Hydrologic conditions in urban Miami-Dade County, Florida, and the effect of groundwater pumpage and increased sea level on canal leakage and regional groundwater flow

Abstract

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to extend special thanks to Virginia Walsh, Idia MacFarlane, and Sonia Villamil of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department for their guidance and assistance in obtaining data for the study. John E. Doherty of Watermark Numerical Computing also provided assistance refining the model calibration process applied in this study.The authors would like to extend appreciation to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists Kevin Cunningham and Christian D. Langevin, whose assistance was invaluable to the development of the model used in this study. The authors would like to acknowledge other USGS scientists, including Linzy Brakefield, Joann Dixon, Melinda Lohmann, and Scott Prinos for their contributions to this report. The authors are also grateful to the technical reviewers of this report, including Brian Clark and Jon Traum of the U.S. Geological Survey. xii Elevation, as used in this report, is the distance above the vertical datum.Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given in milligrams per liter (mg/L). AbstractThe extensive and highly managed surface-water system in southeastern Florida constructed during the 20th Century has allowed for the westward expansion of urban and agricultural activities in Miami-Dade County. In urban areas of the county, the surface-water system is used to (1) control urban flooding, (2) supply recharge to production well fields, and (3) control seawater intrusion. Previous studies in Miami-Dade County have determined that on a local scale, leakage from canals adjacent to well fields can supply a large percentage (46 to 78 percent) of the total groundwater pumpage from production well fields. Canals in the urban areas also receive seepage from the Biscayne aquifer that is derived from a combination of local rainfall and groundwater flow from Water Conservation Area 3 and Everglades National Park, which are west of urban areas of Miami-Dade County.To evaluate the effects of groundwater pumpage on canal leakage and regional groundwater flow, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed and calibrated a coupled surfacewater/groundwater model of the urban areas of Miami-Dade County, Florida. The model was calibrated by using observation data collected from January 1997 through December 2004...

Opportunities and Challenges in Computing Fresh Groundwater Discharge to Continental Coastlines: A Multimodel Comparison for the United States Gulf and Atlantic Coasts

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“…Conceptually, leakage from the canal system can recharge the groundwater aquifer when surface-water stages are maintained at higher levels than groundwater levels or can discharge water coastward from the aquifer when groundwater levels are higher than surface-water stages. A recent hydrologic study in adjacent Miami-Dade County indicates that the surface-water system discharges more water from the aquifer than it recharges to the aquifer (Hughes and White, 2014). The directionality of these groundwater/surface-water interactions depend upon seasonal conditions and water management practices.…”

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