Taylor Slough. The SFWMD plans to expand its monitoring network. In partnership with the 
Everglades National Park, data acquisition has been intensified in the freshwater wetlands of 
Taylor Slough, the transition zone south of C-111, and in Florida Bay. The SFWMD is monitoring 
water quality, salinity, groundwater, and surface water over an intensive network of stations. 
9.2.2.1. GIS Database 
The SFWMD maintains a GIS database containing existing and future land use/cover, water 
permit information, monitoring station sites, hydrography data including canals, rivers, lakes 
and streams, structures, demographic data, transportation, soils, and others. Water use 
permit boundaries of the properties that the permits are issued to are also included.* 
9.2.2.2. Hydrography 
A set of DLG hydrography data from USGS is maintained in a SFWMD database in the original 
1:100.000 quad maps. The District is working on a more detailed hydrography data layer 
derived from 1:24,000 scale quad maps.* 
9.2.2.3. Public land 
The public land data contain the boundaries of public owned lands which consist of Save Our 
Rivers lands, state and federal lands, Indian lands, conservation and recreational lands, and 
water conservation areas.* 
9.2.2.4. Demographic data 
The coverage was developed from the US Census Bureau TIGER files, and the attributes and 
records are from the 1990 Census count. The data are divided into population (62 attributes) 
and housing (59 attributes). The coverage contains two different levels of geography, the 
Census track, and block groups.* 
9.3. Academia 
The two largest universities in the South Florida are the UM and FIU. These two institutions 
have conducted research in Florida Bay for many years. Other universities in the state, such as 
Florida State University and the University of Florida, have also been active. Brief summaries 
of activities of the South Florida based universities are included below. Other universities that 
conducted studies in the area can be found in the list of permits issued by ENP for work in 
Florida Bay in recent years (Table 15). 
9.4. Local agencies 
9.4.1. Dade County 
Dade County's Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), working jointly 
with the SFWMD, conducted a water qualtiy and biological monitoring program in northeast 
Florida Bay. The C-111/Taylor Slough water quality and biological monitoring project began in 
October 1993. The purpose of the project is to monitor water quality and benthic vegetation in 
response to changes in water management practices of the C-111 canal and increased water 
delivery to Taylor Slough. Dade County DERM also conducts expeditious monitoring of water 
quality during events of large pulse discharges to northeast Florida Bay and Manatee Bay. 
The C-111/Taylor Slough Water Quality and Biological Monitoring Program involves monthly 
visits to a series of stations in northeast Florida Bay in the region from Little Madeira Bay east 
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