6 .0 28 3.0 1.0 1.2 36 3.0 Julv 19 July 2S 325 214 .66 12 13 .00 4.0 1.1 8.1 .0 24 3.8 1.1 1.2 40 2.6 Julv 29 Aug. 7 375 2S9 . / 1 21 12 .03 6.0 1.3 9.4 .0 37 6.6 1.2 4.8 63 2.7 Aug. 8 Aug. 17 40C 220 . 55 10 14 Tr. 3.2 1.0 7.9 .r 24 4.f 1.1 1.8 47 2.6 Aug. 18 Aug. 27 375 242 .64 6.6 15 Tr. 4.2 .6 6.3 .0 28 4.2 1.1 2.0 48 2.6 Aug. 28 Sept. 6 225 121 .54 3.7 17 Tr. 4.S .5 6.5 .0 27 4.S 1.0 1.8 60 2.0 Sept. 17 Sept. 26 155 129 .83 5.2 12 Tr. 5.1 .S 6.6 .0 27 4.3 .7 1.3 46 2.6 Sept. 27 Oct. S 185 100 .54 12 IS Tr. 4.E .4 9.0 .0 29 4.1 1.0 1.8 54 2.5 Oct. 9 Me Oct. IS m 140 98 .70 4.4 8.9 Tr. 5.7 1.0 5.8 .0 27 3.5 .6 1.7 42 2.1 185 136 .71 20 .47 4.8 .8 7.7 - .0 23 4.5 .7 2.1 52 Per cent of anhy- us r 38- C el.3 9.1 1.6 14.6 21.5 8.5 1.4 4.0 a Analyses Oct. 20, 1906, to May 7, 1907, by Jas. R. Evans; May 8 to Oct. IS, 1907, by R. B. Dole, Chase Palmer, "and W. D. Collins. Samples collected by E. N. Dunn in midstream from Montgomery Street Bridge. Gage heights measured at same place. b Abnormal; computed as HCO3 in the average. c Fe 2 3 . CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 499 Table 100. — -Mineral analyses of ivater from Ocmulgee River near Macon. a [Parts per million unless otherwise stated.] Date (1906-7). w 3 u CD 03 a tj a> W CI ft d co S a cd o . d .2 pi o sS CD O o "3" 5. a o 3 o O co 03 CD d o u oT o 3 o bo d CD d hO 03 a 03^. ofcd ll II w-d O Ol CO o w 03 So o .a t-< 03 O 3 03 . cdO lb §s •e.2 s CD i 03 CD© o3*~< .a ■S* d CO '3.3 2.0 5.9 4.9 4.8 5.2 6.8 4.7 4.3 4.7 5.8 6.4 '5."5* cd' to c3 d CD > 03 " CH 50 66 77 72 77 75 56 88 46 64 58 57 71 47 52 70 64 48 50 96 85 91 78 86 84 94 35 64 53 87 70 85 70 S bJO '3 From — To— CD ho 03 bo d 03 Oct. 19 Oct. 29 Nov. 8 Nov. 18 Nov. 28 Dec. 8 Dec. 21 Jan. 5 Jan. 17 Jan. 27 Feb. 6 Feb. 16 Feb. 26 Mar. 8 Mar. 18 Mar. 28 Apr. 7 Apr. 17 Apr. 27 May 7 May 17 May 27 June 6 June 16 June 27 July 12 Aug. 3 Aug. 13 Aug. 24 Sept. 10 Sept. 20 Oct. 1 Oct. 12 Oct. 28 Nov. 7 Nov. 17 Nov. 27 Dec. 7 Dec. 17 Jan. 4 Jan. 16 Jan. 26 Feb. 5 Feb. 15 Feb. 25 Mar. 7 Mar. 17 Mar. 27 Apr. 6 Apr. 16 Apr. 26 May 6 May 16 May 26 June 5 June 15 June 26 July 11 July 21 Aug. 12 Aug. 22 Sept. 9 Sept. 19 Sept. 30 Oct. 10 Oct. 21 35 49 50 65 60 75 30 60 40 240 75 40 210 55 35 25 30 560 450 204 45 310 226 410 670 416 1,100 580 550 270 400 180 35 27 14 18 26 24 46 20 42 28 189 60 33 178 46 27 23 29 511 416 158 31 234 179 241 527 331 807 552 414 133 260 90 32 0.77 .29 .36 .40 .40 .61 .67 .70 .70 .79 .80 .83 .85 .84 .77 .92 .97 .91 .92 .77 .69 .75 .79 .59 .79 .79 .73 .95 .75 .49 .65 .50 .91 21 35 16 10 8.9 2.6 1.1 12 32 30 30 26 29 26 18 21 34 32 33 38 15 14 27 23 21 24 31 25 26 23 25 23 32 7.5 21 16 41 29 42 28 0.6 .5 .20 .30 .9 .7 .9 .8 .8 1.8 .8 .7 1.4 .8 1.0 1.2 2.1 1.7 1.4 1.1 2.0 1.2 1.2 2.4 2.0 1.6 Tr. Tr. Tr. Tr. Tr. Tr. Tr. 5.6 5.2 8.3 7.5 8.1 9.6 4.4 3.6 3.6 4.6 7.6 8.0 6.8 6.0 9.6 11 9.2 5.5 4.5 6.7 5.7 4.9 5.7 4.1 6.5 8.1 5.0 5.8 5.8 6.4 5.1 5.7 4.7 1.6 .8 Tr. 1.2 1.6 1.2 Tr. Tr. Tr. 2.4 Tr. 1.6 Tr. .8 Tr. Tr. Tr. 1.2 .8 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.4 1.5 2.2 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.3 1.8 1.8 1.4 io'" 8.1 11 4.4 6.9 6.3 7.5 6.8 11 6.6 7.4 11 11 8.1 0.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 20 22 27 22 25 32 15 12 12 "24" 27 22 20 29 34 29 24 15 40 43 '37" 31 31 41 24 40 32 38 34 37 30 0.1 .5 .5 .2 .6 .8 .1 .5 .4 .5 .4 .3 1.2 .6 .5 .7 .8 1.6 1.8 1.0 .3 .4 .4 1.1 . 7 1.0 1.1 .1.2 1.3 .9 1.0 .7 .6 4.0 3.0 1.5 1.8 1.5 1.7 4.0 3.5 2.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.5 4.0 2.5 3.0 5.0 4.0 2.5 3.0 4.0 3.5 4.0 1.4 ■1.8 2.6 1.0 2.3 3.0 3.2 Ft. 3.7 2.9 3.0 4.0 2.8 3.3 5.4 4.3 3.3 7.2 7.8 4.0 8.9 5.0 3.4 3.1 3.4 7.7 5.3 4.5 3.0 3.1 2.8 2.5 4.3 2.2 2.7 3.3 1.7 1.1 3.7 1.6 .9 Me Per cent drous r m of anhy- 230 174 .72 26 39.8 .9 62.0 6.3 9.6 1.2 1.8 8.3 12.7 .0 21.2 28 4.9 7.5 .7 1.1 2.8 4.3 69 .... a Analyses Oct. 19, 1906, to May 6, 1907, by J. R. Evans: May 7 to July 21, 1907, by W. D. Collins; Aug. 3 to Oct. 21, by P. B. Dole, Chase Palmer, and W. D. Collins. Samples collected by G. E. Lawton in midstream from bridge. Gage heights measured at same place. & Fe20 3 . 500 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 101. — Mineral analyses of water from Savannah River near Augusta.® [I 'arts per million unless otherwise stated.] Date (1906-7). u B Eh 03 a ■d 3 CO 6 a ^ o3 M 2 Ml 03 Ml a 03 CD Oct. 25 Nov. 4 Nov. 14 Nov. 24 Dee. 4 Dec. 14 Dec. 24 Jan. 3 Jan. 13 Jan. 23 Feb. 3 Feb. 13 Mar. 13 Mar. 23 Apr. 2 Apr. 12 Apr. 22 May 2 May 12 May 23 June 2 June 12 June 22 July 4 July' 14 July 24 Aug. 4 Aug. 14 Aug. 24 Sept. 3 Sept. 13 Sept. 23 Oct. 3 Oct. 13 Nov. 3 Nov. 13 Nov. 23 Dec. 3 Dec. 13 Dec. 23 Jan. 2 Jan. 12 Jan. 22 Feb. 2 Feb. 12 Feb. 22 Mar. 22 Apr. 1 Apr. 11 Apr. 21 May 1 May 11 May 22 June 1 June 11 June 21 July 3 July 13 July 23 Aug. 3 Aug. 13 Aug. 23 Sept. 2 Sept. 12 Sept. 22 Oct. 2 Oct. 12 Oct. 22 45 40 35 40 55 65 85 60 16 60 150 20 22 15 45 210 340 265 45 130 175 300 425 315 425 400 575 475 160 270 200 300 65 25 33 17 12 17 20 22 55 46 10 41 127 17 15 14 42 205 316 248 38 142 259 231 338 255 446 419 424 318 75 159 72 299 59 25 0.73 .42 .34 .42 .36 .34 .65 .77 .62 .68 .85 .85 .68 .93 .93 .98 .93 .94 .84 1.09 1.65 .77 .79 .81 1.05 1.05 .74 .67 .47 .59 .36 1.00 .91 1.00 3.2 5.2 14 9.6 14 9.4 18 14 46 28 7.9 11 9.3 21 5.6 2.4 21 28 32 32 34 31 36 24 17 30 23 13 12 20 23 26 20 17 37 31 21 17 15 25 30 14 15 16 22 18 19 14 16 21 0.20 .30 .20 .30 .30 .40 .7 .40 .40 .7 1.2 .9 .9 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 .22 .20 .54 .08 .06 .20 .26 .04 Tr. .04 Tr. .04 .00 .04 Tr. .00 5.4 6.2 4.4 4.9 6.4 6.2 3.9 3.9 6.0 8.2 5.4 7.6 5.6 8.4 8.4 7.6 5.5 7.2 5.9 5.2 4.9 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.7 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0 6.0 6.0 4.6 5.3 1.2 Tr. Tr. Tr. 3.2 2.8 Tr. 1.6 4.8 2.8 .8 1.2 Tr. Tr. Tr. Tr. Tr. 1.6 .4 .4 .4 .2 .4 .7 .4 .6 .5 .5 .4 .5 .3 .4 .5 13 13 11 12 11 12 12 13 11 10 13 11 12 9.2 9.6 11 0.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 6 9.6 6 7.2 6Tr. 6Tr. 6 7.2 614 6 9.6 .0 63.6 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 6 2.4 27 24 17 20 22 22 15 17 27 34 20 24 20 27 27 24 19 24 50 27 17 35 37 24 9.8 22 32 30 40 34 40 33 32 32 5.5 5.7 6.1 5.6 5.8 5.5 7.3 7.4 6.8 6.7 6.0 5.3 5.8 4.9 4.7 6.0 0.1 .6 .7 .8 .6 .5 .3 .8 .8 .4 .9 .6 .6 .5 .3 .3 .4 .2 .8 .7 .7 1.1 1.6 .2 .9 .0 3.0 .3 1.0 1.0 .7 .0 .7 .0 3.0 3.0 1.5 1.5 1.8 2.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.5 1.5 3.0 3.0 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.2 Tr. 1.8 1.7 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.6 1.9 1.8 56 77 59 64 74 72 78 54 60 70 53 52 42 55 59 52 42 45 90 78 61 51 54 67 76 53 53 56 63 58 64 49 53 61 Ft. 9.6 9.0 10.4 9.2 9.6 10.8 11.0 11.2 9.3 9.3 14.2 9.2 9.4 8.4 8.5 8.4 11.6 9.5 8.3 8.3 9.8 8.2 S.8 7.7 8.4 7.6 7.4 9.5 6.5 6.8 6.1 10.9 6.3 5.3 Me Per cent drous n in of anhy- 172 142 .77 23 35.0 .44 c.9 5.7 S.7 .8 1.2 12 18.3 .0 22.6 30 6.0 9.1 .6 1.0 2.1 3.2 60 a Analyses Oct. 25, 1906, to May 11, 1907, by J. R. Evans; May 12 to Oct. 22, 1907, by R. B. Dole, Chase Palmer, and W. D. Collins. Samples collected by C. A. Maxwell in midstream from the highway bridge. Gage heights measured at same place. 6 Abnormal; computed as HCO3 in the average. c Fe 2 3 . Though most of the analyses represent drainage from the region of crystalline rocks, all the streams but one traverse the Coastal Plain and probably are not greatly increased in mineral content by drainage from the sedimentary rocks. The analyses of water from Chatta- hoochee River at West Point, Ocmulgee River near Macon, and Savan- nah River near Augusta (see Tables 99-101) represent drainage essen- tially from silicate rocks, chiefly granite and gneiss, that contribute little mineral matter because of their slight solubility. CHEMICAL CHAKACTER OP WATERS. 50i Table 102. — Mineral analyses of water from Oostanaula River near Rome. a [Parts per million unless otherwise stated.] Date (1906-7). o3 B cb a _ o .5? 10 .83 19 1.2 11 .0 34 6 2.5 62 3.1 3.4 Apr. 4 13 65 56 .86 17 1.4 14 3.2 .0 .4 2.0 70 Apr. 14 Apr. 23 60 56 .93 8.8 1.4 15 4.0 .0 59 .2 2.0 68 3.6 Apr. May 'H May May '•> '>m 236 .91 7.8 1.6 13 .0 51 3 61 4.7 4.2 3 13 220 220 1.00 18 .7 15 3.3 8.8 .0 72 2.6 .8 1.0 100 May 14 May 23 150 149 1.00 18 1.0 11 3.1 11 .0 72 4.3 .0 1.5 92 5.4 May 24 June 5 340 318 .93 29 1.6 12 3.2 11 .0 71 4.3 .6 1.5 120 5.0 June 6 June 15 200 170 .85 25 .6 3.3 6.0 .0 74 4.8 .0 2.5 90 3.8 June 16 June 26 180 114 .63 28 .40 U 4.1 8.2 .0 78 3.6 .6 2.0 101 2.4 June 27 July 7 415 378 .91 26 1.2 12 3.7 6.6 .0 68 3.8 .7 2.0 106 2.9 July 8 July 17 370 370 1.00 39 .8 13 3.9 12 .0 78 5.5 .4 2.0 122 2.4 Aug. 7 Aug. 16 260 234 .90 31 Tr. 9.6 4.6 13 .0 73 5.1 1.0 1.0 105 1.9 Aug. 17 Aug. 26 260 198 .76 23 Tr. 13 2.9 9.4 .0 67 4.8 1.0 .6 87 2.0 Sept. 27 Oct. 6 125 87 .70 47 Tr. 7.3 3.2 7.6 .0 51 3.6 .5 1.7 109 2.6 Oct. 7 Oct. 17 45 37 .80 1.2 44 Tr. 14 5.0 7.9 .0 74 3.8 1.2 118 1.5 Oct. 18 Mes ent Oct. in 28 10 8.8 .88 Tr. 17 Tr. 11 2.9 9.1 .0 70 3.3 1.8 81 1.0 128 109 .80 24 .7 12 2.6 9.2 .0 53 4.1 .4 1.8 82 Per c of anhy- drc us r esidue 29.6 61.2 14.8 3.2 11.3 32.2 5 .5 2.2 I a Analyses Oct. 21, 1906, to May 2, 1907, by Jas. R. Evans; May 2 to July 17, 1907, by W. D. Collins; Aug. 7 to Oct. 28, 1907, by R. B. Dole, Chase Palmer, and W. D. Collins. Samples collected by W. M. Chambers at waterworks pumping station. Gage heights measured at same place. b Fe 2 3 . Table 103. — Comparison of the average mineral content of six surf ace waters of Georgia with that of certain other surface waters. Suspended matter. Coefficient of fineness. Dissolved matter. Average of 6 river waters of Georgia James River, Richmond, Va Pearl River, Jackson, Miss Tennessee River, Knoxville, Tenn Cumberland River, Kuttawa, Ivy Mississippi River, Memphis, Tenn St. Lawrence River, Ogdensburg, N. Y Missouri River, Ruegg, Mo Parts per million. a 146 71 46 156 165 519 Tr. 1,890 0.74 .96 .93 .81 .92 .97 Parts per million. 66 89 59 122 124 202 134 346 a Flint River omitted. The quantity of dissolved matter in the water of Oostanaula River near Rome (see Table 102) is notably greater than that in the other surface waters, the excess being due to solution of carbonates of 502 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. calcium and magnesium from the old crystalline limestones and dolo- mites in the Oostanaula basin. Yet the mineral content is not especially high and is not at all comparable with that of surface waters of the Middle West (see Table 103) from areas underlain principally by limestone, because, first, a large proportion of the basin above Rome is occupied by silicate rocks; second, the older compact crystal- line limestones are dissolved by percolating waters less readily than later formations; third, the rocks have been thoroughly washed and leached by abundant rain; and, fourth, the topography favors rapid surface run-off instead of retention of water in contact with the min- eralizins: substances. Table 104. — Mineral analyses of water from Flint River near Albany. a [Parts per million unless otherwise stated.] Date £ a a a a CO d CO ,o 03 ^ CO o S to CO (1906-7). >> 3 03 a CD ■d § ft in o . d © .2 o o O 35 03 O d oT o p .2 3 03 ^ • SO as o cbO ■e.2 03 O 03 „ ccO |S o So s& 03 a a o 03 " be ,d From — To— CO 03 d a Eh 3 m o O 55 o 03 o 03 03 u 3 B % o O Eh CO Ft. Oct. 23 Nov. 1 120 64 0.53 47 6.8 3.6 0.0 29 1.8 3.0 84 4.3 Nov. 2 Nov. 11 45 31 .69 19 0.8 11 4.8 .0 51 .4 3.0 80 1.8 Nov. 12 Nov. 21 17 4 .24 25 .20 11 Tr. .0 32 .9 2.5 74 2.3 Nov. 22 Dec. 1 20 8 .40 27 .30 12 1.2 .0 34 .6 2.0 77 3.0 Dee. 2 Dec. 11 25 11 .44 33 .20 12 1.2 .0 37 . / 2.2 90 1.9 Dec. 12 Dec. 21 35 18 .51 34 .5 14 1.6 .0 49 .5 2.5 93 2.1 Dec. 22 Dec. 31 40 17 .42 20 .9 6.0 .8 .0 29 .8 3.0 68 3.8 Jan. 1 Jan. 11 35 20 .07 18 .8 6.2 1.2 .0 22 .5 3.0 62 5.4 Jan. 12 Jan. 22 20 15 .75 22 .10 8.1 .8 .0 34 .8 4.0 63 2.8 Jan. 23 Feb. 2 12 7 .58 16 .8 7.0 .8 .0 24 1.1 5.5 52 3.0 Feb. 2 Feb. 11 120 89 .74 36 .9 5.6 .8 .0 22 .4 2.0 66 7.9 Feb. 12 Feb. 21 60 53 .88 22 1.1 6.8 .8 .0 22 .7 4.0 70 5.8 Feb. 22 Mar. 3 65 45 .69 14 1.2 8.4 1.2 .0' 27 .1 2.5 47 3.8 Mar. 4 Mar. 13 85 64 .75 18 1.4 8.8 1.2 .0 29 .4 3.0 54 5.8 Mar. 14 Mar. 23 40 36 .90 12 .7 6.4 .8 .0 22 .3 1.5 39 4.1 Mar. 24 Apr. 2 30 30 1.00 24 1.4 10 1.2 .0 37 .7 3.0 72 2.1 Apr. 3 Apr. 12 60 50 .83 19 :8 10 .8 .0 34 .3 2.5 59 3.8 Apr. 13 Apr. 22 160 156 .98 23 .9 9.5 2.5 .0 34 .3 2.0 60 3.6 Apr. 23 May 2 460 376 .82 27 1.3 9.0 1.6 .0 34 .2 3.5 66 9.4 May 3 May 12 560 33 2.1 7.0 1.2 .0 24 .1 2.0 60 67 7 2 Mean 100 5S .67 24 .86 8.8 1.4 67.0 .0 31 <«.0 .6 2.8 Per cent of anhy- drous r 35.8 el. S 13.0 2.1 10.4 22.8 9.0 .9 4.2 a Analyses by J. R. Evans. Samples collected by D. W. Brosnan in midstream from the county bridge. Gage heights measured at same place. b Fluctuates between 2 and 10 parts. Average value about 7 parts. c Fluctuates between trace and 8 parts. Average value about 6 parts. d Approximate. « Fe20 3 . CHEMICAL CHARACTER OE WATERS. Table 105. — Mineral analyses of water from Oconee River near Dublin. a [Parts per million unless otherwise stated.] 