EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF EVERGLADES RESTORATION SCENARIOS BY LINKING THE LOCAL-SCALE SOUTHERN INLAND AND COASTAL SYSTEMS (SICS) MODEL TO THE REGIONAL SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT MODEL (SFWMM)

The South Florida Water Management District is using its regional hydrologic model, the South Florida Water Management Model (SFWMM), to evaluate different hydrologic restoration scenarios for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The SFWMM was designed primarily for the inland freshwater areas in southern Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey developed the Southern Inland and Coastal Systems (SICS) model, an integrated surface-water and ground-water model, in order to simulate flows, stages, and salinities in the southern Everglades and into northeastern Florida Bay. Modifications to the SICS boundary conditions allow the local-scale SICS model to be linked to the regional-scale SFWMM. The linked model will be used to quantify the effects of restoration alternatives on flows, water-levels, and salinities in the SICS area as well as freshwater flows to the coast. The SICS surface-water model utilizes areally distributed boundaries and four types of lateral boundaries (discharge, water level, no flow, and salinity). Two discharge boundaries (at Taylor Slough Bridge and C-111 Canal) in the SICS model domain are converted to water-level boundaries in order to use SFWMM water-level data instead of field data. The third discharge boundary (at Levee 31W) now uses flow data derived from SFWMM model output instead of using field-measured flows. The SICS wetlands water-level boundaries are modified to use SFWMM model output data. The two marine water-level boundaries, the no-flow boundaries, and the Florida Bay salinity boundary all remain unchanged. The SICS ground-water model contains a general-head boundary, which extends along the edges of the wetlands part of the SICS model domain, and a no-flow boundary under Florida Bay. The general-head boundary cells are modified to use water-level values from corresponding SFWMM cells. These values are interpolated from surrounding SFWMM model cells and assigned to the SICS general-head boundary cells in all layers of the ground-water model. The no-flow boundary is unaltered. A 5-year simulation, of existing conditions, was developed to test the SICS-SFWMM linkage. Results from the linked model are similar to those obtained from the original SICS model in which boundaries are assigned using field data.