Summary of data from onsite and laboratory analyses of surface water and marsh porewater from South Florida Water Management District Water Conservation Areas, the Everglades, South Florida, March 1995

Agricultural best management practices and surface water improvement and management

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0275 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 31 (8) ◽

pp. 109-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

D. L. Anderson ◽

E. G. Flaig

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Surface Water ◽

Best Management Practices ◽

Management Practices ◽

Agricultural Runoff ◽

South Florida ◽

Lake Okeechobee ◽

Runoff Water ◽

Best Management ◽

Management Plans

Restoration and enhancement of Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades requires a comprehensive approach to manage agricultural runoff. The Florida Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act of 1987 was promulgated to develop and implement plans for protecting Florida waters. The South Florida Water Management District was directed by Florida legislature to develop management plans for Lake Okeechobee (SWIM) and the Everglades ecosystem (Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Protection Act of 1991). These plans require agriculture to implement best management practices (BMPs) to reduce runoff phosphorus (P) loads. The Lake Okeechobee SWIM plan established a P load reduction target for Lake Okeechobee and set P concentration limitations for runoff from non-point source agricultural sources. Agricultural water users in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) are required to develop farm management plans to reduce P loads from the basin by 25%. The Everglades Forever Act of 1994 additionally emphasized linkage of these landscapes and consequent protection and restoration of the Everglades. Agricultural BMPs are being developed and implemented to comply with water management, environmental, and regulatory standards. Although BMPs are improving runoff water quality, additional research is necessary to obtain the best combination of BMPs for individual farms. This paper summarizes the development of comprehensive water management in south Florida and the agricultural BMPs carried out to meet regulatory requirements for Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.

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Screening Historical Water Quality Monitoring Data for Chemicals of Potential Ecological Concern: Hazard Assessment for Selected Inflow and Outflow Monitoring Stations at the Water Conservation Areas, South Florida

Water Air & Soil Pollution ◽

10.1007/s11270-015-2710-1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 227 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

John F. Carriger ◽

Joffre Castro ◽

Gary M. Rand

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Hazard Assessment ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Water Quality Monitoring ◽

South Florida ◽

Quality Monitoring ◽

Monitoring Data ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Ecological Concern ◽

Monitoring Stations

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Managing Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia) in the Everglades

Weed Technology ◽

10.1017/s0890037x00044626 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 726-732 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

François B. Laroche

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Public Lands ◽

Control Program ◽

South Florida ◽

Lake Okeechobee ◽

Melaleuca Quinquenervia ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Governmental Agencies ◽

Management Techniques

Until recently melaleuca was spreading at a rate faster than it was being controlled throughout the boundaries of the South Florida Water Management District (District). Although melaleuca is a difficult species to eradicate, apparently District efforts, along with those of other governmental agencies and private groups, are containing its spread within the Everglades Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) and the marsh of Lake Okeechobee. Melaleuca has been completely cleared from WCA-2A, -3B, and -3A, south of Alligator Alley. These areas are now under “maintenance control.” Maintenance control means applying management techniques in a continuous basis to keep an invasive plant population at its lowest feasible level. Today, the melaleuca infestation is no longer increasing; in many areas, it is being reduced. Preliminary results from the latest District survey indicate melaleuca infestation has decreased considerably in South Florida, especially in public lands. The intent of this paper is to provide an assessment of progress made by the District's melaleuca control program over the past 7 yr.

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