U.S. Department of the Interior a U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

Programs in Florida









































Tampa

Miami

Orlando

Brunswick

Savannah

Jacksonville

Tallahassee

SOUTH

CAROLINA

GEORGIA

FLORIDA G u l f o f

M e x i c o

A t l a n t i c O c e a n

Florida Bay

Florida Keys

Lake

Okeechobee

Everglades



0

0

50 MILES

50 KILOMETERS

GEORGIA–FLORIDA

 NAWQA

EXPLANATION

SOUTH FLORIDA NAWQA

SOUTH FLORIDA 

 ECOSYSTEM PROGRAM

The safety, health, and economic well-being of citizens in Florida are important to the 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which is involved in water-related, geologic, biological, 

land use, and mapping issues in many parts of 

the State. The Florida District Office in Tallahassee acts as the liaison for all studies conducted by USGS scientists in Florida. Waterresources activities are conducted from the 

District Office and Subdistrict Offices in Miami, Tampa, and Altamonte Springs (Orlando). 

Scientists in these offices investigate surface 

and ground water and water quality, working 

in cooperation with other Federal, State and 

local agencies and organizations. 

The USGS Center for Coastal Geology and 

Regional Marine Studies was established in St. 

Petersburg in 1988 in cooperation with the 

University of South Florida. The Center conducts a wide variety of research on mineral resources and on coastal and regional marine 

problems, which include coastal erosion, climate change, wetlands deterioration, and 

coastal pollution. This research is leading to 

more accurate predictions of future coastal 

erosion, the evolution of wetlands, the fate of 

contaminated sediments, and the location of 

economically valuable sand and gravel and 

minerals. 

 An Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) was established in Tallahassee in 1985 under a cooperative agreement with the Florida 

Resources and Environmental Analysis Center 

of Florida State University. As part of the National ESIC network, this office provides information and directs inquiries to the USGS or 

the appropriate State agency on such earth science topics as cartography, geography, digital 

data, remote sensing, geology, geophysics, 

geochemistry, hydrology, geohydrology, aerial 

photography, and land use in Florida. It is supported by the USGS with reference materials, 

technical assistance, outreach activities, and 

data base access.

Hydrologic and Geologic Issues 

Widespread population growth and landuse modification in Florida threaten the quantity and quality of drinking water, alter natural 

wetlands, and increase human exposure to 

geologic hazards, such as flooding, sinkholes, 

and erosion. Major problems with water quantity and quality can result from saltwater intrusion, aquifer dewatering, ditch excavation, 

water withdrawal, domestic and industrial solid and liquid wastes, atmospheric deposition, 

contaminated soils and sediments, and varying 

lengths of wet and dry periods. Other hazards, 

such as sinkhole development, radon, coastal 

erosion, and hurricane effects are additional 

environmental concerns. These concerns are 

being addressed by several USGS programs 

that are being conducted in cooperation with 

other Federal, State, and local agencies.

National Water-Quality Assessment 

Program

In 1991, the USGS began a full-scale National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) 

Program to improve the understanding of environmental stresses to the Nation’s water supply 

by using a regional approach. Two NAWQA 

studies cover most of peninsular Florida 

(fig. 1). These studies provide a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of water-quality management programs and predicting the likely 

effects of changes in land- and water-management practices. A third, which is mostly in 

Georgia, includes the Appalachicola River 

Basin in the western panhandle of Florida.

South Florida

The South Florida NAWQA Program study, 

which began in 1993, encompasses a large regional ecosystem (fig. 1) that covers about 

19,500 square miles. The study area, which includes the Kissimmee–Okeechobee–Everglades Basin, is characterized by dense urban 

development near the coast, intensive agricultural development in the northern Everglades, 

Native American lands in the interior, and vast 

regions of rangeland and wetlands throughout. 

The southern part of the study area is mostly 

under public control as parks, preserves, sanctuaries, conservation areas, and refuges; it 

contains most of the remaining Everglades 

and adjacent South Florida wetlands.

The South Florida study addresses unique 

environmental issues by using a multiscale, 

interdisciplinary approach. The study design 

includes analysis of historical data, surfaceand ground-water assessments, and ecological 

studies. Streambed sediment and tissue studies are ongoing. Largemouth bass, or Florida 

gar, have been collected at 15 sites to assess 

organic and trace-metal contamination. A 

surface-water-quality sampling program at 7 

sites within the study area and a ground-water 

sampling program of 30 shallow wells completed in the Biscayne aquifer and which are 

within a residential area in southeast Florida 

have been initiated.

