By STAFF REPORTS
The South Florida Water Management District (District) continues to expand and enhance online access to environmental and water quality data collected throughout the District’s 16-county region.
The District’s new, interactive DBHydro Insights application provides the public and stakeholders with faster, easier access to historical and up-to-date surface and groundwater information, as well as meteorologic, hydrogeologic and water quality data. It replaces the DBHydro Browser application which has been retired.
With DBHydro Insights, users can easily find water levels in lakes, canals and waterways from Orlando to the Florida Keys. The public can also see how much rain has fallen in a specific community. With just a keystroke, people can even find out if coastal gates and other water control structures are open or closed and if pumps are turned on or off.
This one-stop database allows users to quickly download data, as well as create and share customizable charts. Data tables and interactive graphs can be generated and downloaded in just a few simple steps.
DBHydro Insights also includes an interactive map that helps users easily find information and data for stations, sites, or basins and view results immediately. It provides the most current data, including provisional water quality values. A complete users guide, along with a variety of other helpful resources, is available on the District’s website to help users navigate DBHydro Insights and make the most of this new interactive tool.
The District also upgraded the reference system used to measure water elevation readings in their monitoring network. The District shifted from reporting water elevation readings in the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).
The upgrade provides the public and stakeholders with more scientifically accurate information about levels for waterbodies in our region. While there is no difference in the actual water level, the water level readings in the NAVD88 measurement system will read about 0.6 feet to 1.6 feet less than the readings in the older NGVD29 measurement system. Visit SFWMD.gov/DBHydro to learn more about DBHydro Insights and SFWMD.gov/NAVD for more information about the reference system.
