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Alafia River Minimum Flows and Levels - Southwest Florida Water ...

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40<br />

35<br />

30<br />

25<br />

20<br />

15<br />

10<br />

T20 T21 T27 T32 T49 T51 T60 T64<br />

Downstream<br />

Upstream<br />

Cypress/<br />

Palm Sw amp<br />

Cypress<br />

Sw amp<br />

Hardw ood<br />

Sw amp<br />

Wet<br />

Hardw ood<br />

Hammock<br />

Dry Palm<br />

Bank<br />

Dry<br />

Hardw ood<br />

Hammock<br />

Figure 5-5. Mean elevations of six vegetation classes at eight <strong>Alafia</strong> <strong>River</strong> floodplain crosssections<br />

(transects).<br />

Inundation of the highest floodplain vegetation class would require local (crosssection<br />

site) flows of 2878 cfs or more (flows for only two cross-sections could be<br />

calculated, elevations for other sites were higher than could be modeled with the<br />

HEC-RES floodplain model; see Appendix RH). Corresponding flows of 3334 cfs<br />

or higher at the USGS Lithia gage would be required to inundate the highest<br />

floodplain vegetation classes (Table 5-1). Inundation of the mean elevation<br />

associated with the floodplain swamp classes (Cypress/Palm Swamp, Cypress<br />

Swamp, Hardwood Swamp) would occur when local flows range from 412 to<br />

1478 cfs. Corresponding flows at the USGS Lithia gage would range from 529 to<br />

1843 cfs, with a mean of 981 cfs (Table 5-1). To inundate the highest swamp<br />

class at each cross-section, flows ranging from 731 to 3233 (mean = 1480 cfs)<br />

would be required at the Lithia gage (Table 5-1).<br />

Floodplain wetted perimeter plots (patterned after the wetted perimeter plots<br />

used for identification of the Lowest Wetted Perimeter Inflection Point) were<br />

developed for each floodplain vegetation cross-section (see Appendix RH). The<br />

plots were developed to show the linear extent of inundated floodplain (wetted<br />

perimeter) associated with measured floodplain elevations, including the mean<br />

elevations of the floodplain vegetation classes. For example, Figure 5-6 shows a<br />

floodplain wetted perimeter plot for floodplain vegetation cross-section (transect)<br />

51. Based on the plot, an average of 350 linear feet of floodplain would be<br />

inundated when the river is staged at the mean elevation of the Wet Hardwood<br />

Hammock vegetation class. <strong>Flows</strong> necessary to inundate the first major slope<br />

change at each transect were evaluated using the HEC-RAS model. Local flows<br />

5-7

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