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Unless there is a direct pipeline to the aquifer, the fresh water will be safe. The great thing about our earth is its own methodology of self defense. Between the aquifer and the oil is good old mother earth, a wonderful filter for all kinds of bad things. Oil will easily be filtered by the process ... again a natural process already in place. Salt water gets in because anything SOLUBLE in the water (like salt) will penetrate the aquifer. But the oil will be filtered out. It'll make a mess, but the fresh water should be safe.

What I hate is the first sentence of the article: As FEMA and other government agencies prepare for what is now being called the worst oil spill disaster in history, plans to evacuate the Tampa Bay area are in place. FEMA? Who's FEMA ... can anybody name their "director?" And to see a scare "line" like this. Like they're going to see some oil coming ashore and evacuate Tampa Bay ... geez a bunch of media hype. Imagine, if people thought the next day after passage that health care was free, what would those people think if they read this line? This isn't "smoke" and talking about the respiratory problems is just going to line up a bunch of willing clients and sheister lawyers to tap BP's slush fund for "damages." Irresponsible journalism!

Saltwater intrusion is a major threat to the freshwater resources of the coastal areas in southeastern Florida. There are three primary mechanisms by which saltwater contaminates the freshwater reservoir in the unconfined, surficial aquifers of the region: (1) subsurface movement of seawater (lateral large-scale intrusion), (2) seepage of seawater from tidal canals and streams, and (3) upward movement of connate saltwater (water remaining from the time of deposition) from lower formations due to well-field withdrawals. All three mechanisms are driven by the lowering of freshwater levels in the surficial aquifers. However, the effects of the last two mechanisms (seepage and upward movement) generally are limited to relatively small regions, whereas lateral intrusion affects a much larger region of the aquifers.

http://fl.water.usgs.gov/Miami/online_reports/wri964285/ I'm worried about (3)(3) upward movement of connate saltwater (water remaining from the time of deposition) from lower formations due to well-field withdrawals.