The Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study area encompasses nearly 62,000 square miles and contains several major rivers.
Most water used in the study area is ground water.
The Altamaha River in Georgia and the Suwannee River in Georgia and Florida were the major rivers sampled regularly for this study. Nearly 94 percent of this ground water is from the limestone and dolomite rocks that comprise the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridian aquifer, the primary drinking-water aquifer, is poorly confined and vulnerable to contamination from the surface in much of the study area. This area contains numerous springs and other ground-water inputs that supply base flow to the Suwannee River during low flow. The quality of spring water also reflects the drinking-water quality in the Upper Floridan aquifer in areas where it is most vulnerable to contamination from land uses.