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Howard Klein

Publications and source records attributed to Howard Klein.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Changes in saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer, Hialeah-Miami Springs area, Dade County, Florida

A lobe of salty groundwater that had intruded the Hialeah-Miami Springs area municipal well field, adjacent to the Miami and Tamiami Canals in Dade County, Florida, was stabilized after flow-regulation structures were installed in the canals in 1946. However, in 1971, the saltwater began to readvance toward the center of the well field because of water level declines caused by large increases in withdrawals during a near-record dry season. To better protect the well field, a temporary flow-regulation structure, constructed in 1971, in the Tamiami Canal was moved in 1976 to a permanent site, about 3,000 ft farther seaward; this converted that tidal reach of canal to a controlled reach under a sustained freshwater head. This water management procedure resulted in dilution of the intruding saltwater lobe and a marked concentration of its size even though large municipal withdrawals continued. (USGS)

Florida

Synopsis of saltwater intrusion in Dade County, Florida, through 1984

The inland position of saltwater at the base of the highly permeable limestone of the Biscayne aquifer in Dade County in 1984 is a consequence of: (1) years of adjustment to lowered water levels resulting from regional drainage for flood control and land reclamation; (2) increased freshwater withdrawals; and (3) water-control and water-management practices implemented at the south part of the hydrologic system as well as in upgradient areas. As water demands in southeast Florida continue to increase, further intrusion could be related to increased pumping from well fields. Implementation of additional management practices to further reduce canal discharge to the ocean would tend to sustain water levels high enough to retard intrusion during dry seasons. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report

Attenuation of stormwater contaminants from highway runoff within unsaturated limestone, Dade County, Florida

Infiltration of stormwater in heavily urbanized parts of Dade County, Florida, is a prime source of recharge to the unconfined Biscayne aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for southeast Florida. Ponded stormwater at the test site contained greater concentrations of lead, zinc, manganese, nitrogen (except nitrate), and phosphorus than the water which percolated through the unsaturated limestone. Attenuation of some stormwater contaminants in the surface soils and limestone is indicated at the test site adjacent to a busy throughfare. Lead concentrations of 610 micrograms per kilogram and zinc concentrations of 91 micrograms per kilogram were found in the thin surface soils, nearly 20 times more than the concentrations of these metals at greater depth. In contrast, soil and rock sample at a control site remote from heavy traffic contained low concentrations of metals and showed little variation in concentration with depth. (USGS)

Florida

Water-resources investigations, Collier County, Florida

Early water-resources investigations in Collier County, Fla., were related to saltwater intrusion in Naples. With the advent of canal drainage and land reclamation farther inland, investigations were directed at effects of canals on water resources and the environment. High on the list of investigative needs are: (1) areal and vertical delineation of the shallow aquifer, the prime source of freshwater; (2) delineation of areas of poor quality ground water and the sources of the poor quality; (3) establishment of network of hydrologic data stations; and (4) determination of the relation between canals and the shallow aquifer. (USGS)

Florida

Biscayne aquifer, southeast Florida

Peak daily pumpage from the highly permeable, unconfined Biscayne aquifer for public water-supply systems in southeast Florida in 1975 was about 500 million gallons. Another 165 million gallons was withdrawn daily for irrigation. Recharge to the aquifer is primarily by local rainfall. Discharge is by evapotranspiration, canal drainage, coastal seepage, and pumping. Pollutants can enter the aquifer by direct infiltration from land surface or controlled canals, septic-tank and other drainfields, drainage wells, and solid-waste dumps. Most of the pollutants are concentrated in the upper 20 to 30 feet of the aquifer; public supply wells generally range in depth from about 75 to 150 feet. Dilution, dispersion, and adsorption tend to reduce the concentrations. Seasonal heavy rainfall and canal discharge accelerate ground-water circulation, thereby tending to dilute and flush upper zones of the aquifer. The ultimate fate of pollutants in the aquifer is the ocean, although some may be adsorbed by the aquifer materials en route to the ocean, and some are diverted to pumping wells. (Woodard-USGS)

Florida

Ground-water quality near the northwest 58th Street solid-waste disposal facility, Dade County, Florida

The Northwest 58th Street solid-waste disposal facility, 3 miles west of a major Dade County municipal water-supply well field, overlays the Biscayne aquifer, a permeable, solution-riddled limestone which transmits leachates eastward at a calculated rate of 2.9 feet per day. A discrete, identifiable leachate plume has been recognized under and downgradient from the waste disposal facility. Concentrations of sodium, ammonia, and dissolved solids decreased with depth beneath the disposal area and downgradient in response to an advective and convective dispersion. At a distance of about one-half downgradient, the rate of contribution of leachate from the source to the leading edge of the plume was about equal to the rate of loss of leachate from the leading edge of the plume by diffusion and dilution by rainfall infiltration during the period August 1973 - July 1975. Heavy metals and pesticides are filtered, adsorbed by aquifer materials, or are precipitated near the disposal area. (Woodard-USGS)

Florida

Simulations of water-level drawdowns in proposed well-field areas, Dade County, Florida

Electrical analog model simulations of hydraulic conditions in the Biscayne aquifer were made at proposed inland well-field sites in Dade County, Florida. Simulated drawdowns of water levels after 7 months of continuous pumping at 50, 100, and 150 million gallons per day were obtained at each site. Simultaneous pumping of each of the sites at 50 million gallons per day showed that after 7 months pumping there would be interference between proposed well fields. (Woodard-USGS)

