A direct diversion by pipe line or lined conduit from a point in
the Miami Chnal above the County Line dam wo'ald draw water directly from the headwaters storage area. Measurements made during the release of water from this area through the gates in County Line dam indicate that considerable storage is available there. During a period of 10 days (March 28 April 6p 1942) a total of over 1.5 billions of gallons was withdrawn with an accompanying average lowering of water elevation in the backwater of Miami and South New River Canals of less than one foot. Such a withdrawal would be equivalent to a diversion of 50 million gallons a day for a period of one month. It is estimated, however, that there are several times that amount of water available by pumpage from or release through the dams in the Miami and South New River Canals during the normally dry winter and spring months in the present state of development of this storage area.
Prior to any steps toward the development of this source the
hydrologic and hydraulic characteristics of the area should be more conpletely studied. During the comparatively dry winter and spring months the total evaporation and transpiration over this reservoir area, together with leakage, at times removes water at rates in excess of one tenth of a foot decline in water levels each week. However, the lower the water levels in the area fall the less is the loss by total evaporation and transpiration. The open water storage in the canal is only a small part of the total ground water storage in the shallow but relatively permeable formations of the area. There would apparently be little advantage in increasing by excavation the open water storage volume because such areas have greater evaporation losses
during low levels in the reservoir then the land areas beneath which water is stored naturally inthe porous rock.