October 30, 2002 News Release: District and USGS Team up on Hydrologic Studies

October 30, 2002

News Release: District and USGS Team up on Hydrologic Studies

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) have agreed to jointly fund hydrologic data studies throughout the District. The data collected from these studies will support a wide range of activities including water supply development, flood management, natural systems protection and water quality. The proposed funding agreement requires the USGS to collect continuous and periodic data from: 130 sites along the District's lakes and streams, 164 groundwater wells, and 40 stations measuring surface water quality.

In addition to shared data, the District and the USGS have conducted joint hydrologic studies for several decades. Under the agreement, 10 ongoing and two new multi-year projects will be funded. The ongoing projects that will be funded include:

* determining stream flow to the Flatford Swamp,

* producing the May and September Districtwide USGS potentiometric surface map of the Floridian and
Intermediate aquifers,

* statistically characterizing lake stage fluctuations,

* completing a regional assessment of the hydrogeology and water quality of the intermediate aquifer system in southwest Florida

* determining the quality of ground water in the Silver Springs Basin with emphasis on nitrate contamination,
in partnership with St. Johns Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, Marion County and Ocala

* assessing hydrology, water quality, and the hydrologic connection between ground water and surface water
in the Upper Hillsborough watershed which will aid in establishing minimum flows

* defining inundation frequency distributions for augmentation on ecology and hydrology of selected wetlands in
the northern Tampa Bay area to support implementation and monitoring to the Partnership Plan in
in cooperation with Pinellas County and Tampa Bay Water

* development of a statewide evapotranspiration (ET) network in cooperation with the other four water
management districts

* evaluating District aquifer test data in fractured rock environments

The two proposed new projects include a project to study the water budget and lake/groundwater interactions for a representative lake on the Lake Wales Ridge, and a study of base flow isotopes to develop an improved technique for separating base flow from total flow in the Hillsborough River. Funding for the studies will be split among the District and the USGS. The District's share will be $1,838,265 and the USGS's share will be $1,399,235.

Of the District's commitment, $721,830 has been approved in the Governing Board's fiscal year (FY) 2003 budget. The remaining $1,116,435 has been approved in the District's eight Basin Boards' FY 2003 budgets. The $1,116,435 will be divided among the basins as follows: Northwest Hillsborough $3,000, Alafia River $80,600, Hillsborough River $228,910, Coastal Rivers $196,560, Withlacoochee River $166,515, Peace River $223,650, Pinellas Anclote River $49,400 and Manasota $167,800. Final approval is contingent upon passage by the Manasota and Alafia River basin boards.