Water tables and drainage uniformity in the Everglades Agricultural Area

Drainage waters leaving the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) have been implicated as having adverse effects on the receiving Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) and Everglades National Park (ENP). The objectives were to quantify and describe the rainfall and drainage events, characterize their effects on the water table system, and determine any relationships between the open channel drainage system and the field water tables on farms in the EAA. Water table rise in the soil profile from rainfall averaged a ratio of 10.6:1. Traditional expectations of field drainage behavior to channel gradients were not apparent. Field observation well drainage rates showed no direct relationships to distances across the farm or to the main station pumping rate. Due to the similar field water table responses under varying drainage scenarios, the organic soil, open channels, and the underlying geology were determined to function as an integrated system with respect to the movement of water.