The Biscayne Aquifer, named afterBiscayne Bay, is asurficial aquifer. It is a shallow layer of highlypermeablelimestone under a portion of SouthFlorida. The area it underlies includesBroward County,Miami-Dade County,Monroe County, andPalm Beach County, a total of about 4,000 square miles (10,000 km2).[1]
The water-absorbing layers of rock underlying south Florida divide into three layers. The Biscayne Aquifer is closest to the surface and because of this it directly interacts with natural and man-made bodies of surface water, such as streams, lakes, canals and reservoirs. The ground water and the aquifer currently are managed as an integrated water system.[2]
Because the top part of the Biscayneaquifer is the water table, this aquifer is known as anunconfined aquifer. Since it merges with the floor ofBiscayne Bay and with theAtlantic Ocean, it is also a coastal aquifer.[3] Both of these factors contribute to its potential contamination. Lowered water tables, primarily from over-pumping, could allowsalt water intrusion without man-made interventions such as dam-like structures that control fresh and salt water levels in canals. Because the aquifer is so close to the surface, it is extremely vulnerable to surface contaminants. A massive saltwater plume is radiating from theTurkey Point Nuclear Generating Station toward wellfields in the aquifer.[4]
TheSouth Florida Water Management District controls an extensive system ofcanals and other control systems andpumping stations along with the Biscayne Aquifer,Lake Okeechobee and three other large water conservation areas as it monitors and controls the storage and release of the water in the district. It must take into account the danger of salt water intrusion and monitor water demand while it manages surplus flood water and maintains water table levels and adequate water supplies.[1]
The Biscayne Aquifer suppliesSouth Florida metropolitan area with its primary source of fresh water. This area includes most of south Florida (Miami-Dade, Monroe, and parts of Broward Counties) as well was other urban areas stretching fromHomestead, Florida toDelray Beach, Florida. Further, water from the Biscayne Aquifer is piped to theFlorida Keys.[1]
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