Wetland Evaluation Tool

Cities have long relied on the Floridan Aquifer for most of their supply, but intensifying development has meant that too much water is being shunted to the surface. Increasingly, people are looking to surface water, but there is simply not enough. To solve this impending water crisis, the State of Florida founded the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI), encompassing 5,300 square miles around the Orlando region. 

In partnership with Soil and Water Engineering Technology, Inc., Audubon Florida developed an interactive GIS-based mapping tool (Water Evaluation Tool, or WET) that identifies locations for passively storing surface water and/or recharging ground water.  

Importantly, WET allows us to distinguish between areas that would be viable for aquifer recharge versus those that would be suited for surface water storage. Recharge areas have deep, sandy soils that allow water to freely move downward, while surface storage areas have soils that reduce or prevent downward seepage. Because of these differences, recharge areas should be managed to hold water on-site to promote percolation into the ground water aquifer. Surface storage features essentially are wetlands and lakes and should be managed to support surface water retention. 

Once suitable land is identified, Audubon works with landowners and land managers to conserve their properties.