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

Table of Contents
Table of Contents..........................................................................................................iii
Table of Figures ...........................................................................................................vii
List of Tables................................................................................................................xii
Executive Summary....................................................................................................xiv
Acknowledgement .....................................................................................................xvii
Chapter 1 Minimum Flows and Levels ..................................................................... 1-1
1.1 OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................1-1
1.2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE............................................................................1-2
1.3 THE FLOW REGIME ......................................................................................1-2
1.4 ECOLOGIC INTEGRITY AND SIGNIFICANT HARM ...............................................1-4
1.5 SUMMARY OF THE SWFWMD APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING MINIMUM FLOWS .1-4
1.5.1 Elements of Minimum Flows ..............................................................1-4
1.5.2 A Building Block Approach.................................................................1-6
1.6 FLOWS AND LEVELS .....................................................................................1-8
1.7 CONTENT OF REMAINING CHAPTERS .............................................................1-9
Chapter 2 Basin Description with Emphasis on Land Use, Hydrology and
Water Quality.............................................................................................................. 2-1
2.1 WATERSHED DESCRIPTION...........................................................................2-1
2.1.1 Geographic Location..........................................................................2-1
2.1.2 Climate...............................................................................................2-3
2.1.3 Physiography (excerpted from SWFWMD 2001) ...............................2-3
2.1.4 Hydrogeology.....................................................................................2-5
2.1.4.1 Surficial Aquifer ............................................................................2-5
2.1.4.2 Intermediate Aquifer System ........................................................2-6
2.1.4.3 Upper Floridan Aquifer System ....................................................2-7
2.1.4.4 Brandon Karst Terrain ..................................................................2-8
2.1.4.5 Groundwater Flow and Levels......................................................2-9
2.1.4.6 Springflow and Groundwater Relationship .................................2-13
2.2 LAND USE CHANGES IN THE ALAFIA RIVER WATERSHED ...............................2-16
2.2.1 South Prong Sub-Basin ...................................................................2-20
2.2.2 North Prong Sub-Basin ....................................................................2-22
2.2.3 Turkey Creek Sub-Basin..................................................................2-25
2.2.4 Lithia Springs Sub-Basin..................................................................2-26
2.2.5 Fish Hawk Creek Sub-Basin ............................................................2-26
2.2.6 Buckhorn Creek Sub-Basin..............................................................2-26
2.2.7 Bell Creek Sub-Basin.......................................................................2-27
2.2.8 Alafia Mainstem Sub-Basin..............................................................2-27
2.3 HYDROLOGY..............................................................................................2-28
iii