Report for Kissimmee-Everglades Area, Florida

Excerpts from the report: The Kissimmee-Everglades Area consists of the southern part of the peninsula of Florida including the Florida Keys. The northern boundary is formed by the divide between the Kissimmee River Basin and the St. Johns River Basin on the northeast and the Peace River Basin on the northwest. The Kissimmee River originates near Orlando and flows almost due south into Lake Okeechobee. The area is made up of 15,702 square miles of land and 1,962 square miles of water. The water area consists of 1,076 square miles of fresh water lakes and streams, and 886 square miles of salt or brackish estuaries and rivers. All or parts of seventeen counties are within the boundaries of the Basin. For watershed planning purposes, the area was divided into 126 planning units ranging in size from 13 to 1,769 square miles. The primary objective of the U.S.D.A. in participating in this study is to facilitate the coordinated and orderly conservation, development, utilization and management of the water and related land resources of the Basin. In carrying out this objective, due consideration is given to the projected land and water resource needs of an expanding population, and the physical and economic aspects of flood prevention and control; watershed protection, drainage and irrigation, surface and subsurface water supply, water quality control; fish and wildlife resources; environmental protection and enhancement; and other related matters.