Hydrologic measurements and water quality in ENR, WCA2 and WCA3 (OFR 00-168 appendixes)

The datasets available in the appendixes of the OFR provide information on site locations and measurements in the Everglades Nutrient Removal (ENR) area and Water Conservation Area (WCA) 2A. For restoration of the Everglades to succeed there must be comprehensive knowledge about physical, chemical, and biological processes throughout the system. A key measure of success in the Everglades is the improvement or protection of water quality under changing hydrologic conditions.

Although there is a basic understanding of how interactions between groundwater and surface water will affect water budgets under restoration, there is only a rudimentary understanding of how interactions between groundwater and surface water will affect water quality. Only field-oriented research and modeling can determine whether interactions between groundwater and surface water are currently storing pollutants in groundwater, how long those pollutants are likely to be stored in the aquifer, and under what changing management conditions associated with restoration will those pollutants be returned into the surface water system.