Index of Subjects

Hydrologic and Geologic Issues

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Ecosystem Studies

Hydrologic Monitoring

Coastal Erosion

Geologic Mapping

Topographic Mapping, Digital Coverage, and 

Earth Observation Data 

Hurricane Studies

Big Bend Coastal Wetlands

Figure 1. Study areas of the Georgia–Florida 

Coastal Plain and the Southern Florida National 

Water-Quality Assessments (NAWQA) and the 

South Florida Ecosystem Program.

Earth Science in the Public Service
 Agricultural, industrial, and urban areas are 

sources of water-quality degradation. Agricultural production uses numerous chemicals, 

which include fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, that can leak into ground 

water or nearby surface waters. Water drained 

into canals from farms and cattle lands contains high concentrations of nutrients and numerous chemicals that enter Lake Okeechobee 

and the Everglades. Nutrients in water are necessary for productive aquatic ecosystems, but 

in high concentrations they can adversely affect aquatic life and human health. The Everglades is the largest continuous area in Florida 

from which fish are banned for consumption 

because of mercury contamination, the source 

of which is still under investigation. Altered 

water quality and high concentrations of nutrients also may be impacting coastal waters such 

as Florida Bay, where large areas of seagrasses 

have died, algal blooms have increased, and 

fisheries have declined over the past 10 years. 

The Biscayne aquifer is the principal source 

of potable water for southeastern Florida and 

has been designated as a “sole-source” drinking water supply by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (USEPA). However, the 

permeable Biscayne aquifer is at or near land 

surface, which could increase the potential for 

contamination from surface sources in this 

highly urban area.

Georgia–Florida Coastal Plain 

The Georgia–Florida Coastal Plain 

NAWQA Program study area covers nearly 

62,000 square miles and is divided almost 

equally between the States of Georgia and 

Florida (fig. 1). Seven hydrologic subregions 

are located within the study area, which includes the Altamaha and the Suwannee Rivers. 

The Floridan aquifer system is the major 

ground-water system.

The Georgia–Florida Coastal Plain study 

area is populated by 9.3 million people who rely primarily on the Upper Floridan aquifer for 

drinking water. More than 5 billion gallons of 

freshwater are used daily; more than 90 percent of the public supply is derived from the 

Upper Floridan aquifer. 

Nutrient data, which have been collected 

over the past 20 years by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) 

Ambient Ground Water Monitoring Program, 

the USGS, and the Georgia Geologic Survey, 

were evaluated early in the study. In September 1995, the 3-year phase of intensive data 

collection was completed. During that phase, 

more than 800 samples were collected and analyzed for pesticides, nutrients, and major 

water-quality constituents. 

Preliminary analyses of surface-water samples show very low values of 25 pesticides 

that have been detected in urban and agricultural basins. Concentrations of pesticides display seasonal variations that generally follow 

usage patterns. Among the intensively studied 

sites, more insecticides occurred in an urban 

basin than in two agricultural basins. In the 

Suwannee River Basin, preliminary analysis 

of streambed sediment samples and tissue 

samples collected from clams has identified 

the presence of elevated mercury and arsenic 

concentrations.

Ground-water samples collected from a 

predominantly agricultural eight-county area 

in Georgia showed elevated concentrations of 

nitrate; 7 of the 23 samples collected showed 

concentrations above the 10-milligram-per-liter USEPA drinking-water standard. Elevated 

nitrate concentrations in agricultural areas in 

Florida also have been observed, but statistics 

are not yet available.

Ecosystem Studies

The USGS is conducting a number of ecosystem studies to provide scientific data to 

Federal and State management and regulatory 

agencies for the maintenance and restoration 

of the South Florida ecosystem. A major multidisciplinary effort is currently directed toward 

South Florida.

South Florida Ecosystem

 The South Florida ecosystem, which includes the Everglades, has been dramatically 

altered during the past century by human activities. It is assumed that restoration of the South 

Florida ecosystem will follow restoration of 

natural hydrologic conditions, although this 

assumption is difficult or impossible to prove. 

Competing demands for water for household 

use, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystem protection and restoration, as well as the construction of numerous canal systems, complicate 

the issues in South Florida and Florida Bay. 