503 Date (1906-7). i a to 03 ^ '•3 03 . 05 O ■n > "Si (4 a o . p c3 a d 03 O 3 SO V° o3q O <3?3 a .2 n u m Pn U '55 Is O Kl CO ftH oS Sm c!< § o 03 60 From — To— 3 e P< P CD 03 O a 03 O 03 35 a o 'a 03 O a 03 o 03 O OS'S s "3 CO 03 8 o 03 O a 03 3 Ft. Oct. 18 Oct. 27 55 23 0.42 29 0.6 9.0 1.2 0.0 33 0.4 4.0 76 1.4 Oct. 28 Nov. 6 75 51 .68 32 2.0 11 .8 39 .4 4.0 83 .6 Nov. 7 Nov. 17 85 28 .33 31 .9 8.8 1.2 32 .7 2.0 68 .8 Nov. 18 Nov. 27 85 65 .76 24 .40 8.8 1.2 32 .1 4.0 70 1.9 Nov. 28 Dec. 7 80 52 .65 26 .5 9.6 1.6 34' .7 4.5 78 .9 Dec. 8 Dec. 17 155 94 .61 31 .7 12 n 49 9 4.8 89 1,7 Dec. 19 Jan. 3 160 125 .78 28 1.2 8.3 .8 27 .8 5.0 83 3.1 Jan. 4 Jan. 15 105 85 .81 20 .5 5.7 Tr. 20 .4 4.0 61 3.4 Jan. 16 Jan. 26 38 32 .84 ., 30 .9 14 4.4 51 1.1 4.2 94 1.4 Jan. 27 Feb. Feb. 6 18 80 40 59 36 .74 .90 26 22 .8 1.0 12 5.6 56 20 1.2 .5 3.0 5.0 85 60 4 H Feb. 7 1.2 7.5 Mar. 2 Mar. 11 240 204 .85 34 1.1 7.6 Tr. 27 .6 2.5 69 6.9 Mar. 12 Mar. 21 110 100 .91 16 .6 9.6 1.2 32 .4 2.0 50 3.2 Mar. 22 Mar. 31 35 28 .80 24 1.6 12 1.6 41 .3 4.0 73 1.6 Apr. 1 Apr. 10 75 65 .87 20 1.3 9.6 1.6 32 .2 6.5 64 1.6 Apr. 11 Apr. 24 185 176 .95 20 2.4 10 2.4 34 .4 5.0 66 3.3 Apr. 25 May 4 95 75 .79 16 1.8 7.0 1.6 24 .3 2.5 48 5.4 May 5 May 14 200 206 1.03 18 2.5 10 1.6 34 .2 4.5 61 4.0 May 15 May 24 100 69 .69 6. i IS .42 7.8 2.2 8.4 II 44 5.4 4.0 2.2 70 1.9 May 25 June 3 350 232 .66 15 21 Tr. 7.7 2.0 11 43 6.2 1.5 2.6 68 1.4 June 4 June 13 375 220 .59 16 22 Tr. 6.6 2.2 7.9 45 5.6 1.0 1.9 69 .9 June 14 June 23 400 275 .69 16 11 Tr. 6.3 2.1 8.1 38 6.0 Tr. 1.4 51 1.0 June 24 July 3 230 266 1.16 12 10 Tr. 6.6 3.2 8.3 34 8.1 .6 1.8 54 2.4 July 4 July 14 350 354 1.01 15 15 Tr. 6.6 1.6 9.4 37 4.9 3.2 2.4 57 1.6 July 15 July 24 400 233 .58 9.6 13 Tr. 7.1 1.9 6.2 64 8 27 7.5 .6 3.1 62 .8 July 25 Aug. 2 650 504 .77 28 17 Tr. 6.3 1.9 8.1 34 6.3 2.3 3.4 62 2.7 Aug. 4 Aug. 13 400 266 .66 19 14 .02 5.9 1.2 7.9 32 6.1 2.0 2.9 55 .9 Aug. 15 Aug. 24 425 460 1.08 34 21 Tr. 7.2 .9 10 40 5.4 4.2 3.1 74 2.0 Aug. 26 Sept. 7 290 205 .71 16 18 Tr. 6.9 1.1 7.9 40 5.0 .7 2.4 62 .7 Sept. 8 Sept. 17 400 328 .82 24 18 Tr. 6.4 1.1 12 41 5.5 1.0 2.6 63 1.0 Sept. 28 Oct. 7 350 379 1.08 15 16 .02 11 1.7 8.3 54 7.4 1.7 4.9 84 3.9 Oct. 8 Oct. 17 40 3.5 15 .6 8.5 1.9 9.2 50 7.5 Tr. 2.8 .4 208 171 .78 21 .68 8.5 1.6 8.8 37 6.2 1.0 3.4 68 Per cent of anhv- sidue. 30.2 cl.4 12.2 2.3 12.6 26 1 8.9 1.4 4.9 a Analyses Oct. 18, 1906, to May 14, 1907, by J. R. Evans; May 15 to Oct. 17, 1907, by R. B. Dole, Chase Palmer, and W. D. Collins. Samples collected byW.E. Martin in midstream from the highway bridge. Gage heights measured at same place. 6 Abnormal; computed as HCO in the average. c Fe 2 3 . The waters of Flint River near Albany and Oconee River near Dublin (see Tables 104, 105) are essentially alike in respect to quan- tity and proportion of dissolved matter and show very little increase of mineral content as a result of seepage from the sedimentary formations. As no reliable series of analyses of water from rivers nearer the coast are available it is impossible to state the exact effect of drainage from the later sediments, which contain some calcareous material; but in view of the relatively slight differences between the waters at Albany and Dublin and those from areas of crystalline rocks it may safely be concluded that the proportions of calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate in surface waters nearer the coast are somewhat higher, but that the proportions of other con- stituents are not materially different from those of waters whose analyses are recorded. 504 UNDERGROUND WATERS OP COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The streams frequently carry large quantities of suspended matter, and a high proportion of it is very fine. The relatively low average content of suspended matter recorded for Flint River is due to the fact that sampling of that stream was not carried through the muddy period. Loads of finely divided silt are characteristic of rivers in the Southeastern States and are troublesome in purification plants, where, besides increasing the quantity of suspended matter to be removed, they necessitate the use of a coagulant, as the fine silts pass through slow sand filters and cloud the effluents. Therefore rapid sand filtration preceded by coagulation with aluminum sul- phate has been generally adopted throughout these States in prefer- ence to slow sand filtration. The quantity and the coarseness of the silts might be expected to increase in proportion to the discharge and the velocity of the streams, but such relations are by no means regu- lar. The crests of floods after long periods of low water carry heavy loads of suspended matter, but the loads decrease very rapidly after the crests have passed, and secondary floods do not usually bear proportionate quantities. Because of this and other irregularities the relations of discharge, load, and fineness of suspended matter in these streams can not be mathematically expressed. The same comment applies also to relations between discharge and dissolved solids, for increased discharge may be accompanied by increased or decreased content of dissolved matter. Table 106. — Average composition of the water of rivers in Georgia. Parts per million. Percentage composilion of anhydrous residue. , u , 03 03 03 03 PI ,a 03 03 Pi 03 R PI PI PI P! <*> . t> 03 > j *i u < ol U > 03 03 O PI u . s. ■SB o3<) 1 03 I +^ tfg. <&3 pj > B fe.g I 03 > g 03 -4-3 >3 -O & o ^ Eh Ph Ph ~ (y ^ a 0.1 Tr. 4.0 3.5 121 134 27 85 70 110 40 40 N.C. N. C. Good . Fair . . Low .. do.... Fair Washington Good. Do 6.8 3.5 C264 234 199 175 250 220 30 20 N.C. N.C. Poor.. ...do.. Mod.. ...do.. Do 2 Good. Do .5 12 65 18 30 15 (?) Good . Do. Tr. 5.0 .8 2.0 94 <2 16 21 55 4.0 8.7 70 5 15 20 5 10 (?) N.C. (?) ...do.. ...do ...do.. ...do.. do.. ...do.. Do Bibb Do Do 5.0 Do. Do l.G 38 «23 314 6.0 120 15 170 10 130 N.C. (?) ...do Fair. . do.. Mod.. Do Muscogee .0 Do 5 75 35 average./ a Computed. b N. C.=noncorrosive; (?) =uncertain or doubtful. c P0 4 trace. d Al 0.2 part; free C0 2 0.8 part. e Volatile matter 0.5 part. /Three strongest waters omitted. UPPER CRETACEOUS SERIES. The Upper Cretaceous includes two water-bearing formations, the Bip]ey at the top and the Eutaw at the bottom, but, as few data are available regarding the quality of the water from the Eutaw, the following discussion is confined chiefly to the waters derived from the Ripley, which comprises the Providence sand member at the top, the typical marine beds in the middle, and the Cusseta sand member at the bottom. The marine beds consist of calcareous, micaceous sand, sandy clay, and shell marl with nodular layers of calcareous sand or sandy limestone, but the Providence and Cusseta members, form which most wells are supplied, consist essentially of sand and clay with little or no calcareous material. Thus the waters come into con- tact with relatively little calcareous material, though they are gen- erally of the calcium carbonate type and somewhat higher in mineral content than those in the arkosic sands of the Lower Cretaceous. Wells draw from these beds in the area between Chattahoochee and Ocmulgee rivers southeast of Columbus and north of Albany. Twenty-eight analyses of water that come wholly or chiefly from the Ripley, according to the studies of Stephenson and Veatch, are grouped in Table 108 by counties from north to south. Their waters range wddely in mineral content and in hardness. Those in Houston County of which analyses are recorded are much like those from the Lower Cretaceous arkosic sands. Over the greater part of the area where the Ripley is entered, however, the waters range from 90 to 250 parts in dissolved solids and from 20 to 140 parts in hardness. Most of them are low in iron, chlorine, and sulphate, the latter CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 511 radicle exceeding 25 parts in only two waters. The range in mineral content is most probably due to differences in the lithologic character of the water-bearing strata and to differences in the rate of diffusion from overlying strata. As the beds of the Ripley comprise sands, clays, and marls not uniformly distributed either geographically or stratigraphically local differences in mineralization may be expected; thick beds of sand containing little calcareous material would yield soft waters, whereas beds of sand containing much marl would yield hard waters. Tertiary strata 20 to 500 feet thick, including impure limestones and marl, overlie the greater part of the area where wells draw from the Ripley, and entrance of water from these overlying beds either by seepage or through intentional or accidental perfora- tions of the casings could markedly alter the character of the supply. The water of the springs near Lumpkin, which is exceptionally low in mineral content, comes from the Providence sand member of the Ripley. In the same county, two wells 334 and 425 feet deep, which yield waters that are similar to each other and are much more strongly mineralized than the spring water, are believed to be sup- plied chiefly from the Ripley, which is overlain by the marls and lime- stones of the Midway formation. Well No. 4, at Americus, the prin- cipal water-bearing stratum of which is between 962 and 992 feet, yields water similar to that of well No. 1 and probably derives most of its supply from the Ripley. (See analysis, p. 400.) No explana- tion is apparent for the high mineral content of water from the 1,320- foot stratum of city well No. 2 at Albany, which differs essentially from all other waters from the Cretaceous of Georgia that have been analyzed. The upper strata of the same well, assigned to the Ripley, yield normal water. The only other well whose water approaches it in character is the 350-foot well at Eufaula, Ala. The lowest three lines of Table 108 give the approximate average composition of waters from the Ripley and roughly the range of their constituents. In estimating these amounts the analyses of water from the 1,320-foot stratum at Albany, the 350-foot well at Eufaula, and the springs near Lumpkin have been omitted, because they are so noticeably different from the others. The figures representing average and range of constituents should therefore be interpreted broadly as numerical indications of conditions revealed by the analyses. The average represents especially conditions in the more porous sandy strata of the Ripley formation^ as there is some evidence that the typical marine beds yield more strongly mineralized waters. Most of the waters of the Ripley are fit for domestic use, being mod- erate in mineral content and not too hard, though some are high enough in iron to taste unpleasant and to stain fabrics washed in them. The waters are low in foaming ingredients and probably non- corrosive in boilers, though the hydrogen sulphide reported in so 512 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. many waters may cause trouble. The scale-forming ingredients range from quantities too small to cause appreciable deposits to quantities that might profitably be removed by softening plants before the waters are used in boilers. Table 108. — Chemical composition of water from Ripley formation ( Upper Cretaceous). [Parts per million except as otherwise designated.] County. Location. Owner or source. Depth of well. Depth to principal water- bearing stratum. Date of col- lection. Houston. Do.. Do. Do. Macon. . Do. Do. Do. Marion . Schley.. Sumter . Crisp Stewart . Do.. Do.. Terrell Do Dougherty Do Do Do Calhoun... Do Do Early Clay 'Do.... Barbour... Fort Valley Myrtle, li miles northeast of. Perry Perry, 4f miles southwest of.' Montezuma do Montezuma, 6 miles north of. Oglethorpe Buena Vista, 1 mile north- west of. Ellaville Americus Cordele Lumpkin, 1 mile south- west of. Richland Lumpkin, 3J miles east of south of. Dawson do Albany do Albany, 201 Commerce St Albany Arlington Edison Leary, 4 miles south of. . . Blakely Fort Gaines Town well No. 2 Norwood Spring Town well Southern Mortgage Co. City well City wells C. L. De Vaughn Feet. 400 Feet. Town well . City spring. Town well City well No. 1. Town well Town springs . . 