The CHAIRMAN. What about the keys area?

Mr. VERNON. In the keys area we still have the artesian aquifer but the waters in it are slightly brackish and are not usable for human consumption. They must go to more shallow aquifers of even more higher permeability along the coastal areas, the Miami and MiamiHewlett, the Tamiami limestone, what has been termed the Biscayne aquifer, is probably one of the most porous aquifers in the world. It is in some case like pumping out of an open reservoir and have almost no drawdown at 10,000 gallons, 10 million gallons of water.

The CHAIRMAN. I will tell you this. In my judgment that will be worth a lot more to this State in the future than the oil resources of any State will be worth to the respective State.

Mr. VERNON. Yes, sir; but it would be very convenient to have a greasy feel between your money.

The CHAIRMAN. You know, in establishing the ascendancy in many fields after all this is a Union of 50 States-I am sure that you are quite happy in the knowledge that other States have some advantages and things to be said in their behalf.

Mr. VERNON. Senator, we would welcome you to make all the money you can so long as you spend it in Florida.

The CHAIRMAN. Now your people have been so kind to me they will not let me spend it.

Senator HOLLAND. May I ask a question?

The CHAIRMAN. Go ahead.

Senator HOLLAND. Dr. Vernon, the development of the keys areas requires the transportation of fresh water from the mainland of the peninsula to those keys, does it not?

Mr. VERNON. For the most part; yes, sir.

Senator HOLLAND. Is it not true also that one of the main objectives in the central and southern Florida flood-control program is to furnish a greater pressure of fresh water to repel the salt water that came in through the porous limestone, came in to the degree that it forced back the water wells that supply the great urban area of Miami and surrounding cities and that threatens to force them back still further unless the program is effective in producing greater fresh water pressure?

Mr. VERNON. Yes, sir; the large conservancy districts that they have established there will provide water for several purposes. Of course, for drought and for the release of these waters into the aquifers as recharge to provide additional water to these coastal areas and to assist in flushing out some of these salt waters that have contaminated the aquifer along the coastal areas.

Senator HOLLAND. One of the main purposes of the central and southern Florida project is to prevent further intrusion of salt water into the subterranean rock aquifers and to even repel some of the salt water that has already intruded, is that right?

Mr. VERNON. Yes, sir. The application of good water management practices will have that effect.

The old program of developing a drainage of the Everglades area which used to be covered with sheet water which moved rather slowly toward the coast and is being drained off for agricultural purposes was found to be very damaging to the soils because of the very high rates of oxidation and the application of good water management

policies will hold these waters underneath those soils at levels near the ground which will still allow tillage but will not cause the excess oxidation in those soils.

Then the canals themselves have been equipped with salt water gates which allow the boats to use them through those gates but which in effect keeps the salt water out of the lower portions of the drainage canals and the subsequent intrusion of the ground water along the sides of the canal.

Senator Young. Let me ask this question. How deep is your average artesian well?

Mr. VERNON. It would be pretty hard to say, sir. In the western part of the peninsula where the limestone is exposed at the surface you may get flows almost immediately. The deeper you go the stronger the flow you get. These are in discharge areas. But in areas like in Jacksonville, we have artesian wells which are still fresh at about 2,260 feet. The water levels here originally were 60 feet above sea level. In some areas, of course, with heavy withdrawals they have been reduced to something like 100 feet below sea level but they have a very effective seal that prevents the salt water from moving down into the aquifer. At least it has been effective up to date. Continued heavy pumping, however, in these deep wells will undoubtedly cause some movement and we are hopeful we can take a very rapid reappraisal of this area to try to determine just what the effects of this heavy pumping have been in recent years.

Senator HOLLAND. How much pressure do some of these wells have? Mr. VERNON. Some of them 60 feet above sea level originally. I suppose in these areas you still get 50 feet above sea level. Of course, an artesian in a recharge area like in the Polk County region, these water levels are 120 feet above sea level. There, though, it is a recharge area and the water is getting into the formations and moving out under the aqueclude into coastal areas and into areas of discharge. Then in anticipation of our needs in the State the present coordinated program of water resources in the amount of about $750,000 will be expanded in the future, the Florida legislature being willing.

