Hydrology of the Addition Lands: Big Cypress National Preserve

Sobczak, Bob

Draft copy of a report that contains a general overview of each area’s hydrology, how the natural systems within each area have been modified by past drainage activities, and what steps that need to be taken in the future to restore these areas hydrologically. In 1988, Congress passed legislation to add two parcels of land to Big Cypress National Preserve. The larger of the two extended the northeast quadrant of the preserve up against the Hendry and Broward County lines (Fig 1-1). The second parcel extended the preserve to the west by one mile (two miles in its southern portion) to place it alongside State Road 29 (Fig 1-1). These lands officially became a part of the preserve via a land exchange in 1996.The original boundary of the preserve, as established in 1974, was sized and shaped to enclose the watershed that delivers freshwater to the western arm of Everglades National Park – thereby protecting both the downstream coastal area (the park) and the watershed itself (the preserve) (Fig 1). A notable disadvantage to the original designation was that the bounds of the watershed were far removed from road access in many areas and often difficult to identify with great certainty by people in the field. In this respect, the addition of the new parcels of land not only gave more land to the preserve, but also gave the preserve a more discrete boundary to the west – State Road 29 – to the north – the Hendry County line – and to east – the Broward County line. The advantage to the original preserve, however, was that it more or less constituted a rain-driven watershed that was relatively immune from upstream water management practices. The addition lands cannot claim a similar immunity. Both the western and northeast addition lands are currently impacted by upstream water management practices, and have been this way for decades. The hydrology of the addition lands was first described by William J. Schneider (1990) in preparation for the impending land exchange. This report is intended to build upon the work that Schneider completed a decade ago. The report is divided into two parts. Part 1 discusses the western addition lands and Part 2 discusses the northeastern addition lands. Both parts provide a general overview of each area’s hydrology, how the natural systems within each area have been modified by past drainage activities, and what steps that need to be taken in the future to restore these areas hydrologically. Figures, photographs, and satellite imagery are referenced throughout the text to complement the discussion.