138 381 375 500 125 500 136-138 376-381 375 500 125 500 600 337 735 Town well C. H. Humber. Eufaula, Ala., c 1 southeast of. mile New town well Old town well City well No. 2 do City well Atlantic Ice & Coal Co. Town well do Harper Daniel Town well do do Moulthrop's brickyard. 425 334 447 660 1,320 1,320 840 710 1,173 563 77S 812 650 264 350 a 660-710 6 1,320 840 660 640 550 650 812 May 20,1911 Do. May 30,1911 Apr. 21,1911 Do. Apr. 20,1911 Jan. 24,1913 Apr. 19,1911 Apr. IS, 1911 May 5, 1911 Mar. 28,1911 Jan. 13,1913 Mar. 29,1911 June 10,1911 Apr. 1, 1911 May May May 1,1911 5,1911 8, 1911 264 20-350 June 5, 1911 County. Analyst. o 33 m 0} a o 1— 1 o a o "So § 03 a .a 3 o CO g a a S o "jo "3 -SO o ■3 C3 . 5 "3 03 «o a m 29 5.5 8.5 10 42 40 20 2 5.4 23 16 39 4.0 24 23 27 23 3.0 1.5 5.5 2.0 .4 d3.1 18 .2 5 .4 1.2 Tr. 1.1 4 .4 2.0 2.0 4.4 4.0 14 13 6.4 6.7 5.6 17 46 46 2.0 47 50 39 43 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.0 2.0 1.5 1.6 3.2 6.8 4 2.0 5.2 .5 4.4 4.0 6.0 3.4 5 n 0.O 12 10 5.0 Do do 3.0 6.1 | Tr. 4.0 6.0 22 | 5.3 8.0 40 21 9 5.0 5.8 5.0 7.2 14 14 7.6 1 1.4 7.0 Do W. H. Hollingshead 7.8 Do 24 50 35 38 10 12 25 171 195 12 178 198 176 120 9.0 do 5.0 Do ....do 12 Do... ...do... Do H. C. White 67 E dgar E verhart do Tr. Schley 48 Sumter do Tr. ...do... 6.4 Stewart ....do Tr. Do do 11 Do ....do 12 Terrell do 12 Do do 24. « Second and principal water-bearing stratum. t> Third water-bearing stratum. c Entered under Quitman County. d Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 513 Table 108. — Chemical composition of water fron Ripley formation ( Upper Cretaceous) — Continued. _2 -3 CD a M t3 03 • T3 a County. Analyst. O 35 "5? ft a a 3 '% g a 3 S3 03O oiri ad -gco U CD A a a o SjO A S-3 ft 33 1— 1 03 Q a o m ft 03 O m 3 CO Dougherty H. C.White 9.3 a 2. 6 46 1.9 2.4 140 7.1 Do 14 al.8 4.3 1.8 463 j 29 576 1.4 Do... do 22 16 25 17 18 8.0 4.0 1.0 .4 .2 .6 a. 7 5.0 13 10 37 44 5.4 3.0 6.8 3.0 2.0 5.0 2.0 60 41 57 8.0 17 42 1 9.1 7.0 .0 10 2.0 7.0 .0 160 178 150 134 190 114 25 Do... ...do 14 ...do... 12 Do do 10 Do do 8.0 Early do 11 Clay do 16 30 16 a 3. 6 Tr. 61.9 7.0 10 3.5 1.4 Tr. .8 76 | 9. 1 67 137 1 3.0 98 2.0 190 351 9.4 Do do 11 Pratt Laboratory 5.2 20 3 20 3 20 120 10 Approximate range Highest 40 20 50 10 80 200 70 2 Tr. 2 Tr. 3 10 Tr. County. © 03^ 1 o eg [o -3 03 T3 CD > o m S "el's "c3 O EH C3 V,6 ■S3 a ■oS O ft a u ^ . cb P. "oa-S -2fcb -o a 03 - H .g M It A ft M .3 U . 03 w •2H a CD'S ■§&> J3.S O ft It o cd °Ou Si 03 A O ft CD 'o A t- . 3 >> ■3 3 0? +3 a a 'a M CD PI 3 c3 1 a CD A O 8 a -a . hi * >> "03 3 & Houston 0.5 .2 5.0 5.0 2.2 4.5 4.0 6.8 2.5 27 20 4 3.5 5.5 2.5 4.0 3 3.0 8.2 3.6 69 4.0 3.5 10 4.0 7.5 14 20 12 14 63 40 e57 43 110 /138 132 158 103 92 170 261 9 9 16 14 43 39 23 30 42 59 123 136 7 135 141 122 121 123 18 25 60 37 101 130 22 23 25 12 40 15 20 20 90 80 40 30 30 80 160 180 10 170 180 150 160 150 30 40 70 60 130 160 30 40 60 30 15 10 15 10 15 70 20 110 60 25 15 15 15 20 40 40 25 5 1,330 160 110 150 20 50 140 230 180 380 N.C. (?) Good.. ...do ...do.. Low . . ...do.. Na-C0 3 Good. Do Do. Do 2.1 do .. ...do.. Na-COs Fair. Do Tr. .1 N.C. (?) (?) N.C. C. c. (?) N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. (?) (?) N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C. ...do ...do ...do.. ...do Poor . . ...do.. Good Fair . . ...do Good.. Fair... ...do ...do ...do ...do.. /Very 1 bad. Good.. ...do ...do Fair ...do Good.. Fair... ...do Poor Good. Macon do.. ...do.. do.. Mod.. Ca-COs Na-COs Ca-C0 3 Na-SO 4 Do. Do 2.4 Do. Do 1.5 Poor. Do 7 Good. 50 Tr. Tr. Do. Schley do.. Mod .. ...do.. Mod .. ...do.. ...do .. ...do.. ...do .. }High.. Mod ...do.. ...do .. do.. ...do.. Low . . Mod ...do .. ...do.. Ca-SO-4 Ca-C0 3 do... Ca-C0 3 do... do... do... ...do... Na-COs do ... do... do... Ca-COs do... Na-COs do... do... do... Fair. Sumter Good. Crisp Do. Stewart 1.2 3.0 .1 .4 Do. Do 209 211 202 174 160 1,159 174 193 233 162 186 3140 248 238 387 Do. Do Fair. Terrell Good. Do Do. Dougherty Do .2 Tr. 7.8 Do. Bad. Do .4 1.2 .1 .1 . 2 Fair. Do Good. Calhoun Do. Do Do. Do Do. Early Tr. 6.3 Do. Clay Do. Do Do. Barbour 33 Do. Approximate 8 30 2 150 260 40 average. A p p r o x i mate range: Highest Lowest a Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. 6Fe+Al. c Computed. d C=corrosive; N. C.=noncorrosive; (?) =uncertain or doubtful. « Al 2.8, Li trace, Zn 9.4 parts. 7 Free CO*, 2.0 parts. g Free CO2, 55 parts. 38418"— wsp 341—15- -33 514 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Analyses are available of only two waters known to be derived from the Eutaw formation and these are entered in Table 109. A larger number of analyses would undoubtedly show that the waters of this aquifer are similar in composition and usefulness to those of the sandy members of the Ripley formation, which comprise beds of similar lithologic character. Table 109. — Chemical composition of water from the Eutaw formation ( Upper Cretaceous). [Edgar Everhart, analyst. Parts per million except as otherwise designated.] Depth of well (feet) Depth to principal water-bearing stratum (feet) Date of collection Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium and potassium (Na+ K) Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) Sulphate radicle (SO4) Nitrate radicle (N O3) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids Total hardness as CaCOso. Probable scale-forming ingredients a Probable foaming ingredients o Probability of corrosion a Quality for boiler use Mineral content Chemical character Quality for domestic use 3S5 270 110 270 Mar. 28, 1911. June 4,1911. 40 26 16 .2 2.4 12 2.8 .5 6.0 62 .0 7.0 37 170 22 23 2.0 2 3.5 5.0 126 197 17 32 50 60 15 170 Noncorrosive. Noncorrosive. Good. Good. Low. Moderate. Na-S0 4 . Na-C0 3 . Poor. Good. a Computed. 1. Well of Mrs. L. W. Adams, 5 miles northwest of Cusseta, Chattahoochee County. 2. Well of W. C. Bradley, 5 miles north of Omaha, Stewart County. EOCENE SERIES. MIDWAY FORMATION. The Midway, comprising ferruginous sand and local beds of clay together with marl, calcareous quartzite, and limestone that is gen- erally highly arenaceous, outcrops in a narrow belt in the southwest part of the State west of Ocmulgee River. The analyses of water in Table 110 are too few to permit many general statements regarding the character of the supplies, but they are apparently similar in composition and concentration to those from the Ripley — moderately mineralized, moderate in their content of scale-forming ingredients, not likely to foam nor cause corrosion in boilers, and, except those that carry much iron, entirely acceptable for domestic use. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 515 Table 110. — Chemical composition of water from the Midway formation {Eocene). [Edgar Evt-rhart, analyst. Parts per million except as otherwise designated.] Depth of well (feet) Depth to principal water-bearing stratum (feet) Date of collection Silica (Si0 2 ) Iron(Fe) Calcium (Ca).. Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium ( K) Carbonate radicle (CO3) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) Sulphate radicle (SO4) Nitrate radicle (NO3) Chlorine (CI) Total dissolved solids Total hardness as CaC03 c Probable scale-forming ingredients c Probable foaming ingredients c ; Probability of corrosion c Quality for boiler use Mineral content Chemical character Quality for domestic use Spring. Apr., 1910. 4.4 7.0 2.S 1.2 5.6 2/6 .0 26 .7 12 6 50 11 15 20 Noncorrosive. Good. Low. Fair. 265 240-265 Apr. 20,1911. 27 3.0 34 3.0 \ 8.0 .0 134 6.0 1.5 3.5 179 97 130 20 Noncorrosive. Fair. Moderate. Ca-C0 3 . Good. 485 27 o4.6 47 1.4 4.8 1.9 134 12 5.4 174 123 170 20 Uncertain. Fair. Moderate. Ca-COs. Fair. June 1, 1911 18 4.0 47 6.0 } » .0 200 8.0 .5 4.0 208 142 170 40 Noncorrosive. Fair. Moderate. Ca-COs. Fair. a Fe 2 3 +Al 2 03. b Al 0.5 part; free CO2 41 parts. c Computed. 1. Spring of Ida Munro, | mile west of Putnam, Marion County. 2. Well of Clark & Spann, Plains, Sumter County. 3. Town well, Shellman, Randolph County. 4. Well of Callahan-Powell Co., 6 J miles east of Blakely, Early County. CLAIBORNE GROUP. The Claiborne group comprises at the top the Barnwell sand, which consists of beds of marine sand, thin beds of silicified limestone or chert, sandstone, and quartzite, and at the bottom the McBean forma- tion, which is mainly sand or clayey marl, sandy clay, and fuller's earth. Though the beds of the Claiborne group extend across the State, nearly all the Claiborne waters of which analyses are available are from wells in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain, one well in Ware County and one in Clay County being the only exceptions. Three spring waters from the Claiborne (see Table 111) are very low in mineral content, but the other waters from this group range from 150 to 250 parts per million in total solids and from 90 to 160 parts in total hardness; in other words, they are moderately mineralized hard calcium carbonate waters rather high in scale-forming ingre- dients, but not likely to foam or be corrosive in boilers. They may be classed as generally fair for boiler use and good for domestic use. Some are reported to contain hydrogen sulphide but not in sufficient quantity to render them nauseating. These analyses are typical of waters from strata containing large proportions of calcareous mate- rial. As the waters from the Claiborne at Davisboro are not essen- tially different from those believed to come from the Lower Cretaceous at Oconee and Sanders ville in the same county, it is possible that the calcareous waters of the Claiborne have essentially modified the purer 516 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. supplies of the Cretaceous. The water from the well in the Claiborne at Beach is like that from the Jackson at Waycross in the same county. Table 111. — Chemical composition of water from the Claiborne group (Eocene). [Parts per million except as otherwise designated.] County. Location. Owner or source. Depth of well. Depth to principal water- bearing stratum. Date of collection. Richmond. Burke Do Screven Jenkins Do Jefferson Do Do Washington . Do Johnson Do Ware Clay Do 9 miles south of Augusta.. 1 mile northeast of Shell Bluff. Waynesboro 3 miles northeast of Mears. Millen Perkins Avera Louisville Wadley Davisboro 4 miles west of Davisboro. Wrightsville do Beach Bluffton do Windsor Spring, W. H. T. Walker. Cox Spring Feet. Feet. Southern Cotton Oil Co. . . Mears & Sanders City well W. E. Rushing T. S. Ivey; Omaha Spring. Well at fair grounds 200 470 500 371 565 ±300 Town well , Spring of W. J. Henderson. Town well do McMillan & Co J. E. Mansfield Town spring 325 200-300 170-330 88-325 a 409 578 850 60 170, 409 430,578 850 60 June, 1909 1907 Apr. 25,1911 June 3, 1911 Do. Apr., 1909 Apr. 30,1911 Dec. 17,1912 June 1,1911 Do. County. Analyst. 2 35 a 55 a o "o? O '3 O "So a a> S C3 ■a o 02 g J 1 o '■3 So o '•3 s "3 '■3 a, 02 H. C.White 3.9 7.4 16 28 38 11 5.0 39 13 13 17 25 13 44 12 36 6 0. 