170-foot well, put down in 1913, pumps 400 gallons, and the deepest, a 464-foot well, pumps over 300 gallons.

The wells at Westminster are none of them over 100 feet deep. They strike from 25 to 60 gallons per minute under a good head at depths between 70 and 90 feet. There is apparently a dependable water horizon within 100 feet of the surface in this vicinity.

The State Hospital at Sykesville has three wells, one 140 feet and two 505 feet deep. All show good yields of soft water. The 140-foot well heads 22 feet below the surface and pumps 35 to 40 gallons. The 505-foot wells head 17 feet below the surface and each pumps from 50 to 60 gallons. The Warfield well at Sykesville yields 28 gallons per minute from a depth of 120 feet, but the water heads 45 feet below the surface.

There are a number of productive wells at Mount Airy. One at the Mount Airy canning factory furnishes 80 gallons per minute from between 90 and 97 feet. A 70-foot well at Ridgeville heads 12 feet below the surface and yields 83 gallons per minute of soft water.

The available data for the balance of the wells in the county are given. in the accompanying table and do not require especial comment.

Non-Artesian Waters

SPRINGS. Springs are abundant throughout the county, particularly along Parr's Ridge and the adjacent subordinate ridges near it. These are widely used for domestic and farm purposes and contribute to the public supply of the town of Westminster. New Windsor depends entirely on springs for its public supply, the consumption being 50,000 gallons daily.

SHALLOW WELLS.-Dug wells of shallow depths are utilized for domestic supplies throughout a large part of the county. The amount of water varies in character and quantity from locality to locality. It is apt to be hard and to show seasonal fluctuations in amount. In the centers of population shallow wells are particularly liable to surface contamination and should not be used. In the more thinly settled districts they should be safe if care is taken in their location with respect to sanitation and drainage of the immediate vicinity.

HOWARD COUNTY

Howard County, except for its eastern margin, lies wholly in the Piedmont Plateau district. The surface is a rolling upland ranging in elevation from about 200 feet along the eastern border of the county to over 800 feet in the western part. The country is much dissected by streams, but these usually flow in narrow valleys and the greater part of the county consists of gently rolling uplands, becoming somewhat more broken toward the west and forming rich farm lands.

The Lower Cretaceous sands and clays of the inland border of the Coastal Plain cover disconnected areas in the eastern part of the county from Elkridge to Laurel. The balance of the county is underlain by crystalline rocks, largely granites and gneisses. These are much folded and faulted and are usually deeply weathered and covered with a heavy mantle of soil.

SURFACE WATERS

The surface streams are for the most part small and subject to great seasonal variation in the amounts of water they carry. All are liable to surface contamination and none is utilized as a source of supply. Some water powers are developed along Patapsco River which forms the northeastern boundary of the county, and along the Patuxent which forms the southern boundary of the county. This is particularly true at Ellicott City on the former stream and at Laurel on the latter. Small water powers are also utilized for milling on various small creeks in the western part of the county.

UNDERGROUND WATERS

Artesian Waters

But few artesian wells have been drilled in Howard County since there are no large centers of population or industries requiring large amounts of water. The abundance of springs and the usual productiveness of shallow dug wells have obviated the necessity of seeking at greater depths water for domestic and farm purposes. All of the deep wells in this area derive their water from crystalline rocks. In such rocks the water occurs in fractures, joints, and faults. Since the rocks are much folded and these. various water fissures enumerated do not occur in a uniform or continuous manner it is entirely impossible to forecast the artesian prospects in this area. There are no deep wells in the county, the deepest being the 306-foot well at Doughoregan Manor and the 265-foot wells of the Ellicott City Water Company. These all derive their water from the granite, have a head from within 5 to 15 feet of the surface and pump from 25 to 50 gallons per minute.

Non-Artesian Waters

SPRINGS. Springs are generally distributed throughout the county and are frequently utilized locally. None of large size has been reported. The water usually carries varying amounts of mineral matter.

SHALLOW WELLS.-Dug wells are in general use for domestic purposes. These range in depth from a few feet to 70 or 80. Water can usually be obtained at the contact of the weathered surficial materials with the