FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY


 PURPOSE AND SCOPE

 Lest the early mistakes of the Everglades be repeated, the
Florida Division of Water Resources and Conservation considered
that an appraisal of the physical and hydrologic features of the
Green Swamp area was needed for future guidance in planning
water-resource policy. Lack of factual hydrologic information has
contributed to the controversy on whether the area should be
utilized for flood control and water conservation or for agriculture.
This investigation provides factual information on the hydrology
of the area for determining the feasibility of either choice of
utilization.
 The hydrology of the Green Swamp area was investigated by
the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Florida
Geological Survey, the Florida Division of Water Resources and
Conservation, and the Southwest Florida Water Management
District. The investigation covered a 4-year period beginning July
1, 1958. A Comprehensive Report on Four River Basins, Florida,
was prepared by the Corps of Engineers in 1961.
 The following factual data, used to appraise the hydrologic
significance of the area, were collected during the investigation;
the amount of rainfall on the area; the pattern of surface-water
drainage; the effects of improved drainage channels and man-made
diversions; the amount and direction of surface-water runoff; the
amount and direction of ground-water outflow; the amount of
evaporation losses from an open water surface; the interrelationship
of rainfall, surface water, and ground water; and the chemical and
physical characteristics of water in relation to the hydrologic
environment.
 A comprehensive appraisal of the hydrology of the Green
 Swamp area and its significance to central Florida have been made
 on the basis of the findings of this investigation. The report does
 not recommend any plan of development or utilization of the water
 resources of the area. An appraisal was made, however, of the
 hydrologic effectiveness of a plan of water control and water
 conservation proposed by the U. S. Corps of Engineers (1961).

 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS

 Only cursory investigations of the water resources and geology
 of the Green Swamp area were made prior to this investigation.
 Few long-term records of streamflow, ground-water levels, and