2 2.8 6 6.1 1.0 6 1.2 .5 .4 6 4.1 6 1.8 6 4.0 6.6 4.0 2.3 3.0 .2 .4 3.4 50 62 44 40 64 1.0 33 57 59 56 58 62 33 47 3.0 0.6 1.3 2.0 2.0 3.6 1.0 1.0 1.4 3.1 • 1.8 .9 2.0 2.2 16 2.0 Tr. 0.8 1.6 3.6 0.4 .8 1.7 0.0 .6 .0 .0 .0 47 .0 105 .0 .0 .0 .0 2.0 .0 12 161 201 156 132 183 8.0 191 173 207 190 193 158 18 1.6 .5 Do .do 3.7 ....do 14 5.6 | 2.4 4.0 2.0 6.0 .do 11 Do .do 26 .do 1.0 Do .... ...do 3.1 8.9 14 1.6 2.8 3.0 3.7 .6 9.4 Do ..do 11 .do 7.2 Do ....do 1.4 ....do 5.0 5.4 25 14 8.0 Tr. Do H. C. White 15 Edgar Everhart 27 Clay . .do 8.0 Do. .do.... 3.0 Approximate Approximate range Highest 20 40 4 2 50 60 1 2 20 Tr. 10 30 1 170 200 10 10 30 Tr. a Slits in casing admit water from 170-foot stratum; water is therefore a mixture. 6 Fe 2 03+Al 2 3 . CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 517 Table 111- -Chemica composition of water from the Claiborne group (Eocene)— -Con. , CO , , County. a -a s "3 o > "2 "go So >d o ■3 • .2-3 g'3 W CO a la. 03 CO CD o o Co g.2 CD o CD 14 CD O 03 o 1 1 ■d . o3 w .9 ft "3 o 03 C3"" 1 is 3 ■2 ° 03 fc. CD >> —I -n ,d o CD o a s j9 ,d 3 'A o Ph H H fr PM Ph P4 0? ■3 a 0? 1.2 5.2 7.0 c20 dl47 198 11 130 163 82 15 160 200 5 5 15 1& N.C. Good.. Fair ...do.. Low . Good. do. Mod.. Ca-C0 3 . ...do.... Do. Do Do. Tr. 3.5 8.0 190 175 118 115 160 160 40 20 N.C. (?) ...do ...do.. do. ...do . ...do.... ...do.... Do. Jenkins Do. Do .2 4.0 6.0 4.0 8.2 4.7 5.6 3.0 3.3 Tr. Tr. 200 20 152 191 213 166 164 7 88 155 155 144 13 5 200 10 140 190 190 180 10 5 15 30 50 5 P N.C. 1& 1&. N.C. N.C. ...do Good.. Fair... ...do ...do ...do.. ,do. Low.. ...do.... Do. Do. Do Mod.. do. do. ...do. Ca-COs. . ...do.... ...do.... ...do.... Do. Do Do. Do. Do Do. .2 9.5 5.6 226 e241 153 164 (/) 200 200 15 15 ...do.. ...do.. ...do. ...do. ...do.... ...do.... Do. Do Do. Ware .0 .3 4.0 12 3.0 4.0 249 174 80 148 126 8 170 150 40 70 40 20 ...do ...do.. Good.. do. ...do. Low.. ...do.... ...do.... Na-COs. Do. Clay Do. Do Do. Approximate b 19U Ap proximate range: 10 1 250 20 " Computed. b N. C.=noneorrosive; (?)=uncertain or doubtful. c Volatile matter, 2.1 parts. d Al, 1.6 parts. e Organic and volatile matter, 41 parts. / Present. JACKSON FORMATION. The Jackson, the highest formation of the Eocene series, consists mainly of soft limestone and calcareous glauconitic sandy clay. Five analyses of water from wells tapping it in the central part of the State and two of water from a well in Ware County much nearer the coast are recorded in Table 112. Some water from the overlying Vicksburg (Oligocene) probably enters the wells at Dublin. Except the spring water at Americus, which is very low in mineral content, all waters from the Jackson for which analyses are available are hard, moder- ately high in scale-forming constituents, low in alkalies, and rather poor for boiler use in their natural state, though capable of being rendered thoroughly satisfactory by softening. All are acceptable for domestic use except that from the Bahnsen well, which is high in iron. The limestones and calcareous sands of the Jackson are the evident source of the hardening constituents. The water of the Bahnsen well, except for its content of iron, is similar to that from wells tapping other formations near Americus, and the water from the Jackson at Waycross is similar to that from the Claiborne. Consequently it seems fair to conclude that the water from the Jackson is locally similar to that from other Eocene strata. The figures in Table 112, showing the approximate average mineral content of waters from the Jackson, have been rounded off to avoid appearance of undue accuracy. 518 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OP GEORGIA. Table 112. — Chemical composition of water from the Jackson formation (Eocene). [Parts per million except as otherwise designated.] County. Location. Owner or source. Depth of well. Depth to principal water- bearing- stratum. Date of col- lection. Dublin Feet. Feet. 185-295 Do Tingle, 7 miles southwest of Dublin. Jeptha Tingle 242 1S9 180 May 11,1911 June 5, 1911 189 177-180 Sumter Americus, 1 J miles south of P. F. Bahnsen Dec. 16,1912 Do Apr. 19,1911 Apr. 8, 1911 Ware Waycross Town wells (2) 700 700 699 670-700 670-700 650-699 Do do ..do Brooks Quitman Town well County. Analyst. 6 w 03 s a o o Q "St I 3 a IS? | O g 3 O P4 03 "o o o E-i i u o ~ -So 03O ■fl 03 3° o Eh If " 3 m ,0-9+2 2-2 -3 On .2 O 2 CD CD 5. a o 03 £ ^< Pn a> '0 ,a tV3 3 0? a "3 fH C3 M (3 — . " I CD .3 O O 3 3 O 1 5.6 5.0 3.5 4.0 3.0 20 3.6 4.6 e231 256 134 209 50 296 /177 159 185 157 117 117 9 174 137 136 230 210 150 143 25 190 170 150 25 20 15 40 15 CO 10 25 (?) N. C. N. C. n. a N. C. ( P (?) (?) Poor.. ...do Fair... ...do.. Good.. Fair... ...do.. ...do Mod .. do .. Low Mod.. Low .. Mod.. ...do.. do.. Ca-C0 3 .. ...do ...do ...do Na-COs . Ca-CC-3- - ...do.... ...do Good. Do Tr. 0.2 .0 Tr. .0 Do. Dooly. Do. Poor. Do Good. Do. Do Do. Do. Approximate 5 200 a One of the wells of the municipal water supply, which range from 300 to 850 feet in depth. b Fe 2 03+Al 2 03. c Computed. <*N. C.=noncorrosive; (?)=uncertain or doubtful. « Free C0 2 64 parts. / Organic and volatile matter 16 parts. MISCELLANEOUS STRATA. The strata of Eocene age include the Midway, Wilcox, McBean, Barnwell, and Jackson formations, whose waters, except those from the Wilcox, are considered under separate headings. The Wilcox, CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATERS. 519 which overlies the Midway formation, includes lignitic and glauco- nitic clay somewhat like fuller's earth and unconsolidated sand and clay, but little is known in regard to the quality of its waters. Besides the analyses reported under the headings above mentioned, sixteen analyses of waters from Eocene strata that could not be defi- nitely identified are available, and these are grouped in Table 113. The well at Byromville yields water essentially like that from the well at Unadilla in the same county, which taps the Jackson formation. The well at Pembroke is reported to receive water from three hori- zons, and its chief source can not be identified. The wells at States- boro and at Adel present the recorded extremes of mineral content; as both, according to Stephenson, are probably from the upper part of the Eocene they may be noted as examples of the wide range of mineralization that waters from a given formation may acquire from local differences in composition of the water-bearing beds, in quan- tity of seepage from other formations, and in other conditions. Two waters reported to be from the Eocene at Leesburg differ mark- edly in composition, that from the shallower well being somewhat lower in mineral content but nearly twice as hard as that from the deeper well. Table 113.— Chemical composition of water from undifferentiated Eocene strata [Parts per million except as otherwise designated.] County. Location. Owner or source. Depth of well. Depth to principal water- bearing stratum. Date of collection. Baker. Ben Hill Berrien Bryan Bulloch Decatur Do Dooly Grady Lee Do Do Montgomery . Toombs. Wayne.. Do.. Newton Fitzgerald Adel Pembroke Statesboro Bainbridge do Byromville Cairo Armena Leesburg do Lumber City, 5 northeast of. Lyons Jesup Mount Pleasant.... Public well Town well .....do U.S. Williams.. W. D. Davis Town well do .....do Public well I. P.Cocke Public well City light plant . McArthur Town well.. do L. R. Akin. Feet. 825 825 675 520 320 900 1,250 1,100 750 290 540 300 900 406 675 730 Feet. . 520 280 370 370 320 750 290 890-900 400 -406 600 -670 June 13,1911 Dec. 17,1912 May 30,1911 May 13,1911 Mar., 1909 Apr. 17,1911 Apr. 15,1911 Dec. 14,1912 Dec. 23,1912 520 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 113- -Chemical composition of water from undifferentiated Eocene strata — Con. |3 -S 3 2 u < ^ s ^ k O 03 O O >. "(5 3 a o 3 CJ 3 o 3 CJ a CD S3 "3 3 y A o ;H e Ph fc F4 Cm 0? § CJ & 7.0 20 21 190 dll8 972 24 71 670 74 28 40 80 610 160 25 60 N.C. ( c ?) Fair... Good.. Bad... Mod.. Low. . High.. Na-C0 3 . Ca-C0 3 . Ca-S0 4 .. Good. Ben Hill Fair. Berrien 0.0 Poor. 3.0 10 6.8 21 17 15 171 69 293 e221 137 88 7 174 73 109 3.0 110 50 190 90 110 60 15 70 150 20 N.C. C. N.C. (?) Fair... Poor. . Fair... ...do.. ...do.. Mod.. Low. . Mod.. ...do... ...do... Ca-C0 3 .. Na-CL. . Ca-C0 3 .. Na-C0 3 . Ca-C0 3 . Good. Bulloch Fair. Do. Do Good. Dooly .1 Do. Grady .2 19 342 184 200 80 (?) ...do... ...do.. Ca-SO^.. Do. 6.3 5.2 3.0 9.0 174 195 169 183 153 79 140 56 22 190 120 180 70 5 90 10 90 N.C. N.C. ...do.. ...do... ...do.. Good.. ...do... ...do.„ ...do... ...do.. Ca-CO-, . Na-C0 3 . Ca-C0 3 .. Na-C0 3 . Do. Do.. Fair. Do Good. Montgomery . . . .1 Do. Toombs .1 11 112 27 40 100 N.C. ...do.. Low. . ...do Do. Tr.. Tr.. 7.0 18 229 303 129 176 130 170 70 70 N.C. (?) Fair... ...do.. Mod.. ...do... Ca-C0 3 .. ...do.... Fair. Do Do. a Fe 2 3 +Al 2 3 . t> Computed. c C»=corrosive; N.C.=noncorrosive; (?)=uncertain or doubtful. d P0 4 trace. e Organic and volatile matter 1.0 part. OLIGOCENE SERIES. VICKSBTJRG FORMATION. The Vicksburg formation is chiefly soft heavy-bedded limestone overlain by beds of sand and clay. The limestone has been extensively dissolved by percolating waters charged with carbon dioxide, and there- fore much of its water circulates in open channels and caverns instead of slowly filtering, as in sand. Consequently the chances of pollution of these sources through sink holes and other underground passages are worth attention, for polluted water can be carried long distances CHEMICAL CHARACTER OE WATERS. 521 in a very short time through limestone channels without being purified any more than if it were passing through an iron pipe. The oppor- tunities of such contamination are of course greatest where the forma- tion is exposed and least where it is deeply buried. To determine whether or not the circulating waters at any given place are polluted chemical analyses are practically useless, but much may be learned by bacteriologic examinations and by using fluorescein or other dye3 to trace the underground courses. The wells tapping the Vicksburg are scattered over the southeast half of the Coastal Plain, some being almost on the seacoast. Analyses of water from 28 of them, given, in Table 114, show more plainly than the analyses heretofore considered the effect of contact with calcareous material. None of them contains less than 100 parts per million of total solids, and all but 6 exceed 100 parts in hardness. Springs from earlier formations yield waters very low in mineral content, but springs from the Vicksburg yield hard waters comparable in most respects to those from wells. Lovett Spring, issuing from the cavernous limestone of the Vicksburg, yields water much more strongly mineralized than that from two other springs in Laurens County; and the springs at Coney and Albany yield similarly hard waters. The well waters range generally in dissolved solids from 100 to 300 parts per million and in hardness from 70 to 200 parts. One unusually strong water, from the town well at St. Marys, contains 504 parts per million of total solids. The close similarity of the waters from three different horizons in the old town well at Valdosta furnishes no basis for the belief that mineral content increases with depth of source. On the other hand, the great difference in content of iron between the two waters from Mr. Brown's wells near Philema attests the effect of local differences in the formation. The supplies from the Vicksburg are distinctly calcium carbonate waters of moderate mineral content. They are generally hard but not too hard for domestic use, and they are acceptable if they do not also contain enough iron to taste unpleasant. They carry enough scale-forming matter to make softening advisable before they are used for boiler feed, but they are not likely to foam or cause corrosion. They may be classed as fair or poor for boilers in their natural state, but they can be rendered entirely satisfactory by preliminary treat- ment. The high sulphate content of some of the waters renders them less desirable for industrial use, for waters high in sulphate deposit a harder scale in boilers than those proportionately higher in car- bonates. All the waters are low in chloride. The figures at the bottom of the table, which represent numerically the average chemi- cal composition of the waters from the Vicksburg, have been rounded off to indicate approximate conditions and should not be too literally interpreted. 