Hydrology of Southeast Florida and Associated Topics. INSTITUTION Brovard County School Board, Fort Lauderdale, Fla
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 099 225 88 SE 018 305 AUTHOR Monsour, William, Comp.; Moyer, Maureen, Comp. TITLE Hydrology of Southeast Florida and Associated Topics. INSTITUTION Brovard County School Board, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. SPONS AGENCY Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education (DHEW /OE), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 73 NOTE 179p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.75 HC-$9.00 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS Citizen Participation; Conservation Education; *Environment; *Environmental Education; Natural Resources; Pollution; Public Affairs Education; Science Education; *Water Pollution Control; *Water Resources IDENTIFIERS Elementary Secondary Education Act Title III; ESEA Title III; *Florida ABSTRACT This booklet deals with the hydrology of southeastern Florida. It is designed to provide the citizen, teacher, or student with hydrological information, to promote an understanding of water resources, and to initiate conservationpractices within Florida communities. The collection of articles within the booklet dealwith Florida water resources and Florida water problems, but muchof the information is applicable to other areas. Topics such as the hydrologic cycle, ground water aquifers, water resources anddemands, water quality, the Everglades, and water-life arecovered, accompanied by maps, diagrams, tables, and illustrations. The articles are written by various people--engineers,environmentalists, researchers--or are excerpts from publications or speeches and present different viewpoints on controversialissues. A brief historical overview of the hydrology of Florida, a glossary, and reference list are also included. (TK) U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION& WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF Cilt:':AtION leit%MI( 1001 NI'IA%VI t N NE RHO otgli) titAttiv A% liff i..sr/ I $OM TILE PENWN Oli ONoAN.:Al ION ORIGIN At,t4c..t PO.N I S 01 v't s% ON OP,NIONS siA,...NO1 NI ( I ssANIL v NF PRE %IN, 0; t .t 'At Nat.wtAL 'Pet? Tko 1 01 HYDROLOGY of F L/IIC A I ION POW ,ON ON I'OL ICY 1.1 Florida ,'4:14..,,. 0 Southeast e .v.,4. ..., and ASSOCIATEDTOPICS "..,,, e,..e. Palm Beach, Broward and Dade Counties INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION An ESEATitleIIIProject based at NovaHigh School BROWPRD COUNTY,FLORIDA The work presented or reported herein was performed pursuant to a grant from the U.S. Office ofEducation, Department of Health, Education and Welfare. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policyof the U.S. Office of Education and no official endorsement by the U.S.Office of Education should be inferred. INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROJECT An ESEA Title III Project The School Board of Broward County, Florida IEE Offices Nova High School 3600 S. W. College Avenue Fort Lauderdaie, Florida 33314 EDITED AND COMPILED BY IEE STAFF: William Monsour William Thrasher, Coordinator Assisted by Maureen Moyer William Monsour, 9-12 Specialist Nancy Hougendobler, 6-8 Specialist Marilyn Laskey, K-5 Specialist ART WORK: Wayne Bernard, Printer-Technician Elsie Prince, Secretary Elsie Prince Maureen Moyer, Secretary Ellen Moss, Secretary DIRECTOR IEE PROJECT: John E. Arena DIRECTOR NOVA SCHOOLS: I have reviewed this package for tent in ter of curriculum and Warren G. Smith opriate ss. re Date: s' 7..3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SOUTH FLORIDA'S 'UNMANAGED' RESOURCE Hydrologic Cycle - Two Season Region - Rainfall Amounts - Rainfall Measurements SOUM FLORIDA'S GROUND WATER AQUIFER Biscayne Aquifer - Geologic Nature of - Salt Intrusion - Monitoting of Salt Water - Canals Replenish Well Fields - Levees - Electronic Model of Aquifer BUDGET DEFLECTS STATE OF WATER RESOURCES, DEMANDS Practical Application of - Effects cf Water Management - Elusive Elements of - Evapotranspiration - Water Storage How and Where - Water Level Fluctuations - Monitoring Nutrients MAN'S EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF OUR WATER Pollution Defined - Man Degrades Environ- ment - Domestic and Industrial Pollution - Quality of Runoff - Pollution in Urban Runoff - Pollution in Agricultural Runoff - Pollution and Animal Wastes - Pollution Control RECYCLE-REUSE, INFALL-OUTFALL DECISIONS CONFRONT SCIENCE, PUBLIC Recycle-Reuse Defined - Wastewater As A Freshwater Source? - Boulder Zone :Oeep We'll Injection) - Primary, Seconday, Tertiary Wastewater Treatment - C:ntribu- tors to Eutrophication - Other Treatment Methods - Cost Factors Involved - Summation THE WORSENING AQUATIC WEED PROBLEM IN FLORIDA Noxious Aquatic Weed Defined - Four Classifications of Aquatic Plants - Water Hyacinth - Alligator Weed - Hydrilla Eurasian Watermilfoil -Control by Machines - Control by Chemicals - Biological Controls - Federal Controls - Experimental Work - Profitable Uses of Noxious Weeds Sought THE CULTURE AND CARE OF AQUATIC WEEDS 79 A 4000 Square Mile Weed Problem - Problems of Chemical Control- Natural Enemies - Weed Harvesting a Solution to Pollution? - Water Weed Research in Florida FLORIDA'S FILTHY WATERS- SOCIALAND ECONOMIC COSTS 90 Bacteria Contamination- Other Pollutants - Health Warnings - Fish and Bird Kills- Drinking Water Contamination - What Price Clean Water? ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EVERGLADES MUCK FARMS 101 Drainage History- Effect on Water Quantity - Effect on Water Quality - State -Owned Lands EUTROPHICATION, A NATURAL PROCESS COMPOUNDED BY MAN 109 The Critical Point in Eutrophication - Nutrients Are Recycled in Some Lakes - Alga Blooms in Extreme Cases - Too Much Algae Has Adverse Effects- Dying Plant Life Takes Vital Oxygen - Man Causes Cultural Eutrophication A PREVIEW OF WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS AND PROBLEMS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA 118 An Address to the Governor and Cabinet of Florida by Arthur R. Marshall REPAIRING THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES BASIN 123 By Arthur R. Marshall DEVELOPMENT OF PRIVATE WATERFRONT CANALS 129 Stagnant Waterways - Accelerated Eutrophication - Effects on Health and Welfare - Effects on Receiving Waters - Recommendations FUTURE OF FRESH WATER FISHES IN FLORIDA 140 Major Causes of Degradation of Aquatic Habitats - Recommendations ii A "ROUGH CUT" MODEL OF A SOUTH FLORIDA WATER SUPPLY PLAN 144 Water Supply Was a Consideration of Original Flood Control Plan - Potential For Competition Between South Florida Water Users - Congressional Act Gives National Park Minimum Annual Water Allocation- Lake Okeechohee Is the Heart of Corps' Water Supply Plan - Water Supply and Environmental Quality Considerations Brought Together- A Less Traditional Approach to Water Supply Planning Is Needed- A"First Cut" Water Supply Plan Emerges- A Possible Plan in Summation - Matching Water with People and the Environment- The Yearsof De.,ision Are at Hand A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT 161 GLOSSARY 167 REFERENCES 170 iii FOREWARD Anyone living in south Florida a century ago would have found hydrologic patterns quite different than they are today. Nature had been building one of the most delicately contrived ecosystems for more than 5000 years. An enormous grassland in- undated with water, called the Everglades, was densely populated with all forms of life. This tremendously expansive land spread south from Lake Okeechobee to the peninsula's broad tip whose fringes grew thick mangrove forests and islands. A 50 mile swath of a barely visible river only inches deep flowed gently southward for more than 100 miles. Nature in her own way had made this particular stretch of land saucer-shaped so that water flowed gently towards the center from east and west. The land area slope of three inches a mile led the water gently southward to the sea. Beneath this great land mass lay a very porous lime- stone that absorbed great quantities of water. Known as the Biscayne Aquifer, this underground storage area supplies-all south Floridians with its water supply. Due to natural laws which will be discussed later, this underground reservoir held back the salt water of the oceans from intruding beneath Florida's land surface. The natural conditions that existed at that time en- hanced the growth of a diverse population of vegetation. The nutrient content of the water, established through its gentle course over miles of decaying undergrowth was made available to plants, and new luxurious growth emerged throughout the marsh and flood plains. Diverse forms of animal life also flourished as they fed upon the thriving vegetation readily available to them. Growth and death processes enriched bottom sediments creating valuable muck deposits upon which a host of aquatic organisms also thrive:,. It was a land so deluged with water during long periods of rainfall that it was able to survive periods of drought. In the latter part of the nineteerth century man's attention was drawn to the favorable climatic conditions, good fishing, and an abundance of wildlife for his larder. Obviously he could not settle in this low watery terrain and instead began to settle on higher ground found along Florida's coast for itwas less susceptible to the ravages of hurricanes and floods. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach became small communities settled by these adventurous early settlers. Dissatisfied with conditions of the land for agricultural purposes, farmers began tomove in- land to take advantage of rich bottomlands. Ditches were gouged out of the land for drainage purposes and farmlands developed further inland. iv And so it went until hurricane-spawned floods plundered the land. Dikes were built around the perimeter of Lake Okeechobee in order to stem the ravages created by reoccur- ring flood conditions. In 1926 and 1928, nature destroyed these efforts and reclaimed her land. Dikes were reconstructed