This expansion will allow the State to develop statewide data rather than the more usual troubleshooting which we have been doing in the past. We hope to expand the automatic water level recorder program and have drilled on roads rights-of-way a number of wells in which recorders can be permanently installed so there will be no interruption of our well records.

An increase in National and State studies of the quality of water is needed particularly to the extent that this program can be applied to monitoring for nuclear contamination. In Florida the use of large quantities of artesian water has developed a problem in some areas of increasing seriousness to the farmer. Waters containing low concentration of solids in solution may drain to low surface areas and chemical residuals from evaporation may concentrate and make the soils barren. The flushing of these brines may gradually increase the percentage of salts leaving the drainage basin to the detriment of other uses. Likewise, effects of disposable industrial waste and increased water use in air conditioning and industrial cooling is a serious threat to some of the State's water resources. Industrial waste may alter the characteristics of water resources by addition of chemicals

and heat resulting in excessive mineralization of water, excessive taste and smell, corrosive waters, high color and high temperature, rendering these waters useless for air conditioning and many cases limited use for human consumption. Temperature of water is controlled naturally by the depth of the source of the water, the mean average temperature and chemical activity. The temperature of shallow wells, particularly those near lakes, varies greatly throughout the year but waters from wells 100 to 150 feet deep approximate the mean annual temperature and the temperature of this water increases about 1 degree from 60 feet or 100 feet of the hole. In some areas ground waters naturally salty or high in radioactive elements may have a temperature above the average, such as warm salt springs and ground waters and well waters penetrating generally in the Sarasota and Manatee area, inevitably an atomic energy project develops a variety of radioactive waste which must be safely disposed of as expeditiously and cheaply as possible. The rapidly expanding nuclear program has resulted in rapidly expanding numbers of plants and laboratories and only recently has some thought been given to the disposal of the waste. Disposal problems must be considered during the early stages of planning to prevent the possibility of waste of considerable land, food, and water

resources.

The volume and type of radioactive materials produced at powerplants may differ from that of fuel reprocessing plants but even they create a problem sufficiently great to influence their location.

Fuel reprocessing plants will probably not be suitable for placement in Florida but powerplants are already being planned and reactor units at both universities are under construction. It is impossible to have nuclear power without producing wastes and even with careful handling accidents have and will occur. The degree of damage resulting from such accidents are governed by the care taken in choosing the site, based on the study of the geology and geography leading to a method of containment and disposal of such waste.

Reasonable rules and regulations need to be established at the State level to insure that nuclear sites are selected only after adequate geologic, hydrologic, and geographic studies have been completed.

I would appeal to the Congress for an adoption of an integrated, coordinated waterways development program in Florida. The tidal program proposed for Florida is only a percent of the national budget for waterway development. The Nation and in particular the gulf coast and the Mississippi Valley States stand to benefit greatly from the completion of the coordinated waterways in Florida.

Because of the prolific, porous limestone aquifers of Florida, the construction of any lockages in Florida along waterways would be a step toward water, fish, and game management. We have a very unusual situation in Florida, Senator Kerr, in that most of our streams are spring fed and they carry very little sediment. Only the Apalachicola, and certain tributaries carry significant amounts of sediment and siltation solution along the bottom. For the most part, our streams are clear. They carry almost nothing except that in solution and consisting mostly of organic acids and dissolved limestone and so that our siltation problems behind these lockages would be almost negligible. The maintenance of these waterways would be very small.

Conservation of water would be gained through reduction of leakage from the aquifers and through the creation of lakes behind the locks.

In the case of the proposed barge canal the minimum water stage will store more than 150,000 acre-feet of water which is available for water, fish and game management of lock spillages.

Thank you, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Dr. Vernon.

Senator HOLLAND. I want to ask you one more question there. You are indicating with reference to your comment on the Florida crossState barge canal that the locks there would cause the storage of waters which would be helpful rather than hurtful?

Mr. VERNON. Yes, sir.