The USGS has initiated the South Florida Ecosystem Program to provide scientific insight on 

the hydrology, geology, and ecology, which are 

inextricably linked in the Everglades and Florida Bay and along the South Florida coast 

(fig. 1). The Program complements ongoing 

and planned USGS activities such as the 

NAWQA Program, cooperative water-resources studies, the geologic and topographic mapping programs, and the work of the Center for 

Coastal Geology. 

The Program focuses on developing key 

scientific information on hydrologic conditions to assist Federal, State, and local resource-management agencies and the private 

sector in their restoration efforts. Ongoing 

work includes the following:

• Measurement of the quantity of water discharging from the ecosystem to coastal 

waters and measurement and modeling of 

the movement of water through the various internal components of the ecosystem 

to assess the availability of water for competing requirements

• Identification of the processes that transform 

and transport nutrients and mercury 

through the ecosystem to assess water 

quality within South Florida, Florida Bay, 

and the Keys and fringing reefs and to provide the data needed by responsible agencies to design remediation facilities

• Reconstruction of freshwater and saltwater 

distribution, the frequency of fires, and the 

accumulation rates of nutrients and trace 

metals over the past 150 years, to determine the ecosystem history and the natural 

hydrologic conditions of South Florida 

and Florida Bay

• Preparation of bimonthly salinity maps of 

Florida Bay

• Description of the sediment dynamics of 

Florida Bay; these include interpretation 

of turbidity from satellite images

• Production of topographic maps and the related data needed to support scientific investigations and the design of ecosystem 

restoration alternatives. 

One of the Program’s first products is a satellite image map of South Florida that was 

based on 1992 and 1993 Landsat thematic 

mapper images. Satellite imagery shows subtle 

land elevation changes in the flat terrain of the 

Everglades, which do not appear on standard 

topographic maps. The satellite image map 

provides recent information on distribution of 

vegetation types and other land-cover features 

and serves as a baseline from which to plan 

restoration efforts in South Florida. 

The Program is a collaborative effort by the 

USGS with a large number of other Federal 

and State agencies. Coordination is being conducted through USGS participation in the 

working group and subgroups of the South 

Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, 

which includes 12 Federal agencies, 6 State 

agencies, and the Miccosukee and the Seminole Indian Tribes.

Biological Studies

The USGS Biological Resources Division 

(formerly the National Biological Service) 

conducts research in Florida, Puerto Rico, and 

the Virgin Islands from its Florida Caribbean 

Science Center (FCSC) in Gainesville. The 

FCSC’s research includes studies of the endangered Florida manatee by means of its Sirenia 

Project, life-history studies of the threatened 

Gulf sturgeon and impacts of nonindigenous 

species on native ecosystems, studies on the 

threatened Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, studies 

related to restoration of the South Florida ecosystem, and helping the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge identify the cause of 

recent aquatic fauna die-offs.
The National Wetlands Research Center in 

Lafayette, Louisiana, documents the ecological effects of hurricanes, fire, and hydrological 

changes in Big Cypress National Preserve and 

Everglades National Park. Its Gulf Breeze office develops digital data bases on water quality and contaminants in Gulf of Mexico 

estuaries. The Center also helps assess potential impacts of Outer Continental Shelf oil and 

gas development and identifies the effects of 

increasing temperature, sea level, and atmospheric carbon dioxide on wetland plants in St. 

Marks National Wildlife Refuge. 

The Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit in Gainesville works with the 

University of Florida to conduct research on 

invasive plants, threatened and endangered 

species, fish community dynamics, and landscape ecology issues.

Hydrologic Monitoring

The USGS, in cooperation with Florida resource-management agencies, is studying major hydrologic issues, which include floodplain ecosystem water needs, integrated 

ground- and surface-water management, water-supply availability, surface and subsurface 

ground-water recharge with treated wastewaters, development of brackish ground-water 

resources, evapotranspiration/natural groundwater recharge relations, interaction of lakes 

and wetlands with ground water, and increased water withdrawal to supply users’ 

needs. Programs are reviewed regularly and 

future needs for data collection and hydrologic investigations are developed jointly with cooperating State and local agencies. Typically, 

USGS investigations are of the following major types: data collection, problem-oriented 

appraisals, applied research, and hydrologic 

system definition.

