Hydrology and Physiography of Groundwater and Wetland Habitats - Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications - page 66

QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT

Sidebar 4.3.
Managing Hydrology of the
Florida Everglades

1. Why would understanding the
hydrodynamics of groundwater be
important when an oil spill occurs on
land (e.g., leakage of a gasoline or oil
storage tank)?
2. Why might understanding the
application of Darcy's law to sediments
under a wetland be important when
calculating a water budget for a
wetland?
3. How could global warming alter

The Everglades and adjacent Big Cypress
Swamp are parts of a large wetland area that
covered more than 10,000 km 2 of southern
Florida prior to massive human modification
during the past century (Gleason and Stone,
1994). This area is characterized by slowly
flowing freshwater from the Kissimmee-Okee-
chobee-Everglades watershed. Movement of
clean water through the wetlands is an ecosys-
tem characteristic that is required to support
the native flora and fauna. Over the years,
canals and dikes were used to drain large ar-
eas in the watershed for agriculture, develop-
ment, and supplying water to the Miami met-
ropolitan area. For example, in one decade in
the late 1800s, millionaire Hamilton Disston
drained 20,235 ha for agriculture. By 1917, four
large canals (380 km total length) had been en-
larged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Because of these flood control and drainage
practices, agricultural production and popula-
tion increased dramatically in the region (Light
and Dineen, 1994). In 1947, Everglades National
Park opened, making official a desire to con-
serve at least part of the wetland.
Today, the South Florida Water Management
District in large part controls the drainage sys-
tems erected during the past 100 years. The
system is extremely complex and includes
more than 700 km of canals, nine large pump
stations, 18 gated culverts, and 16 spillways
(Light and Dineen, 1994). These control struc-
tures must be managed to ensure delivery of
freshwater for agriculture and Miami drinking
water, to control flooding, and to provide
enough clean water to maintain the ecological
systems of the Everglades National Park. Vari-