Identification of agricultural properties and public water system wells within phosphorus restrictive basins in florida – us, using gis tools

Identification of Agricultural Properties and Public Water System Wells
Within Phosphorus Restrictive Basins in Florida – US, using GIS Tools
Bruno F. Martins ([e-mail])
Florida A & M University - Universidade Federal de Viçosa
Introduction

Methodology (continued)

Phosphorus is an essential element for life and is often a limiting nutrient for crops. For this reason, its major use is as fertilizer for agriculture and farm production.

All the data was downloaded from the Florida Geographic Data Library website: http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp. The data was added in the software ArcGIS – ArcMap 10.

Results
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Properties within the PRB:

• It is estimated that about 1 million people have their water supply from wells within the PRB;

Phosphorus excess in water bodies can contribute to excess growth of algae, a condition known as eutrophication.

•

PWS wells within the PRB:

However, the wells used to supply the population with water can be passive of contamination.

The objective of this project is to identify properties with agricultural use that are located within the Phosphorus Restricted
Basins (PRB), and then educate and alert their owners about a controlled phosphorus use.

Discussion

The properties and the Public Water System (PWS) Wells within the
PRB were identified:

• The addition of large quantities of phosphates to waterways accelerates algae and plant growth in natural waters .
• Population supplied by the specific wells and volume of water:

The 4 watersheds are Lake Okeechobee, Lake Apopka, the Green
Swamp and the Everglades Protection Area (EPA), and the counties include all of Glades, Hendry and Okeechobee

• Because phosphorus can be applied in agricultural activities, such farmers must be made aware and educated to use the right amount of fertilizers, to avoid runoffs and leaching of phosphorus to the watersheds and groundwater;

The data used was:

•