The historical and current data-collection 

programs in Florida consist of monitoring networks for streamflow, ground-water levels, and 

surface- and ground-water quality. One unique 

surveillance program is the USGS's streamflow program, which is the primary source of 

long-term discharge data in the State (fig. 2). 

Information from various USGS networks is 

combined for all the States to establish a national computerized data base. 

In 1995, the USGS conducted about 50 hydrologic studies, most of which can be categorized as problem-oriented appraisals and 

applied research. These include, by broad categories, 21 studies to determine the availability 

of regional water resources for population 

growth management planning, 17 studies for 

assessment of water-quality degradation, and 

13 research studies on such topics as loss of 

water to the atmosphere by evaporation and 

plants, hydrodynamics and chemical modeling of ground- and surface-water flow, and 

wetland processes—all of which are important 

to water-resources management.

These studies were done cooperatively with 

the five Florida Water Management Districts, 

the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Florida Department of 

Transportation, and a number of county and 

local agencies.

Coastal Erosion

The west-central coast of the Florida peninsula is characterized by sandy barrier 

islands with numerous inlets and a low wave 

and tidal energy regime. Despite the low average energy, this coast is highly dynamic, 

changeable, and subject to erosion. In fact, the 

FDEP has classified about 60 percent of the 

beaches along the west-central Florida coast 

as “critical erosion areas.” Many have 

required beach replenishment that has cost 

tens of millions of dollars. The USGS, in 

cooperation with researchers from the University of South Florida and Eckerd College, initiated a 5-year program in October 1994 to 

study these problems. Results of the study are 

intended to provide information for long-term 

management and protection of the barrier 

island and inlet system. The research is 

divided into studies of the geologic framework 

of the coast, the oceanographic processes 

related to sea-level change and coastal sediment transport, and the changes in size, shape, 

and position of barrier islands and sand bodies 

on the inner shelf.

By using high-resolution seismic profiling, 

side-scan sonar surveying, and surficial sediment samples and sediment cores, the USGS 

and its collaborators are mapping the distribution of sediment on the inner shelf in an 

attempt to understand the relation between the 

sediment on the beaches and in adjacent shallow waters offshore. Side-scan sonar mosaics 

reveal a complex pattern of bottom characteristics and suggest an irregular distribution of 

sediments. Maps of beach-quality sand north 

of Tampa Bay have been produced for the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help identify 

potential borrow sites for beach replenishment 

projects.

Geologic Mapping

The STATEMAP component of the National 

Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program is a 

funding vehicle whereby the USGS coordinates a 50:50 (Federal:State) dollar match 

that, through a competitive proposal process, 

supports mapping projects by individual State 

geological surveys. The geologic mapping 

project products are designed to help resolve 

issues of ground-water protection, waste-disposal siting, metallic and (or) nonmetallic 

mineral-resource identification, and land-use 

planning. 

Current projects in Florida involve mapping of near-surface geology in the southern 

Everglades to assist with future planning decisions regarding the flow and interactions of 

ground and surface waters.

Topographic Mapping, Digital 

Coverage, and Earth Observation 

Data

Among the most popular and versatile 

products of the USGS are its 1:24,000-scale 

topographic maps (1 inch on the map represents 2,000 feet on the ground). These maps 

depict basic natural and cultural features of 

the landscape, such as lakes and streams, 

highways and railroads, boundaries, and geographic names; contour lines are used to depict the elevation and shape of terrain. Florida 

is covered by 1,041 maps at this scale, which 

are useful for a multitude of technical and 

recreational applications.

Statewide digital line graph coverages of 

Public Land Surveys, boundaries, hydrography, and transportation have been prepared 

under a joint agreement with the FDEP and 

are available for computer applications. Digitized contour data are available for about onequarter of the State, and digital elevation 

models are available for about one-half of the 

State. In 1996, the USGS and the State of 

Florida initiated a statewide digital revision 

program that begins in the panhandle and 

works eastward.

A statewide coverage of digital orthophotoquads (DOQ's) is the result of agreements with the FDEP, several Water Management Districts, and the National Park Service 

(NPS). DOQ's are derived from digitized aerial photographs that are corrected for displacement caused by camera tilt and terrain relief. 