Senator HOLLAND. In the water problems solutions here in this State?

Mr. VERNON. It could be managed to conserve water rather than to waste it and the lock and waterways plan are equipped with pumps to regain any water that is lost from lockage spillage in the summit area. For the most part the area east of the Silver Springs lock is along natural channels where the water level is maintained at slightly higher elevations than they are now. For the area west of the English lock they are also along natural channels. There the water is allowed to assume its own level.

Senator HOLLAND. These benefits coming from water control and storage by the locks comprise the principal reason why your department now strongly supports that canal rather than oppose it as you did when it was conceived as a sea level canal?

Mr. VERNON. Yes, sir, that is right. We felt that the construction of a sea level canal would do very serious damage to our water supply and that the construction of a lock barge canal or lock ship canal for that matter would not change that situation materially and could be controlled so that it worked toward conservation.

Senator HOLLAND. It would be helpful rather than hurtful?
Mr. VERNON. That is right.

Senator HOLLAND. Thank you, Dr. Vernon.

Mr. A. D. Aldrich, director, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.

STATEMENT OF A. D. ALDRICH, DIRECTOR, FLORIDA GAME AND FRESH WATER FISH COMMISSION

Mr. ALDRICH. Senator Holland, Mr. Chairman, in the interest of time I wish to say that I have prepared a statement for the record and will therefore read only a brief outline of our position in the field of water resources.

Senator HOLLAND. Just a moment, Mr. Aldrich.

Mr. Chairman, did I understand that the full statement will be a part of the record?

The CHAIRMAN. The full statement of each report will be made a part of the record.

Mr. ALDRICH. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am A. D. Aldrich, director of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.

I must emphasize again that the recreational benefits resulting from the general use of the surface waters of Florida constitute a major item in the overall economy of the State, and Senator Kerr, I hope that your committee and yourself will stay in Florida and avail yourselves of some of the recreational facilities. We feel that more people, a larger percentage of people are attracted to Florida because of the recreational benefits connected with our water resources, we think even more so than California. We hope that you will stay long enough to get the good concept of the monetary value of a few days of recreation in Florida.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you say the monetary value to Florida?

Mr. ALDRICH. That is right; yes, sir. We like to keep Florida green. We are primarily interested in reviewing all plans for water projects to insure protection or enhancement of fish and game and other recreational features involved.

Senator HOLLAND. If you will yield right there, Mr. Aldrich, it is true, is it not, that the gasoline used to propel the sport boats is not manufactured in Florida?

Mr. ALDRICH. A good deal of it comes also from Oklahoma.

Senator HOLLAND. Is it true also that the reels, rods, the lines and the other equipment, in large measure, including the automobiles which carry you to the boat's side, and all those things, come from all the States?

Mr. ALDRICH. That is right.

Senator HOLLAND. And that all the Nation benefits from the immense recreational potentials here in Florida?

Mr. ALDRICH. Very definitely. We think that the recreational opportunity in Florida contributes immeasurably to the economy of the Nation.

Senator HOLLAND. Thank you. I wanted it in the record.

Mr. ALDRICH. We confirm that by the out-of-State license tags that you will notice, Senator, while you are in our State.

The CHAIRMAN. I am going to find out what an out-of-State fishing license costs.

Mr. ALDRICH. Good.

Senator HOLLAND. May I state that I hope the fresh water fish commission issues an honorary license to the Senator from Oklahoma and the Senator from North Dakota. If it cannot be honorary just send me the bill.

Mr. ALDRICH. Thank you, sir. He is indeed a colleague, Senator Kerr.

I also wish to say that Spencer Smith of the Atlanta office of river basin studies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is present. Mr. Smith will undoubtedly answer any questions your committee members may wish to ask relative to the interest of the Service in these matters before the commission.

By now you gentlemen have visited most of the regions of the country, have heard reams of testimony, and have spent hours at the conference table. And by now you have undoubtedly arrived at some general conclusions regarding continental needs and desires as based on such cross-section of opinions and presentments. Therefore, we shall not labor you in detail. In fact, your committee has already received a statement from our department of water resources which