The potentiometric surface of an aquifer is defined by the elevations at which water stands in tightly cased wells drilled into the aquifer. Over the past 15 years, the Hydrology Section, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, SCDHEC, and the Savannah River Site, has prepared numerous potentiometric maps of the major Coastal Plain aquifers (Floridan, Black Creek, and Middendorf) in order to assess changes in groundwater storage and to determine regional groundwater flow directions and hydraulic gradients. Water-level data used to construct these maps are collected from monitoring wells and a variety of public-supply, industrial, and agricultural wells across the Coastal Plain.
The potentiometric surface, contours, and subsurface wells are draped with land cover data and are exaggerated by 300 times in order to visualize the cone of depression under Georgetown. A cone of depression is an area of groundwater adjacent to the pumping wells that experiences increased lowering of water level elevation relative to the surrounding area, forming a cone shape. These areas are monitored by SC DNR because they potentially impact water availability and surface processes.
For more information, data, or publications, visit the website of the SC DNR Hydrology Section.
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