They are becoming increasingly popular as a 

geographic information systems component, 

where they are used in combination with vector data. In cooperation with the NPS, the 

FDEP, St. John's Water Management District 

and the South Florida Water Management 

District, the USGS is producing digital raster 

graphics (DRG's) for the State. A DRG is a 

scanned image of a topographic map that 

Figure 2. The locations of active long-term daily 

streamflow-monitoring stations in Florida.

SURFACE-WATER

GAGING STATION

EXPLANATION
For More

Information

Tampa

Miami

Key West

Marco Island

Naples

Sanibel Island

Venice

Sarasota

Egmont Key

Bayport

Cedar Key Cape

Canaveral

Clearwater

1–20

20–40

40–60

60–80

80–100

UNDETERMINED

EXPLANATION

Percent probability

of 100-knot winds

in the next 20 years

retains the positional accuracy of the map in 

raster format. Recently acquired DOQ images 

can overlay DRG’s to provide new information for revising base maps.

Through its Earth Resources Observation 

System Data Center near Sioux Falls, South 

Dakota, the USGS distributes a variety of aerial photographs and satellite image data products that cover the entire State of Florida. 

Satellite images, which date from 1972, can 

be used to study changes in regional landscapes. 

Hurricane Studies

The destructive forces of hurricanes cause 

loss of life and property, particularly in coastal 

areas. USGS scientists currently are developing a new method of forecasting the size and 

number of national disasters and their attendant losses. The magnitude of future hurricanes is being forecast in terms of fatalities 

and dollars, as well as by traditional scientific 

characteristics. Probabilistic estimates of hurricanes in Florida, which were based upon 106 

years of observations, indicate that hurricanes 

with winds equal to or greater than 100 knots 

occur more frequently in South Florida and 

gradually decrease toward northern Florida 

(fig. 3).

Other USGS hurricane-related studies include storm-surge measurements and damage 

assessment. On October 4, 1995, Hurricane 

Opal came ashore in the Florida panhandle 

and caused major coastal damage to a 100-

mile stretch of beachfront. This was the second most damaging storm in Florida’s history 

after Hurricane Andrew. In a cooperative effort between the USACE (Mobile, Alabama 

office) and the USGS (Tallahassee office), 

storm surges of from 12 to 15 feet above sea 

level were measured. Although winds reached 

117 knots (135 miles per hour), aerial photographs and videos taken by the USGS indicate 

that most damage was due to surge, rather 

than to wind.

Big Bend Coastal Wetlands 

The Big Bend region of Florida includes 

more than 120,000 acres of undisturbed coastal 

wetlands (20 percent of all estuarine wetlands 

along the U.S. coastline facing the Gulf of 

Mexico). The region includes coastal counties 

north of Tampa from Pasco to Wakulla Counties, where the population has increased 250 

percent in the last 20 years. These wetlands are 

very sensitive to environmental stresses. For 

example, sabal palms in these wetlands have 

been dying, and recent freezes have killed 

mangroves in the area, which has caused significant alterations of environments. The 

USGS, in cooperation with the Florida Geological Survey, the University of South Florida, 

and the University of Florida, is conducting a 

5-year study to document the changes of wetlands in this region and to identify the factors 

that are contributing to losses in wetland area. 

These cooperative efforts are leading to an understanding and potential prediction of the response of wetlands to sea-level fluctuations 

and the migration of marshes into upland areas. Wetland areas that have experienced critical change are being identified. Results help in 

the management of public lands, such as national wildlife refuges and State parks (fig.4).

Figure 3. Frequency of hurricanes with wind 

speeds greater than or equal to 100 knots, 

mapped in terms of the probability of occurrence 

during a 20-year period. Areas for which estimates 

have not yet been calculated are shown in white.

Figure 4. Typical South Florida Wetland

USGS State representative

227 N. Bronough St., Suite 3015

Tallahassee, FL 32301

 (904) 942-9500

FAX: (904) 942-9521

E-mail: FLinfo@usgs.gov

 Florida Subdistrict Offices:

Altamonte Springs, 407-865-7575

Miami, 305-526-2895

Tampa, 813-243-5800

USGS Center for Coastal Geology

and Regional Marine Studies:

600 Fourth St. South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

813-893-3100

USGS Earth Science Info. Ctr:

Florida Resources & Environmental

Analysis Center, FSU

361 Bellamy Building

Tallahassee, FL 32306-4015

904-644-2883 or 5447

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

 others meet their needs to manage,

develop, and protect America’s water,

 energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-006-96