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 utilize fossil fuel energy to build and maintain the water

 storage capacity that previously was provided by nature.

 Figure 83, an energy circuit diagram, illustrates the costs

 of. the destruction of the natural water storage system by

 drainage and its replacement with a man-made storage
 system.

 In addition to the loss of water storage the main

 effect of the present drainage network has been to reduce

,the mean area of land covered by water. Drainage has not

yet greatly affected the fluctuation in land surface

covered by water, as a comparison of the horizontal "a"

range with the "c" range in Figure 70 will demonstrate.

Because considerable seasonal oscillation in surface water

area still exists, the ecosystem tuned to, and dependent

on, seasonal fluctuation continues to operate, although on

at a reduced level.

 Any additional drainage in southwest Florida can be

 expected not only to reduce the average area covered by

 water, but also to decrease seasonal fluctuation, as a

 comparison of the horizonal "c" range withd-ueL---and-"k"

 ranges in Figure 70 will show. The resultant disruption of

 the ecosystem would be dramatic, as indicated by the analog

 computer simulations of fish biomass, fish density, bird

 biomass, and bird number in Figure 73 and 74.