Alternative Text Description for SFWMD Watersheds

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays watersheds managed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). Watersheds represent major drainage areas corresponding to the USGS 10-Digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) system. The map shows the boundaries of these watershed units across South Florida, providing a view of how the region is divided into distinct hydrological drainage areas.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the South Florida Water Management District's jurisdiction, spanning from Orlando in the north to Key West in the south. Major cities labeled on the map include Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Immokalee, Miami, Homestead, Hollywood, Coral Springs, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, and Melbourne. Lake Okeechobee is prominently labeled in the central portion of the state. The mapped area extends along both the Atlantic coast (eastern boundary) and the Gulf of America coast (western boundary), encompassing the entire southern peninsula of Florida.

KEY INSIGHTS

The map reveals the extensive hydrological subdivisions within South Florida's water management district. Watersheds are distributed throughout the entire South Florida region, with varying sizes of drainage areas visible across the peninsula. The watershed boundaries create an interconnected network of hydrological units that collectively cover the SFWMD jurisdiction. The central Lake Okeechobee area appears as a distinct large watershed, with numerous smaller watersheds radiating outward toward the coastal areas. The subdivision pattern reflects the natural drainage systems flowing from central Florida toward both coasts and the southern tip of the peninsula.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

SFWMD Watersheds

This layer represents the watershed boundaries within the South Florida Water Management District's jurisdiction.

Watershed Boundaries (light yellow polygons with gray borders)

Appearance:

Individual watersheds are shown as light yellow or pale cream-colored polygons with thin gray boundary lines separating adjacent watersheds.

Distribution:

Watersheds cover the entire South Florida peninsula from the Orlando area southward through the Keys. Coverage extends from coast to coast across the Florida peninsula.

Notable locations:

A large central watershed surrounds Lake Okeechobee. Numerous smaller watersheds are distributed throughout the coastal regions on both the Atlantic and Gulf of America sides. The southern portion of the state, including the Everglades region and Miami-Dade area, contains multiple watershed units extending to the Florida Keys.

Spatial patterns:

Watershed boundaries generally follow natural drainage patterns. The watersheds vary in size, with larger units in the interior and central portions of the district and smaller, more fragmented units along coastal areas. The network of boundaries creates an irregular pattern that reflects topography and natural water flow directions throughout South Florida.

Overlapping Patterns

Not applicable. This map displays a single thematic layer of watershed boundaries without overlapping features.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map shows the administrative hydrological boundaries used by the South Florida Water Management District for water resource management. The watersheds represent the next level of drainage areas larger than subwatersheds in the SFWMD hierarchy. These boundaries were updated by incorporating SFWMD subject matter expert guidance and newer data from business units when available. The map includes watershed boundaries that are part of a hierarchical system maintained in AHED (presumably the district's hydrological database), which enforces topology rules among Basin, Subbasin, Watershed, SubWatershed, and Rainarea feature classes. The HUC codes from USGS are not populated for AHED watersheds because there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the two datasets.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

The watershed boundaries are derived from USGS Hydrologic Unit Code data, updated and refined by the South Florida Water Management District using subject matter expert knowledge and newer business unit data. The data represents administratively defined drainage areas used for water management purposes.

Data source layer name: SFWMD_WATERSHED_MAY24

Definition Query:

No definition query or filter criteria was provided for this map view.

Scale Information:

The map shows a regional-scale view appropriate for understanding the overall watershed structure across South Florida. The scale is suitable for viewing the complete extent of the SFWMD jurisdiction and the distribution of major watershed boundaries.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content:

The data layer name indicates the watershed boundaries were updated as of May 2024.

Limitations:

While these watersheds correspond to the USGS 10-Digit HUC system conceptually, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the AHED watershed dataset and the USGS HUC codes. The boundaries have been modified to reflect local South Florida hydrological conditions and SFWMD management practices, which may differ from the standard USGS HUC delineations.

Map Coverage:

The map covers the entire South Florida Water Management District jurisdiction, extending from approximately the Orlando metropolitan area in the north to Key West in the south, and spanning from the Atlantic coast to the Gulf of America coast. The full peninsula of South Florida is shown, including all major urban areas and Lake Okeechobee.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.