Baseline hydrologic data collection along the I-75 - State Road 29 corridor in the Big Cypress National Preserve

The objectives of this study are to develop and continue a program of surface water flow monitoring across I-75 and SR 29 in the I-75 corridor from Snake Road west to SR 29 and SR 29 from I-75 south to USGS site 02291000 Barron River near Everglades, Florida. Quarterly discharge measurements will be made along both reaches to assess hydrologic flow patterns and evaluate the feasibility of creating a stage-discharge/index-velocity relationship for this area.

Data collected in this project will provide baseline information about a major current barrier to sheetflow, I-75. The data are expected to support the research on the existing linkages among geologic, hydrologic, chemical, climatological, and biological processes that currently shape the Everglades and will provide insight into the predrainage Everglades. The baseline flow will contribute to the Southwest Florida Feasibility Study addressing the health of upland and aquatic ecosystems in the 4,300 square mile area.