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Biscayne Aquifer - Renewal & Removal of Groundwater - Page 1
Renewal & Removal of Groundwater - Page 1
Rainfall
Groundwater in the Biscayne aquifer is primarily recharged by
precipitation. The amount rainwater that seeps through the ground into
the aquifer depends upon how much rainfall occurs during the year. Not
all of the rainfall reaches the aquifer. The Miami River Commission
estimates:
Less than 15 percent of South Florida's rainwater reaches the Biscayne Bay Aquifer, the region's primary drinking water supply. The rest of evaporated by the sun or drained by canals to the sea.
From U.S. Geological Survey. The
Groundwater Atlas of the U.S.. Figure 36   Modified from Klien and others, 1975. |
Canals
The Groundwater in the aquifer is also recharged and removed by the
Florida Everglades canal system. The canals directly intersect the
aquifer.
The canals were constructed in the early part of the twentieth century for the draining of Everglades land for commercial and residential use. In the 1960’s the canal were further developed for controlling flood water.
Figure 36.
"During periods of less than normal precipitation, water passes freely
from the aquifer into canals that are dug into it (top diagram). When
storm runoff raises canal water levels, the movement of water is
reversed (B.)"
(U.S. Geological Survey, Ground Water Atlas
of the United States)
Sources:
1). U.S. Geological Survey. Water-Resources Investigations Report
96-4285.
Delineation of Saltwater Intrusion in the Biscayne Aquifer,
Eastern Dade County, Florida, 1995. By Roy S. Sonenshein. http://www.sflorida.er.usgs.gov/online_reports/wri964285/
2) The Miami River Commission. Greenway Project Themes: The Miami River
is an Important Environmental Resource at Risk.
http://miamirivercommission.org/greenw3.htm
3) U.S. Geological Survey. The Ground Water Atlas of the United
States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, HA 730-G. By
James A. Miller. Published in 1990. http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch_g/index.html