522 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. Table 114. — Chemical composition of water from the Vicksburg formation (Oligocene). [Paris per million except as otherwise designated.] County. Location. Owner or source. Depth of well. Depth to principal water- bearing stratum. Date of collection. Idylwild, 3 miles south of Wrightsville. Lovett Feet. 305 Spring. 158 643 137.5 396 Feet. 100 L. P. Fordham July, 1909 Mar., 1910 Chester Carson Naval Stores Co. 158 482-643 136-137. 5 375 Hazelhurst Apr. 6,1911 July 10,1911 Dooly Vienna, 5 miles north- west of. Do Coney, 2 miles west of. . Ashburn Spring of Georgia Land Corporation. June 10,1911 Turner 500 355 142 114 550 368 572.5 500 June 15,1911 Ocilla do Apr. 4,1911 Mar. 30,1911 Philema Quarters Starr farm near Phile- ma. Tifton Do do Do. Tift 300-550 330-368 340-512 20-30 May 24,1911 Do do H. H. Tift Do do Tifton Ice & Power Co. . Albany, 4 miles south of Apr. 1,1911 407 500 522 522 522 320 Valdosta Public well 360-500 360 460 515 130-320 Do do Do do do Do do.... do Do Do do Town well No. 2 Mitchell City well 297 246.5 (a) 100-297 140 ( Q ) 500± 500-522 June 7, 1911 Miller Colquitt Town well Dec. 23,1912 Chatham City wells Apr. 11,1911 1886 Do do Camden St. Marys 522 May 6, 1911 County. Analyst. O 33 p b a o 1— 1 3 3 .s < 'c? '3 O Si a CD a 03 3 g, CO g •6 a . ©O Is .a 03 O T3 03 • *-* T* 03O fit! ■°^ S3 3 ■3 03 . oO 03 GO n J. M. McCandless Edgar E verhart do 35 17 28 24 20 11 34 26 18 13 12 28 16 16 12 31 15 6.7 8.0 12 20 20 20 23 6.0 58 55 43 6 1.0 .1 1.4 .4 Tr. 6 2.9 .4 .4 1.5 12 1.5 .2 .1 6 3.8 .4 .3 6 6.1 1.2 1.1 1.4 618 61.6 6 1.4 .8 .5 1.0 6.4 .4 5.3' ".6 .5 .9 35 50 35 52 48 44 56 24 34 49 44 44 73 35 49 50 25 42 35 41 40 48 48 46 40 26 25 73 0.8 .2 1.4 4.0 8.0 1.1 .4 7.0 6.2 2.0 3.2 2.0 .8 4.9 2.4 16 3.1 .6 . 7 .7 4.0 22 22 1.0 2.5 10 7.2 8.0 2 2 2.5 .0 .0 Tr. 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 116 34 .0 .0 56 48 56 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 2.0 87 144 112 178 170 134 159 117 158 178 166 181 178 136 61 128 179 159 150 148 170 0.6 5.0 1 0. 4 2. 4 | .5 18 ' 6.0 4.6 6.0 8.0 5.6 4.0 2.9 18 8. 3 | 4.1 8 3.8 2.6 Dodge 1.3 do 9.0 Dooly do 3.0 do 4.4 Do do 9.0 Turner do 8.0 do Tr. do 2.0 Do do 4.8 Tift do 6.0 Do H. C. White 12 Do Boiler Compound Co. Edgar E verhart do 49 2.0 4.3 2.8 3.5 3.1 2.3 5.4 9.0 7.8 .6 1.1 .4 .5 .3 2.0 2.6 2.1 72 do 24 Do H. C. White ■ 13 Do do 12 Do do 14 Thomas do 8.8 Do 81 Do do 82 Mitchell do 3.0 6.0 17 10 | 1.7 60 5.0 do Tr. Chatham do 8.0 Do... C. F. Chandler Edgar E verhart 11 .0 152 170 20 60 10 1 10 Tr. 40 70 25 5 20 1 10 20 2 140 200 60 20 Approximate range Highest 80 Tr. « Twelve wells 475-500+ feet deep and one well 1,550 feet deep. The 1,550-foot well probably enters the Cretaceous, but the others draw from the Vicksburg. 6 Fe203+Al203. CHEMICAL CHARACTER OP WATERS. 523 Table 114. — Chemical composition of water from the Vicksburg formation (Oligo- cene) — Continued. County. a "o3 5 .S t-i o 3 o "g hi 03 o>o ft o ,=> CM "o >C flS o3 c3 .2 8 PI 03 60 O "o .is 03 B A to go fl 03 "3 EH ►4 •3 . SO €s 03^ O T} a -O 03 . County. Analyst. O 53 (2 o a 3 'o "3 o a 2 a a 3 a-' si 03 53 a o 03 3 '•5 o m 03 o Ah o u 03 O s XI f Camden Edgar Everhart 36 0.4 45 26 1 7 0.0 178 92 do 14 21 26 28 34 .4 .1 .4 13 .2 54 51 54 23 25 4.0 7.3 7.2 9.1 11 3.0 12 1 2.5 24 7.0 4.1 | .7 12 .0 .0 .0 .0 185 198 209 120 136 1.0 Worth . . . ...do... .7 Do... ...do 2.0 ...do... Tr. ...do 12 Approximate 25 40 10 15 170 o -a CD 03 -2"^ 60 a u CD 8 County. T3 03 d "3 5 CD a > "3 -So 03O -C 03 03 • S a e - 3 a a to o S o 11 o O CD i? 3 5 CD CD 03 CD ■a* o 1 a o T3 cd 71 o o a> CD K O Eh &H fH fin Ah o? ^ o & Camden 1.5 14 323 219 210 50 (?) Poor . . Mod.. Ca-S0 4 .. Good. Wilcox .2 3.5 190 151 180 10 (?) Fair... ...do... Ca-C0 3 .. Do. Worth 7.0 35 c204 03 ®9 9 03 County. Analyst. O ^ O H 3 & a -2d nW «o Ph .2 "3 o 8 a 39. O*-' 32 03 g g n a c3 3 •■3 o m C3 O Ph O .o 03 Q t;.2 03 O O—i 3 f CO Bulloch 4.8 83 3.5 a34 l.l 34 0.6 7.2 4.5 12 0.3 4.6 0.0 74 158 9 Coffee do 2.6 Do... ...do 36 50 44 30 1 a4.2 2.0 al.3 37 36 43 46 11 6.2 8.0 8.0 6.0 20 | 7.1 18 11 .0 2.5 78 160 149 207 27 ...do 3.9 Telfair... ...do.... 2.0 Do Dearborn Chemical Co. . . 14 Do Edgar Everhart 38 .4 54 6.0 12 Tr. 246 2.0 Do ...do 8.3 all 40 5.1 8.1 2.6 58 30 CD <0 03 ^3 bo a o <2 County. •■3 03 d 5 "So go -d os ,-.0 tn SO .si § "3 03-2 *— CD 2 £ o 03 •- o s "3 o o "3 03 a "3-w a o ti t».2 2 o 03 03 °a§ •° a ,Q a a o o o p 3 £ o Eh H Ah Ph Ph a § o a? Bulloch 6.3 10 5.0 29 10 18 8.0 10 d29 e266 210 229 262 /210 272 180 5 114 138 115 140 148 160 121 10 200 160 170 180 180 210 130 15 40 15 70 50 30 30 30 N.C. N.C. (?) N.C. N.C. (?) N.C. N.C. Good . Fair... ...do... ...do... ...do... ...do Poor . . Fair Low .. Mod... ...do... ...do... ...do... ...do... ...do... do... Na-C0 3 . Ca-C0 3 . ...do ...do ...do ...do ...do ...do Fair. Coffee Bad. Do 0.2 Good. Fair. Telfair Tr. Good. Do Do. Do .5 Do. Do Poor. a Fe 2 03+Al 2 3 . b Computed. c N. C.=noncorrosive; (?)=uncertain or doubtful. d Al 0.2 part. e Free C0 2 42 parts. / Organic and volatile matter 4.0 parts. UNDIFFERENTIATED OLIGOCENE TO PLEISTOCENE, INCLUSIVE. Analyses of waters from certain deposits, to which no specific name has been given but which have been grouped as " undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive," are given in Table 118. The CHEMICAL CHARACTER OP WATERS. 527 nature of these deposits is discussed on page 94, and many shallow wells in central Georgia enter them. The few available analyses indicate that water from these beds is generally good for boiler and domestic uses, being usually low in mineral content and relatively soft. Table 118. — Analyses of water from "undifferentiated Oligocene to Pleistocene, inclusive.'" [Parts per million.] County. Screven Jenkins Emanuel Liberty Laurens Montgomery Coflee Tift Clinch Toombs Location. Eureka Spring, 12 miles south of Syl- vania. Thrift, 1 mile east of. . Magnolia Spring, 4 miles southeast of Stillmore. Donald, 10 miles north- west of Ludowici. Lovett, J mile south- west of. Higgston, near Douglas,2 miles east of. Tifton, 4 miles west of. Argyle, near. . Norman town. Owner. H. S. White... Jones's spring . T.J.Harrington. O. W. Parker... W.A.Calhoun.. Gaskins Spring. . Murrow Mineral Spring Co. J. M. and C. S. Meadows. Depth of well. Spring . . . Spring . ..do... .do- Spring. ..do.... Date of col- lection. July, 1909 Sept., 1909 Apr. 5,1911 Apr. 3,1911 Aug., 1909 Analyst. Edgar Everhart. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. s> o T3 t3 T3 S 03 o3 •n «i ^ ^ M 03 . County. 2 ft 1 03 a .2 03 I a -SO o3Q d CD CO 03 o 03 CD 3 CO a o a 3 < '3 "ol Q a 03 •3 o m 1 o ft 03 O 03 CD 5 ft ■3 to c3 Screven 5.2 6.3 0.1 1.4 0.2 3.4 0.4 61 1.4 Jenkins 6.0 .8 2.5 .6 5.9 .4 28 1.8 Emanuel 5.0 1.0 .2 .3 1.6 .5 4.2 .4 Liberty 8.5 3.5 .2 2.0 1.6 4.7 .4 114 .9 Laurens 14 .2 1.5 .8 2.8 .1 10 2.4 Montgomery.. 10 30 Tr. .7 .1 1.9 Tr. 36 Tr. Coflee 12 22 7.7 Tr. .2 9.1 2.6 2.0 38 .8 1.0 2.0 .5 6 6 4 9 0.0 .0 11 154 144 Tr. Tr. 1.4 1.0 Tift Tr. Clinch Toombs 2.4 .5 .1 1.8 .7 3.2 .3 28 1.4 County. ■d 8 if) a © "3 13 o o 5 "o3 a t. o to .a o r| > o "oS o 03 i_.T3 o ° H 03 '— 3 -§ ,g M g si Is S3 a "5 o o CD .9 o "c3 £ O O a 03 O EH En ft ft ft o 1 a o 5.0 33 4.3 10 10 N. C. Good . Low .. Na-C0 3 . 8.9 34 8.7 16 17 N. C. ...do.. ...do.. ...do.... 4.0 15 1.7 7 5.7 N. C. ...do.. ...do.. Na-Cl . 8.7 41 12 21 14 N. C. ...do.. ...do.. Na-C0 3 . 4.4 30 7 22 7.8 N. C. ...do.. ...do.. ...do.... 2.8 86 2.2 12 5.1 N. C. ...do.. ...do.. ...do.... 5.0 36 9.1 22 16 *\ ...do.. ...do.. ...do.... 3.0 168 103 142 16 Fair .. Mod.. Ca-COg . 10 69 4.0 12 13 N. C. Good . Low .. Na-C0 3 . 5.2 20 11 9.4 N. C. ...do ...do.. do.... CD o 3 CD §a Q? Screven Jenkins Emanuel Liberty Laurens Montgomery Coffee Tift Clinch Toombs Fair. Good. Do. Do. Do. Bad. Good. Do. Poor. Good. a Computed. 6 NC.=noncorrosive; (?) uncertain or doubtful. 528 UNDEEGEOUND WATEES OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEOEGIA. SUMMAEY. Tho averages computed from Tables 107 to 116, inclusive, and col- lected in Table 119 show some striking general similarities and differ- ences in the waters from the various formations of the Coastal Plain. The Chattahoochee and the Vicksburg, both of which include massive beds of limestone, yield waters of practically the same composition; the composition of individual waters from either formation has far greater range than the general differences between the averages. The rather meager information regarding waters from the Alum Bluff indicates that they are somewhat softer than those from other forma- tions of the Oligocene. The three averages portraying the quality of waters from Eocene formations show that the supplies from that series are generally similar in composition to those from Oligocene strata. The waters from the Jackson formation and the formations of the Claiborne group have wider range of mineral content than those from the Chattahoochee and the Vicksburg formations, but the averages show that the waters from all four formations have prac- tically the same general characteristics. Apparently the differences in composition that may be found from place to place in waters from a given formation, and those that may be found in waters from various horizons of Eocene and Oligocene formations at a given place, are much greater than the general differences between supplies from the various water-bearing beds. Evidently, then, no particular for- mation of these two series yields markedly superior or inferior water, and choice of the proper horizon to tap for domestic or industrial supplies must depend on local conditions. The formations of the Oligocene and Eocene series furnish rather hard calcium carbonate waters of moderate mineral content, practically all of which are acceptable for domestic use. Most of them should be softened before being used in boilers, as they carry appreciable quantities of scale-forming matter. Table 119. — Approximate chemical composition of waters from the chief water-bearing strata. [Parts per million.] Source. Num- ber of analy- ses. Silica. (Si0 2 ). Iron (Fe). Cal- cium (Ca). Magne- sium (Mg). Sodium and po- tassium (Na+K). Bicar- bonate radicle (HCO,). Sul- phate radicle (SO,). Chlo- rine (CI). Total dis- solved solids. Chattahoochee . . Vicksburg 7 28 46 7 16 46 25 7 25 20 25 25 20 20 20 20 1 4 3 2 3 3 40 40 40 40 50 40 20 10 10 5 5 5 2 5 3 2 15 10 10 10 10 15 20 10 170 140 140 150 170 170 120 45 20 20 10 10 15 10 5 8 5 8 5 5 8 8 5 200 190 190 200 190 200 150 Arkosic sands... 75 a Includes undifferentiated strata of the Alum Bluff, Chattahoochee, and Vicksburg formations. b Includes undifferentiated strata of the Jackson, Midway, and Wilcox formations and the Claiborne group. CHEMICAL CHAEACTER OP WATERS. 529 Though the waters from the Ripley, like those from later forma- tions, differ much from one another in composition, they are as a class noticeably lower in mineral content and softer than waters from Tertiary rocks. The average total solids in supplies from the Ripley is 50 parts per million less than that in supplies from the Vicksburg; the content of calcium is half as great; and there is almost a corre- sponding difference in bicarbonates. For industrial uses, therefore, waters from the sand beds of the Ripley are generally better than those from later formations. Waters from typical marine beds of the Ripley are possibly more strongly mineralized. The waters from the arkosic sands of the Lower Cretaceous are lowest of all in mineral content, as may be expected from the fact that these beds contain relatively little calcareous material. The presence of hydrogen sulphide gas and excessive amounts of iron has been reported in waters from all formations of the Coastal Plain. The gas imparts an objectionable odor to some of the waters and may cause corrosion of boilers and water mains. Iron when present in amounts exceeding 2 or 3 parts per million is likely to be perceptible to the taste and to cause stains on fabrics washed in the water. The waters in the limestones and other calcareous deposits of the Coastal Plain of Georgia are much alike in composition, but they differ materially from the waters in the older, harder, and more compact limestones of other parts of the United States. This is clearly shown in Table 120, in which the average composition of sup- plies from the Vicksburg is compared with that of supplies from the "Niagara" limestone of southwestern Ohio 1 and with that from limestones yielding fresh water in north-central Indiana. 