Specifications

Section 2 Existing Conditions/Affected Environment
EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006
2-3
Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), as well as the STAs, are also contained
within the EAA. The reservoir location in the Restudy is within the southern
portion of the EAA, north of the Holey Land WMA and SFWMD’s STA 3/4.
Additional lands, approximately 1,495 acres, which might be added to the project
footprint are located adjacent to Compartment A of the Talisman Land
Exchange property on the southwestern side, north of Holey Land and east of
the Miami Canal.
Surface waters adjacent to the EAA include Lake Okeechobee to the north and
the Everglades Protection Area (EPA) to the south and east. Lake Okeechobee is
a 730-square mile (1,891 km2) shallow natural lake that was formerly the
headwaters of the Everglades. Lake Okeechobee is now entirely enclosed within
a water control levee and most surface inflows and outflows, with the exception
of precipitation and evapotranspiration, receive some human regulation. There
are interior and exterior canals and ditches along almost the entire length of this
encircling levee. The WCAs are Everglades wetlands surrounded by levees and
water stages are highly managed. These WCAs typically include a rim canal
located on the inside of the levees next to the largely undisturbed peat soils and
wetland plant communities.
2.3 GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND SOILS
2.3.1 Geology
The EAA developed primarily on top of the Fort Thompson Formation
(Pleistocene age), with some Tamiami Formation (Pliocene) in the south. The
Fort Thompson Formation is comprised of interbedded sand, shell, and
limestone that control the movement of water through the ground in this area
(Puri and Vernon, 1964). The geology is not likely to be affected differently
under the final array of alternatives to be evaluated, and therefore will not be
included in subsequent analyses of the alternatives.
2.3.2 Topography
The topography of the lands surrounding Lake Okeechobee is flat to gently
sloping with an elevation ranging from 10 to 20 feet above mean sea level (msl).
The area can be divided into three physiographic regions: (1) the Sandy
Flatlands to the west and north of the lake which slope gently towards either the
lake or the Caloosahatchee Estuary; (2) the Eastern Flatlands to the east of the
lake which slope gently towards the lake; and, (3) the Everglades Region to the
southeast, south, and southwest of the lake which generally slope to the south
away from the lake (Klein et al, 1964; Lichtler, 1960).
The Lake Okeechobee mean water surface elevation is 14.5 feet above mean sea
level, although this level varies from one side of the lake to the other depending