Two continuous recording surface-water-level (stage) stations and 21 continuous recording ground-water monitoring wells were installed along a transect, approximately 1,000 ft long that is perpendicular to and bisected by Levee 30. The surface-water stations were installed in Water-Conservation Area 3B and in Levee 30 canal. The wells are located in six different clusters; each cluster contains two to five wells with depths ranging from 7 to 82 feet below land surface. The five 82-foot deep wells were completed in the Tamiami Formation below the Biscayne aquifer; the remaining wells were completed in the Biscayne aquifer beneath a hard rock layer located about 5 ft below land surface. All of the wells were completed with 4 in. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) casing with about 2 ft of open hole below the casing.

The wells in each cluster ideally should be aligned parallel to the levee, and in turn, be parallel to the lines of equal hydraulic head. Water-level differences between wells in a cluster would then solely be the result of vertical differences. However, because of the logistics of drilling, especially in the wetland areas, this well arrangement was not always feasible, with distances up to 44 ft between wells in a cluster. Thus, differences in water levels between wells within a cluster could be the result of horizontal differences, vertical differences, or both.

Float wheels and shaft encoders were installed at each surface-water station and on each well. Data were collected hourly to the nearest 0.01 ft using electronic satellite data-collection platforms. Tapedown measurements were made every 1 to 2 months to check the recorded data. Because of the low hydraulic gradients, the data were carefully verified, and periods of questionable or unreliable data were eliminated from the final record. Data were collected over a 11-month period from February to December 1996.

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