2 The Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian limestones from which fresh water is obtained in Indiana are compact, massive, and generally fine grained and dolomitic in many places. The "Niagara" of southwestern Ohio is a massive granular to compact Silurian lime- stone containing a rather large percentage of magnesium. The Vicksburg formation is softer, coarser, and much lower in magnesian content. These differences are reflected in the composition of the waters from these beds; waters from the Vicksburg contain only about one-eighth as much magnesium as calcium, whereas waters from the older limestones of the Central States contain one-third to one-half as much magnesium as calcium. The waters from the Vicksburg are much lower in total mineral content and in all con- stituents except silica, which though exhibiting local differences seems to be relatively constant, irrespective of the range of other 1 Dole, R. B., Chemical character of the waters of southwestern Ohio: IT. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 259, p. 212, 1912. 2 Dole, R. B., Chemical character of the waters of north-central Indiana: U. S. Geol. Survey Water- Supply Paper 254, p. 261, 1910. 38418°— wsp 341—15^—34 530 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE COASTAL PLAIN OE GEORGIA. constituents. The relatively small content of sulphate and clilo- ride in the waters of the Vicksburg also is noteworthy. Table 120. — Comparison of quality of water from Vicksburg formation of Georgia with that from older limestones in Ohio and Indiana. Mineral content in parts per million. Num- ber of analy- ses aver- Siliea (Si0 2 ). Iron (Fe). 1 .5 1.8 Cal- cium (Ca). sium (Mg). Sodium and po- tassium (Na+K). Car- bonate radicle (C0 3 ). Bicar- bonate radicle (HC0 3 ). 140 360 341 Sul- phate radicle (SO,). Chlo- rine (CI). Total dis- solved solids. 190 440 466 Percentage composition of the anhydrous residues. D 12 4 1 0. 24 18 20 3 9 7 5 5 7 40 40 40 12 18 17 3 6 5 E F A Average of analyses of water from the Vicksburg formation of Georgia. B Average of analyses of water from the "Niagara" limestone of southwestern Ohio. C Average of analyses of water from the limestones yielding fresh water in north-central Indiana. D, E, and F. Percentage composition of anhydrous residues computed respectively from A, B, and C. QUALITY IN RELATION TO GEOGRAPHIC POSITION. Most ground waters in the belt of counties along the northwestern border of the Coastal Plain are low in mineral content and soft, carrying less than 150 parts per million of dissolved solids and less than 50 parts of hardening constituents. The waters of many deep wells along the coast in Mcintosh, Glynn, and Camden counties con- tain 50 to 120 parts per million of sulphate and 200 to 400 parts of dissolved matter, and are proportionately much harder than sup- plies elsewhere, though the excessive content of chlorine that might be expected is not present. Throughout the rest of the State spring waters are not uncommonly lower in mineral content than the well waters, which range in general from 150 to 300 parts per million in total solids and from 50 to 200 parts in total hardness and com- monly contain less than 20 parts per million of sulphate and less than 10 parts per million of chlorine. RELATION OF QUALITY TO DEPTH. It has been stated that the greater the depth of the water-bearing strata in Georgia the greater the amount of mineral matter dissolved in water from them. In some senses this is true. Many spring waters of the State contain less mineral matter than waters from wells entering deeper strata of the same formation, though whether the difference of mineral content is essentially a factor of depth or is caused by differences in the composition and texture of the water- bearing beds has not been demonstrated. It is also true that many CHEMICAL CHARACTER OP WATERS. 531 wells drawing chiefly from the Cretaceous at depths of 200 to 600 feet yield more strongly mineralized waters than wells entering the Cretaceous formations where they are not overlain by Eocene strata that yield strongly calcareous waters. The most reasonable explana- tions of this difference are that the waters of the Cretaceous in the deeper wells are mixed with waters from the overlying Eocene or that the water-bearing beds become more strongly calcareous toward the coast. Aside from these differences, however, there seems to be no basis for the belief that mineral content of water increases with depth of well in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. The deeper wells at some places yield the stronger waters, but at other places the reverse is true. For example, the water of a well 264 feet deep at Fort Gaines contains 238 parts per million of dissolved matter and has a hardness of 25 parts, and the water of another well 650 feet deep at the same place in the same formation contains 248 parts of dissolved matter and has a hardness of 23 parts. The slight difference of mineral content is insignificant. Two 710-foot wells entering the Ripley at Albany furnish supplies containing 160 and 193 parts per million of dissolved matter. Three analyses of water from different levels (all reported to be in the Vicksburg formation) in the same well in Lowndes County afford an excellent illustration of the irregular differences in mineral content; the total mineral contents of waters from the 360-foot, 460-foot, and 515-foot horizons are, respectively, 150, 138, and 149 parts; and the corresponding hardnesses are 107, 90, and 105 parts. Throughout the Coastal Plain local differences in the character and structure of the water-bearing beds or in the rate of diffusion from overlying beds cause local differences in the composition of the ground waters, but these differences conform to no general rule. As a matter of fact waters from the same depth in the same formation and in the same county may be essentially alike or noticeably different, and waters from different depths in a given formation may or may not differ in composition. ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE WATERS. The surface waters are lower in mineral content than most of the ground waters and consequently are better for industrial use. After the heavy loads of silt have been removed the river waters are excellent for general industrial use, being soft, usually only slightly colored, and low in scale-forming and foaming constituents. Proper filtration of them furnishes water low in mineral content, generally low in iron, soft, and otherwise satisfactory for municipal supplies. The ground waters from Cretaceous strata are fairly low in mineral content, are usually soft, and are entirely acceptable for domestic use unless thev contain too much iron. 532 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA. The waters from later formations are calcium carbonate waters of moderately mineral content, rather hard, but most of them not too hard for domestic use. A number of them are low in sulphates, chlorides, and alkalies, and consequently can be softened for boiler use at relatively little expense. Preheaters would remove a great part of the scale-forming material, and none of the waters analyzed is too high in mineral content to be amenable to treatment in a cold- water softening plant. Many supplies from Tertiary rocks are reported to be "sulphurous" — that is, to contain some hydrogen sulphide — and such supplies might cause corrosion of water mains, flush tanks, and boilers. This gas, however, is readily removed or oxidized by aeration, and probably the iron in many of the waters could be similarly removed. INDEX. A. Page. Abbeville, Poor Robin Spring near 460 water supply of 458-459, 461 Acids in water, effects of 479-480 Adams, water supply at 308 s 309 Adel, water supply of 144 Albany, water supply of 235-238, 241-242 Allenhurst, artesian well at 314,315-316 Altamaha upland, description of 32-34 Alum Bluff formation, composition of water from ' 524-525 distribution and character of 89-94 plates showing 86, 90, 91, 94 water in 130-131 Americus, public fountain at, plate showing . . 240 water supply of , 393-397, 399-400 AndersonvUle, artesian well and spring at 398, 399-400 Ansley, J. B., acknowledgments to 393,394 Apalachicola group, distribution and char- acter of 86-94 Appalachian Mountains, description of 26-27 Appalachian Valley, description of 26-27 Appling County, topography and geology of 133-134 water resources of 134-135 Arcadia, artesian well at 315-316 Arlington (Calhoun County), water supply of. 171 172, 174-175 Arlington (Early County), artesian wells near 246-247 Armena, artesian wells at 308, 309, 310 Artesian wells. See Wells, artesian. Ashburn, water supply of 433 Atwood, George E ., acknowledgment to 325 Augusta, water supply of 371-372, 374-375 B. Babcock, artesian well at 340-341 Bacteria in water, precautions against 484-485 Bah risen, B. F., acknowledgment to 396 Bainbridge, water supply of 220-221, 222-223 Baker County, topography and geology of . . 135-136 water resources of 136-138 Baldwin County, topography and geology of 138-139 water resources of 139-140 Barksdale, T. W., acknowledgment to 445 Barnwell sand, distribution and character of . 79-80 water in 127-129 Barrett; Thomas, jr., acknowledgment to 371 Barrington, artesian wellat 326, 327-328 Bartow, water supply of 288-289, 290 Barwick, water supply of 155-156 Bassler, R. S., fossils identified by . . 358, 394, 403, 404 Baumgartner, Fred, acknowledgment to . . . 261, 326 Baxley, water supply of 134-135 Bay, use of term 33 Beach, artesian well at 439, 440 Beachton, artesian well at 269-270 Belfast, artesian wells at 160-161 Ben Hill County, topography and geology of.. 140 water resources of 140-142 Berrien County, topography and geology of. 142-143 water resources of 143-146 Bibb County, topography and geology of. . . 146-147 water resources of 147-151 Big Pond, description of .- 42 Blackshear, water supply of 356-357 Bladen, artesian well at 263, 264-266 Blakely, water supply of 245, 246-247 Bleckley County set off from Pulaski County . 151 Blue Spring, description of 240 stream flowing from, plate showing 240 Bluflton, well and spring in 199-200 Boilers, compounds for use in 474-475 heating and purifying water for 495-497 rating of waters for 475-477 remedies for water troubles in 473^74 softening waters for 478 waters harmful to 471-473 Boston, water supply of 422-423 Bowens Mill, artesian well at 142 Bradley, Daniel, acknowledgment to 387 Bridges, E. L., acknowledgment to 376 Brooks County, topography and geology of. 152-153 water resources of 153-156 Broxton, artesian well at 204-205 Bruce, J. S., acknowledgment to 460 Brunswick, water supply of 260-261, 264-267 Bryan County, topography and geology of. . 156-157 water resources of 157-161 Buena Vista, artesian wells at 336-337, 338 water supply of 336-337, 338 Buffalo Swamp, description of 42 Bulloch County, topography and geology of. . 