The regional Floridan aquifer system has been dewatered and otherwise altered extensively throughout much of Florida and coastal Georgia by groundwater pumpage (mining). An increasing threat to this karst aquifer system is structural mining of aquifer formations, primarily to produce fertilizers, titanium products, construction materials, and pet food supplements. These excavations often include mechanical dewatering to facilitate shallow and deep extraction of the aquifer formations. All include reduced aquifer levels, dewatering of the aquifer system, and altered hydroperiods at and surrounding the excavated pits, due to increased void space and evapotranspirative losses (nonmechanical dewatering). Only mechanical dewatering is considered by...