Examining spatio-temporal relationships of landuse change, population growth and water quality in the SWFWMD
by Barnali Dixon, Julie Earls
Interdisciplinary Environmental Review (IER), Vol. 9, No. 1, 2007

Abstract: There are many pressures on Florida's water resources. Industrial, agricultural and urban development over the years has impacted water quality adversely. Deterioration of groundwater quality, a major source of fresh water, is a major concern for long-term sustainable growth. The study area, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) of Florida contains one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas. Although landuse changes as a result of population growth is inevitable, it is not too late to try to understand the relationship among landuse change, population growth and environmental dynamics. A thorough understanding of the population growth, landuse change and environmental dynamics is necessary for managing the urban sprawl with minimal environmental impact viz. their impact on water quality and quantity. The objectives of this study were: to explore if there is a spatial relationship exists among NO₃ and Bromacil contamination and critical physical/environmental variables and 2) to create a dataset that will be the basis for future study. This was accomplished by studying landuse (1988 and 1999), population (1990s and 2000s), soils, groundwater quality data (1990 and 2000), Floridan Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (FAVA) and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Preliminary results show that contaminated wells were associated with urban and agricultural landuse and sandy soils with high permeability. No significant relationship between population and groundwater quality exists for NO₃ and Bromacil contaminated wells.

Online publication date: Mon, 13-May-2013

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