162 water resources of 163-164 Burke County, topography and geology of. 164-166 water resources of 166-170 Burnham, W. W., acknowledgment to 467 Burnt Fort, artesian well at 182-183 Burroughs, artesian wells at 190-192 Byron, artesian well at 277-278 Byronville, water supply of 230-231, 232-233 C. Cairo, water supply of 268-269, 270 Calcareous marine sand of the Ripley forma- tion, plate showing 64 Calcium in water, effects of 481-482, 485-486 Calhoun County, topography and geology of 170-171 water resources of 171-175 Calvary, artesian well at 269-270 533 534 INDEX. Page. Camden County, topography and geology of 175-177 water resources of 177-180 Camilla, water supply of 343, 344 Carbonates in water, effects of 482, 486 Carl or, W. R., acknowledgment to 246 Chalker, wells at 446 Chamberlin, T. C, cited 120 Chandler, J. H., acknowledgment to 343 Chandler, S. S., acknowledgments to 220, 245, 276, 422 Charlton County, topography and geology of 181-182 water resources of 182-183 Charlton formation, distribution and charac- ter of 101-102 on St. Marys River, plate showing 100 water in 132 Chatham County, topography and geology of 183-184 water resources of 1S5-192 Chattahoochee anticline, description of, 57-59 Chattahoochee County, topography and geology of 192-193 water resources of 193-195 Chattahoochee formation, composition of water from 523-524 distribution and character of 86-89 limestone of, plate showing 86 sink in, plate showing 34 water in 130 Chattahoochee River, analyses of water from . 498 bluffs on, plates showing 60, 62, 63 Chauncey, water supply of 226, 227, 228 Chester, water supply of 225-226, 227, 228 Chlorides in water, effects of 482-483, 485 Claiborne group, subdivisions of 73 water in 127-129 composition of 515-517 Clay, L. B., acknowledgment to 288 Clay County, topography and geology of 196-197 water resources of 197-200 Claxton, water supply of 404-405 Clinch County, topography and geology of. . 200-201 water resources of 201-202 Clyde, artesian wells at 160-161 Coastal Plain of Georgia, fresh-water swamps of 40-43 general features of 28-29 geologic map of 52 lakes and ponds of 39-40 map of the underground water resources of 122 springs of 43 stratigraphy of 52-56 streams of 38-39 structure in 56-59 terraces of 38 Cochran, artesian well at 361-362 Cocke, I. P., acknowledgment to 308 Coffee County, topography and geology of. . 202-203 water resources of 203-205 Coffinton, artesian wells at 387, 389-390 Cole, J. E., acknowledgment to 367 Collins, water supply of 405, 406 Color in water, objections to 480 Colquitt County, topography and geology of. 205-206 water resources of 206-208 Colquitt, water supply of 339-341 Columbia County, topography and geology of 208-209 water resources of 209 Columbia group, formations of 103-111 Columbus, section from, to the Florida State line south of Thomasville 52 water supply of 350-355 Coney, artesian wells near 215-216 Congaree clay member, distribution and character of 77-78 plate showing 78 water in 127-129 Connelly, J. R., acknowledgment to 356, 451 Cooperation by the State 25 Cordele, water supply of 214-215, 216-218 Cordray Mill, artesian well at , . 173, 174-175 Corrosion of boilers 472 Cowarts, artesian wells at 246-247 Crawford County, topography and geology of 209-210 water resources of ' 210-212 Creighton Island, artesian well at 326, 327-328 Cretaceous series, Lower, Arkose of, on Columbus-Macon road, plate showing 60 features of 60-62 strata of, on Chattahoochee River, plate showing 60 water in 124-125 composition of 508-510 Cretaceous series, Upper, formations of 62-66 water in 125-126 composition of 510-514 Crisp County, topography and geology of. . 212-213 water resources of 214-218 Crispin, artesian well at 263-264, 264-266 Cumberland Plateau, description of 26-27 Cushman, J. A., fossils determined by 318-319 Cusseta sand member of the Ripley forma- tion, plate showing 65 water supply of 194 Cuthbert, water supply of 367, 368 D. Dall, W.H., cited 90 Damascus, water supply of 245-246, 246-247 Darien, artesian wells at 324-325, 327-328 Davisboro, artesian well at 446, 447 mineral spring west of 446, 447 Dawson, water supply of 417, 419,. 420 Decatur County, topography and geology of 218-219 water resources of 219-223 Deering, L. L., acknowledgment to 263 Depth of water-bearing beds, relation of qual- ity to 530-531 Dexter, water supply of 303 Diarrhea, waters causing 486 Doboy, artesian well at 326, 327-328 Doctortown, artesian well at 452-453 , 454 Dodge County, topography and geology of. . 224-225 water resources of 225-228 INDEX. 535 Doorun, water supply of 207, 208 Dole, R. B., work of 25 Doles, artesian well at 467, 468 Domestic use, requirements of water for. . . 483-487 Donald, artesian wells at 313,315-316 Donaldsonville, water supply of 221, 222-223 Dooling, water supply of 232 Dooly County, topography and geology of. 228-229 water resources of 229-233 Dorchester, artesian wells at 315-316 Dougherty County, topography and geology of 233-235 water resources of 235-242 Dougherty plain, description of 31-32 Douglas, water supply of 204-205 Dover, artesian well at 380, 382-383 Doyle, artesian well at 337 Dublin, water supply of 303, 304, 305 Ducker, artesian well at 240, 241-242 Duplin Marl, distribution and character of. . 99-100 plate showing 90 E. Early County, topography and geology of. . 243-244 water resources of 244-247 Eastman, water supply of 225, 227 Echols County, topography and geology of. . 248 water resources of 249 Economic value of the waters 531-532 Eden, artesian wells at 251 , 252-253 Edison, water supply of 173, 174-175 Edwards, H. S., cited 148 Effingham County, topography and geology of 249-250 water resources of 250-253 Egypt, artesian well at 251, 252-253 Elevations, list of 44-51 Ellaville, water supply of. 376-377 Elmodel, artesian well at 137-138 Emanuel County, topography and geology of 253-254 water resources of 254-256 Eocene series, formations of 67-83 water in 127-129 composition of. 514-520 Eufaula, Ala., artesian wells at 364-365 Eutaw formation, clay of, in Slick Bluff, plate showing 63 concretions in, plate showing 62 distribution and character of 62-64 sands and clays in, plate showing 62 unconsolidated sand of, plate showing ... 63 water in 125 composition of 514 Evans, A. W., acknowledgment to 444 Evaporation, conditions affecting 117 Evelyn, artesian well at 264, 265-266 Everett City, artesian well at 263, 265-266 Everhart, Edgar, work of 25 F. Fall-line hills, description of 29-31 Feed water, heating and purifying of 495-497 Filtration, rapid sand, method of 493-494 slow sand, method of 491-493 Fineher, J. L. , acknowledgment to 274 Fitzgerald, water supply of 141, 142 Flemington, artesian wells at 314,315-316 Flint, artesian wells at 344 Flint River, analyses of water from 502 Floyd, W. J., acknowledgments to 313, 314,380,381 Foaming in boilers 473 Folkston, artesian well at 182-183 Formations, principal water-bearing 507-508 Fort, John P. , acknowledgment to 239 Fort Gaines, water supply of 197-199, 200 Fort McAllister, artesian wells at 159, 160-161 Fort Valley, water supply of 274-275, 277-279 Fossils, occurrence of. . 68, 69, 72, 75, 76, 78, 80, 82-83, 86,88-89,91,93,97-98,99, 100,102,108-110,236,237 Fuller, M. L., cited 121 and Sanford, Samuel, acknowledgments to 357,404 cited 221-222 G. Geographic position, quality of water in rela- tion to 530 Georgetown, artesian well northeast of 364 gully northeast of, plate showing 65 Gibson, water supply of 257-258 Gidley, J. W. , fossils identified by 109 Girard, water supply of 169-170 Glascock County, topography and geology of 256-257 water resources of 257-258 Glynn County, topography and geology of. . 258-259 water resources of 259-267 Golden, I. E., acknowledgment to 354 Goldsmith, artesian wells at 283, 284 Gordon, artesian well at 464 Gough, water supply of 169-170 Gracewood, artesian well at 372-373, 374-375 Grady County, topography and geology of. 267-268 water resources of. 268-270 Graves, artesian wells at 418, 419 Greene, C. C, acknowledgment to 198-199 Greene, W. S., acknowledgment to 351 Greens Cut, artesian wells at 168-170 Greer, R. L., acknowledgment to 330 Griswoldville, artesian well at 300 Gullies, description of 30-31 Guyton, artesian well at 251, 252-253 H. Hagan, artesian well at 405, 406 Hancock County, topography and geology of 270-271 water resources of 271 Harrell, G . H . , acknowledgment to 286 Hawkinsville, water supply of 360-362 Hazelhurst, water supply of 282-283, 284 Heartsease, artesian well at 145 Helena, artesian wells at 412, 414, 415 Henry County, Ala., artesian well in 199 Herndon, artesian wells at 293-294, 295 Hershman, artesian well at 381-383 Higgston, water supply of 346, 347-348 Hilton & Dodge Lumber Co., acknowledg- ment to 262 536 INDEX. Hogan, J. F., acknowledgment to 364 Houston County, topography and geology of 271-272 water resources of 273-279 Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co., acknowl- edgments to 372, 379, 450 Huguenin, artesian wells at 398,399-400 Hydrogen sulphide in water, effects of 483, 485 I. Ice, artesian well at 358-359 Idylwild, artesian wells at 298-299 Iron City, water supply of 221, 222-223 Iron in water, effects of 480-481, 485 Irwin County, topography and geology of . 279-280 water resources of 280-281 Irwinton, artesian wells at 463 J. Jackson formation, distribution and charac- ter of 80-83 water in 129 composition of 517-518 James, T . J. , acknowledgments to 337, 397, 456 Jay Bird Spring, description of 226 Jeff Davis County, topography and geology of 281-282 water resources of. 282-284 Jefferson County, topography and geology of 284-285 water resources of 285-291 Jekyl Island, artesian well on 264, 265-267 Jenkins County, topography and geology of. 291-292 water resources of 292-296 Jesup, artesian wells at 450-451, 454, 455 Johnson County, topography and geology of 296-297 water resources of 297-299 Johnston, Thomas T., cited 185-187 Jointer Island, artesian well on 261, 265-267 Jones County, topography and geology of. . 299-300 water resources of 300-301 June, Robert, acknowledgment to 260 K. Keller, water supply of 158-159, 160-161 Kibbee, spring near 347 Kingsland, water supply of 178-180 Kioka Place, artesian well at 239, 241-242 Kite, artesian well at 298, 299 L. Lakes, use of water from 118 Laurens County, topography and geology of 301-302 water resources of 302-305 Leary, water supply of 172-173, 174-175 Lee County, topography and geology of . . . 305-306 water resources of 306-310 Leesburg, artesian wells a c 306-307, 309, 310 Lela, artesian well at 221-222 Leslie, artesian wells at 398-400 Liberty County, topography and geology of. 310-311 water resources of 312-316 Lithia water, value of 488 Littlejohn, J. A., acknowledgment to 215 Loughridge, E. H., cited.. 41,90 Louisville, water supply of 286-288, 290, 291 Lowe, J. G. , acknowledgment to 336 Lowndes County, topography and geology of 316-317 water resources of 317-320 Loyd, H. F., acknowledgments to 293, 294 Ludowici, water supply of 312-313, 315-316 Lumber City, water supply of 413-414, 415 Lumpkin, water supply of 386, 389-390 wells near 387, 388 Lyons, artesian wells at 430, 431 M. McArthur plantation, artesian well on 346 McBean formation, distribution and character of 73-78 Ostrca georginaa from, plate showing 74 plates showing 74, 78 water in 127-129 McCallie,S. \V., acknowledgments to 26 cited in, 167, 172, 177, 188, 194-195, 198, 204, 225, 230, 231, 245-246, 251, 252, 261, 262, 263, 264, 209. 276, 280-281, 286, 288, 289, 294, 307, 308, 324, 326, 330, 331, 332, 337, 358, 367, 396-397, 398, 405, 408, 418, 444, 452-453, 459, 463, 464, 466-467 McDufBe County, topography and geology of . 321 water resources of 321-322 Mcintosh County, topography and geology of 322-323 water resources of. 323-328 McNulty, F. W., acknowledgment to 417 Macon, log of well south of 149 section from a locality near, to the mouth of St. Marys River, plate showing 52 water supply of. 148,150-151 Macon County, topography and geology of. . 328-329 water resources of. 329-334 McPhaul, J. C, acknowledgment to 467 McRae (Montgomery County), artesian wells at 347-348 McRae (Telfair County), water supply of. . 