"Inner workings" of swamp, revealed!

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Permalink Reply by Swamp Hunter on May 10, 2012 at 12:04am

I like the symbol system used on your map.  So is the water coming from the Everglades around L-28 or is it mostly coming directly under the Tamiami Trail?  Can gates be opened and shut?  I wonder if the new Loop Road culverts change anything? Ill want to save a shortcut on my desktop. Did you design this yourself?

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Permalink Reply by Swamp Hunter on May 10, 2012 at 12:34am

I wonder if the ancient natural water flow would be different and how much different? I wonder if more water would have flowed into Sweetwater or Sig Walker?

I believe the ancient Calusa Indians had a canoe trail up Sweetwater and into the Robert Lakes area, up to somewhere around 50 mile bend or Hunters Hammock and I am guessing somehow into the Everglades all the way to Lake O. 

 .. I presume they came inland when the mosquitos became unbearable on the coast and they may have had more water flow into Roberts Lakes (where all the large cypress were logged) to have this canoe trail.  I wonder...?

 

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Permalink Reply by Robert Sobczak on May 10, 2012 at 10:08pm

The water sees to be a combination of (1) directly leaking in from the tailwater of the S12A and (2) water accumulating at the downstream end of the L28.  If you look carefully at the map at the white numbers, you will see that the headwater and tailwater end of the L28 has the same stage, thus at the northern end that same level is below ground and to the south that level is accumulated water on the surface.  The map is just one point in time.  It'll be fun to watch it change as the wet season kicks in.

I personally think groundwater played a much bigger role in the pre-drainage Everglades than we give it credit for, especially when Lake O was 8-12 fee higher than it its now.  That pushed a lot more water into the system in probably sustained flows longer into the dry season.

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Permalink Reply by Swamp Hunter on May 10, 2012 at 11:16pm

I was wondering what S12A was so I googled it.  http://www.gohydrology.org/2010/06/structural-sheetflow.html  Oh yea I know that structure. Bob Hill caught a python sunning on it.

 

If you get by that way on the weekend stop by the BarBQ at the little Indian store if they still have it.. Tell them Dale sent you.  They have a nice dock out back to sit and eat with a beautiful view and usually a little breeze..

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