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projects > ground-water
discharge to biscayne bay
| Please note - this is a completed project. |
Summary
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The goal is a model assessment of effects of management activities on discharge to Biscayne Bay.
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The goal of Everglades Restoration is to restore the
ecosystem of South Florida to conditions that closely
resemble predevelopment conditions. Much of the restoration
will occur by making significant changes to the structures
and operational procedures of the existing water management
system. These changes must not harm the ecosystem of
Biscayne Bay, which is already threatened by reductions in
fresh groundwater flow.
Prior to the construction of the extensive canal network in
South Florida, offshore springs discharged large quantities
of fresh groundwater into Biscayne Bay. During this time
most of the freshwater flow to Biscayne Bay occurred as
either spring flow or the continuous seepage of fresh
groundwater along the coast of the Bay. When drainage
canals were constructed to reduce flooding in the area, the
mechanism for transporting water to the Bay was
significantly altered. Rather than receiving a continuous
supply of fresh groundwater, Biscayne Bay received
wet-season pulses of canal discharge. Biologists have
confirmed that the change in timing and location of
freshwater flow to
the Bay has harmed Biscayne Bay's ecosystem. Sea grasses,
and juvenile fish that take refuge in them, no longer
receive a continuous supply of fresh water-a requirement for
their survival. The purpose of this project, known as the
"Groundwater Flows to Biscayne Bay" project, is to determine
how planned restoration alternatives will affect the bay by
providing answers to the following questions:
(1) How much fresh groundwater is currently discharging to
Biscayne Bay?
(2) How will South Florida restoration efforts affect the
quantity of fresh groundwater flow to Biscayne Bay?
To answer these questions, groundwater flow to Biscayne Bay
is being simulated with a computer model. The model will
help identify which of the costly restoration alternatives
will result in fresh groundwater flows to the Bay that are
most beneficial to the ecosystem. This project is scheduled
for completion in September 2000, at which time the computer
model and a published report will be available to all
interested parties
Proposals
Project Summaries
Metadata
Publications
Abstracts:
- Ground-Water Discharge to Biscayne Bay (from the GEER Conference, December 2000)
- Ground-Water Discharges to Biscayne Bay
- Groundwater Discharge and Nutrient Loading to Biscayne Bay (from the Florida Bay and Adjacent Marine Systems Science Conference, November 1999)
- Ground-Water Flows to Biscayne Bay (from the South Florida Restoration Science Forum, May 1999)
- Geochemical Analysis of Ground-Water Flow
to Biscayne Bay
- Numerical Simulation of Submarine Groundwater Discharge to a Marine Estuary: An Example from Southern Florida, USA (from the proceedings of The First International Conference on Saltwater Intrusion and Coastal Aquifers -- Monitoring, Modeling, and Management, April 2001)
Computer Program:
- SEAWAT: A Computer Program
for Simulation of Three-Dimentional Variable-Desity Ground-Water Flow (from the Water Resources of the United States website)
Fact Sheet:
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Ground-Water Discharge to Biscayne Bay
Open File Report:
- MODFLOW-2000, the U.S. Geological Survey Modular Ground-Water Model-Documentation of the SEAWAT-2000 Version with the Variable-Density Flow Process (VDF) and the Integrated MT3DMS Transport Process (IMT) (OFR-03-426, from the Water Resources of Florida website)
Paper:
- Simulation of submarine ground water discharge to a marine estuary: Biscayne Bay, Florida (available from the National Ground Water Association website)
Poster:
- Biscayne Bay: How can the quantity, timing, and quality of freshwater inflow be improved to sustain healthy ecosystems in all parts of this bay that stretches from urban areas to wilderness? (from the South Florida Restoration Science Forum site)
Water Resources Investigations:
- Simulation of Ground-Water Discharge to Biscayne Bay, Southeastern Florida (WRI 00-4251)
- User's Guide to SEAWAT: A Computer Program for Simulation of Three-Dimensional Variable-Density Ground-Water Flow (Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations Book 6, Chapter A7 (Supersedes OFR 01-434), available from the Water Resources of Florida website)
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