413,414 Magnesium in water, effects of 481-482, 485-486 Magnolia Spring, description of 397-398 Manassas, artesian well at 405-406 Manta, railroad cut at, plate showing Cus- seta sand member in 65 Mardre, W. L., acknowledgment to 386 Marion County, topography and geology of. 334-335 water resources of 335-338 Marks Head marl, distribution and character of 9S-99 plate showing 90 Marshall, C. D., acknowledgment to 417 Marshall ville, artesian wells at 332, 333 Marshes, salt, nature of 37 Mauk, wells near 409, 410 Mears, water supply of 3S0-3S1, 3S2-383 Medicinal use, waters for 487-489 Meldrim, artesian wells at 252-253 Mid ville, water supply of 168, 169-170 Midway formation, distribution and char- acter of 67-70 water in 127 composition of 514-515 Milledgeville, water supply of. 139 INDEX. 537 Millen, water supply of 293, 295, 296 Miller County, topography and geology of. 338-339 water resources of 339-341 Millhaven, artesian wells at 380, 382-383 Milltown, water supply of 144, 145 Mineral substances found in water 470-471 Miocene series, formations of 98-100 general features of 97-98 water in 131-132 Miona Springs, description of 332 Mitchell County, topography and geology of. 341-342 water resources of 342-344 Montezuma, flowing well of E. J. Wilson at, plate showing 330 water supply of. 330-332, 333-334 Montgomery , artesian wells south of 190-191 Montgomery County, topography and geol- ogy of 344-345 water resources of 345-348 Morven, water supply of 155-156 Morgan, water supply of 173, 174-175 Moultrie, water supply of. 206-207, 208 Mount Pleasant, artesian wells at. . 451-452,454,455 Mount Vernon, water supply of 346, 347-348 Munn, J. P. , acknowledgment to 336 Murphy, H. , acknowledgment to 438 Muscogee County, topography and geology of 348-350 water resources of 350-355 N. New Lacey, artesian well at 135 Newton, water supply of 137 Nixon, S. J., acknowledgment to 463 Norman Park, water supply of 207-208 O. Oakfleld, artesian wells at 467-468 Ochwalkee, artesian well at 347-348 Ocilla, water supply of 280-281 Ocmulgee River, analyses of water from 499 Oconee, artesian well at 445-446, 447 Oconee River, analyses of water from 503 Offerman, water supply of 357-358 Oglethorpe, artesian wells at 330, 333-334 public flowing well at, plate showing 330 Okefenokee formation, distribution and character of 103-107 in Columbus-Lumpkin road, plate show- ing 106 sand used in the manufacture of glass, plate showing 106 Okefenokee plan;, description of 35-36 Okefenokee Swamp, description of 40-42 Old Danville, artesian well at 398, 399-400 Oligocene beds, weathered phase of, plate showing 94 Oligocene series, formations of 83-97 water in 129-131 composition of 520-526 Oligocene to Pleistocene series, undifferenti- ated materials of 94-97 water in 132 composition of 526-527 Omaha, artesian wells at 387, 389-390 Oos'anaula River, analyses of water from 501 Organic matter in water, effects of 483 Ossabaw Island, artesian wells at 160-161 Ostrea georgiana, plate showing 74 P. Parrott, water supply of 418, 419 Pataula Creek, narrows of, plate showing. ... 64 waterfall on, plate showing 64 Paullin, J. E., acknowledgment to 198 Pavo, artesian well at 423 Pelham, water supply of 343,344 Pembroke, water supply of 159-161 Perkins, water supply of 293, 295, 296 Perry, water supply of 276, 277-279 Philema, artesian wells at 308, 309, 310 Piedmont Plateau, description of 27-28 Pierce County, topography and geology of. 355-356 water resources of 356-359 Pinehurst, water supply of 231, 232 Pineview, artesian wells at 460, 461 Pitts, artesian well at 460,461 Plains, artesian wells at 397, 399-400 Plants, growth of, in water 483-484 Pleistocene series, formations of 102-111 water in 132-133 See also Oligocene. Pliocene series, distribution and character of 100-102 water in 132 Poisonous substances in water 485 Ponds, use of water from 118 Pooler, water supply of 189-191 Poor Robin Spring, description of 460 Poulan, water supply of 466, 468, 469 Preston, artesian well at 456-457 Pretoria, water supply of 240, 241-242 Providence sand member of the Ripley for- mation, plate showing 65 Provinces, geologic, rocks of 52 Pulaski County, topography and geology of. 359-360 water resources of 360-362 Purification of water, objects sought in 489-490 processes employed in 490-497 Putnam, spring near 338 Putney, artesian well at 240, 241-242 Q- Quitman, water supply of 154-155, 156 Quitman County, topography and geology of 362-363 water resources of 363-365 R. Rainfall, disposition of 116-118 mean annual 116 Randolph County, topography and geology of 365-366 water resources of 366-368 Recent deposits, distribution and character of 111-112 Red hills, nature of 30 Reidsville, water supply of 403-404, 406 Rentz, artesian well at 303-304 Reynolds, artesian well at 408, 410 dug well at 408-409,410 538 INDEX. Page. Rhino, artesian well at 226, 227 Riceboro, artesian wells at 315-316 Richland, water supply of 3S6, 389-390 Richmond County, topography and geology of 369-370 water resources of 370-375 Richwood, water supply of 231,232 Ripley formation, distribution and character of 6-1-66 members of, plates showing 64, 65 water in 125-126 composition of 510-513 R iver waters, average composition of 504 Rochelle, artesian well at 459, 461 Rocks, water combined with 117 Rockyford, artesian wells at 380, 382-383 Roding, artesian wells at 160 Rogers, water supply of 294, 295 Run-off, influences affecting 116-117 S. Saffold, artesian wells near 246, 247 St. Catherines Island, artesian wells on 314, 315-316 St. Marys, water supply of 177,179-180 St. Simons Island, artesian wells on 261-263, 265-267 mud from, analysis of Ill Sandersville, artesian wells at 444, 446, 447 Sand hills, nature of 30,34,114 Sand stream near Tazewell, plate showing. . . 34 Sands, surficial gray, of the upland, distribu- tion and character of 112-115 Sapelo Island, artesian well on 525-526 Sasser, artesian wells at 418, 419 Satilla coastal lowland, description of 36-38 Satilla formation, distribution and character of 107-111 on Altamaha River, plate showing 100 Satilla terrace plain, plate showing 35 Savannah, water supply of 185-189, 190-192 Savannah River, analyses of water from 500 Scale, formation of, in boilers 471-472 Scarboro, artesian well at 294, 295 Schley County, topography and geology of. . 375-376 water resources of 376-377 Scotland, artesian wells at 413, 414 Screven County, topography and geology of. 377-378 water resources of 378-383 Shamrock Springs, artesian wells at 414, 415 Shellman, record of well at 71 water supply of 367-368 Sink in limestone, near Recovery, plate show- ing 34 Slichter, C. S., cited 185-188 Slick Bluff, Chattahoochee River, plate show- ing 63 Sloan, Earle, cited 77 Smith, E. A., cited 194, 364, 365 Smith, J. A., cited - 277 Smithville, water supply of 307, 309 Sodium in water, effect of 483 Softening water, methods of 494-495 Somerville, artesian wells at 372, 374-375 Soperton, artesian wells at 347-348 Southern lime-sink region, description of 34-35 Southland, well near 409, 410 Sparks, water supply of 144, 145, 146 Spencer, J. W., cited 214,220-221, 237-238,240,367,422 Spread, water supply of 289, 290, 291 Springfield, water supply of 251, 252-253 Springs, water supplies from 123 Statesboro, water supply of 163-164 Stephens, C. V., acknowledgment to 389 Stephenson, L. W., work of 25-26 Stevens Pottery, artesian well at 140 Stewart County, topography and geology of 3S3-385 water resources of 385-390 Streams, water supplies from 118 Strickland, J. O., cited 159-160 Sulphates in water, effects of 482, 486 Sumter, artesian well at 398, 399-400 Sumter County , topography and geology of. 391-392 water resources of 392-400 Suspended matter in water, effects of 480 Sylvania, water supply of 379-380, 382-383 Sylvester, water supply of 466, 468, 469 Swamps, fresh- water, nature of 40-43 tidal, nature of 37 upland, nature of 37 T. Tague, James, acknowledgment to 286 Talbot County, topography and geology of. . 401 water resources of 401-402 Tarboro, artesian wells at 178, 179-180 rice and lumber mill at, plate showing.. 152 Tattnall County, topography and geology of 402-403 water resources of 403-406 Taylor,D. M., cited 372 Taylor County, topography and geology of. 406-407 water resources of 407-410 Tazewell, spring near 337-338 Telfair County, topography and geology of. 411-412 water resources of 4 12-415 Tennile, artesian wells at 445, 446, 447 Terrace deposits, coastal, description of. .. 104-105, 107-110 fluviatile, description of 105-107,110-111 Pleistocene, plate showing 106 Terrace plain bordering St. Marys River, plate showing 35 west of new Savannah Bluff, plate show- ing 35 Terrell County, topography and geology of. 415-416 water resources of 417-420 Thalman, artesian well at 261, 265-267 Thomas Bluff, on Chattahoochee River, plate showing 60 Thomas County, topography and geology of 420-421 water resources of 421-424 Thomasville, water supply of 422, 423 Thompson, artesian well at 321-322 Tift, C. W. , acknowledgments to 236, 237, 238 Tift County, topography and geology of. 424-425 water resources of 425-428 Tifton, water supply of 426-427, 428 Tingle, artesian well at 303, 304, 305 Toombs County, topography and geology of 428-429 water resources of 429-413 Toomsboro, artesian wells at 463-464 INDEX. 539 Towns, artesian wells at 413, 414 Tufts Springs, location of 150 Turner County, topography and geology of. 432-433 water resources of 433-434 Twiggs County, topography and geology of. 434-435 water resources of 435 Tybee Island, artesian wells on 189, 190-192 U. Ulrich, E. O., fossil identified by 395 Unadilla, water supply of 230, 232, 233 Underground storage of water 1 18 V. Valona, artesian well at 325, 327-328 Valdosta, water supply of 318-320 Van Buren, J. B., acknowledgment to 300 Vaughan, T. W., acknowledgments to 26 fossils identified by 69, 72, 76, 88, 99, 100, 102, 109, 236, 293, 304, 394 Vaughn, S. B., acknowledgment to 371 Veatch, J. O., work of 25-26 Vegetation, water taken up by 117 Vicksburg formation, distribution and char- acter of 83-86 flint and limestone of, plate showing 78 water in 129-130 composition of 520-523 Vidalia, water supply of 430-431 Vienna, water supply of 229-230, 232, 233 W. Wade Spring, plate showing 152 Wadley, artesian wells at 288, 290, 291 Walden, T. W., acknowledgment to 257 Walden, artesian wells at 148-149 Walker, J. P., acknowledgment to 330 Walton, G. L., acknowledgment to 388 Walton, M., acknowledgment to 386 Ware County, topography and geology of. . 435-436 water resources of 436-440 Warren County, topography and geology of. . 441 water resources of 441 Warwick, G. W ., acknowledgment to 307 Warwick, artesian well at 467, 468 Washington County, topography and geology of 442-443 water resources of 443-448 Water, chemical character of 470-532 quality of 119, 530-531 requirements of, for manufacturing 478-479 uses of 471 Water table, position of 119 Waters, ground, chemical composition of. . 505-530 surface, chemical composition of 497-505 Waycross, water supply of 437-439, 440 Wayne County, topography and geology of. 448-449 water resources of 449-455 Waynesboro, water supply of 166-167, 169-170 Ways, artesian wells at 158, 160-161 Webster County, topography and geology of 455-456 water resources of 456-457 Wells, artesian, conditions requisite for 120-121 artesian, definition of 120 importance of 120 possibilities of, in the Coastal Plain. 121-122 water supplies from 123-124 shallow, water supplies from 123 Wheeler County set off from Montgomery County 457 Whigham, water supply of 269-270 White Elk Spring, description of 149-150 Wilcox County, topography and geology of. 457-458 water resources of 458-461 Wilcox formation, distribution and character of 70-73 water in 127 Wild Rose Mineral Spring, description of. . 226, 228 Wilkinson County, topography and geology of 461-462 water resources of 462-464 Willacoochee, water supply of 204-205 Wilson, E. J., acknowledgments to 331, 336 Wind, deposition of sands by 115 Windsor Spring, description of 373 Wingfield, Nisbet, acknowledgment to 371 Withlacoochee anticline, description of 59 Wolf Island, artesian well at 326, 327-328 Wood, N . W . , acknowledgment to 351 Worth, artesian wells at 433-434 Worth County, topography and geology of 464-465 water resources of 466-469 Wrens, artesian well at 289, 290, 291 Wrightsville, water supply of 297-298, 299 o LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 029 708 314 4