Florida

The environment of South Florida; a summary report

Man has altered the original south Florida ecosystem to a new three-part ecosystem which incorporates an agricultural component, an urban component, and a component of the original ecosystem that is largely unchanged but still has been affected by man. These components are interrelated through the flow of energy and material. The ecosystem of south Florida has undergone extensive alteration for 70 years. About 35 percent (3 ,000 square miles) of the original habitat of the ecosystem has been replaced by agriculture or urbanization. The remaining natural habitat is stressed by exotic plants and animal, changes in water levels and flows, severe fires, pollution, loss of animal and plant populations, and by further growth and development. Man 's most dramatic and long-term effects on the ecosystem have resulted from drainage. Wetlands originally occupied about 75 percent of south Florida; through the years large areas of this land have been drained. In parts of southeast Florida, drainage has lowered water levels 5 to 6 feet below the 1900 level and stressed natural systems. (Woodard-USGS)

Professional Paper

Ground-water quality in selected areas serviced by septic tanks, Dade County, Florida

During 1971-74, the U.S. Geological Survey investigated the chemical, physical, bacteriological, and virological characteristics of the ground water in five selected areas serviced by septic tanks in Dade County, Florida. Periodic water samples were collected from multiple-depth groups of monitor wells ranging in depth from 10 to 60 ft at each of the five areas. Analyses of ground water from base-line water-quality wells in inland areas remote from urban development indicated that the ground water is naturally high in organic nitrogen, ammonia, organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand. Some enrichment of ground water with sodium provided a possible key to differentiating septic-tank effluent from other urban ground-water contaminant sources. High ammonia nitrogen, phosphorus, and the repetitive detection of fecal coliform bacteria were characteristic of two 10-foot monitor wells that consistently indicated the presence of septic-tank effluent in ground water. Dispersion, dilution, and various chemical processes have presumably prevented accumulation of septic-tank effluent at depths greater than 20 ft, as indicated by the 65 types of water analyses used in the investigation. Fecal coliform bacteria were present on one or two occasions in many monitor wells but the highest concentration, 1,600 colonies/100 ml, was related to storm-water infiltration rather than septic-tank discharge. Areal variations in the composition and the hydraulic conductivity of the sand and limestone aquifer had the most noticeable influence on the overall ground-water quality. The ground water in the more permeable limestone in south Dade County near Homestead contained low concentrations of septic-tank related constituents, but higher concentrations of dissolved sulfate and nitrate. The ground water in north Dade County, where the aquifer is less permeable, contained the highest dissolved iron, manganese, COD, and organic carbon.

Florida

Water and the South Florida environment

Ecological problems are a major concern to Florida as well as to the Nation. National attention was focused on these problems in September 1968, when the Port Authority of Dade County began to con- struct a jetport for supersonic aircraft on a 39-square-mile tract 6 miles north of Everglades National Park and on the east edge of the Big Cypress Swamp. Conservation groups and citizens raised questions as to the effects of a regional jetport and the attendant satellite growth on the water resources and biological communities of the National Park. The Department of the Interior began studies to investigate the situation. One study, Leopold (1969), reported on the unfavorable ecological effects of the attendant satellite growth. Then Secretary of the Interior, Walter J. Hickel, directed the U.S. Geological Survey to study the water resources of the Big Cypress to determine which parts of the Big Cypress contribute the major part of the water necessary to maintain adequate water supplies for Everglades National Park. This was done in a report by Klein and others (1970). At about the same time, the Departments of interior and Transportation, the State of Florida, and the Dade County Port Authority con-curred in assigning to the Secretary of the Interior certain responsibilities for planning, developing, and coordinating an ecological study of south Florida. A primary objective of the ecological study is to provide information that will assist in the formulation of land-use policy consistent with the protection of the environment of Everglades National Park, the adjacent estuaries, and the public water supplies. The part of the investigation describing the surface-water and ground-water resources of south Florida was assigned to the Geological Survey. The quantity and quality of surface water and ground water and their interrelation with estuarine and marine waters are here considered. Also considered are the problems, present or future, related to the hydrologic environment that involve human, animal, and plant life. Changes taking place, apparent trends, and projections for the future are also considered, as well as alternatives for water management. The Geological Survey effort began in January 1971, when aerial photography and selected qualitative hydrologic data were obtained. However, most of the information upon which this report Is based was obtained by the Geological Survey in cooperative programs with several local, State, and Federal agencies since about 1940. The long-term support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, U.S. Navy, Florida Department of Natural Resources, Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District, Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Collier Counties, Miami and Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Naples and others in the collection of data is gratefully acknowledged. A prolonged drought throughout south Florida from September 1970 to May 1971 accentuated the importance and timeliness of the study. The drought brought about a readvance of sea-water intrusion in many coastal areas, which necessitated restrictions on water use. The effect of drought on the regional water supply, continued population growth and increased water demands, and deterioration of the water quality in many of the canals and waterways of the urban areas accentuated the need for improved water management and land-use planning. As a result of the water crisis, the Governor of Florida called a special conference in September 1971. The conference, attended by foremost scientific and government personnel, proposed creation of an agency that would develop and implement comprehensive land and water-use plans for south Florida that would minimize environmental degradation.

Florida

Hydrologic conditions: Dade County, Florida

Thin layers of dense limestone of low permeability that occur near the top of the Biscayne aquifer in the vicinity of the north end of Levee 30 in Dade County, Florida are of hydrologic importance because they retard the downward infiltration of ponded water in Conservation Area No. 3. This retarding effect frequently results in high head differentials across the levee. Tests made in a small area adjacent to Levee 30 indicate that the coefficient of transmissibility of the aquifer is 3,600,000 gpd (gallons per day) per foot, and the coefficient of vertical permeability of the dense limestones is 13 gpd per square foot. If ground-water flow beneath the levee is laminar, the total inflow to the Levee 30 Canal from Conservation Area No. 3 will be about 350 mgd (million gallons per day), or 540 cfs (cubic feet per second), per mile length of levee when the head difference across the levee is 10 feet.

Miami-dade County