AbstractThe City of Fort Lauderdale's Prospect well field, near the coast in southeastern Florida, is developed in the highly permeable Biscayne aquifer. Major drainage canals which transect the well‐field area are hydraulically connected with the aquifer. Although the canals were designed primarily to drain ground water from storage during wet periods, they serve also to convey water eastward from large inland conservation areas during dry periods, to replenish the aquifer in coastal areas, and to retard salt‐water encroachment.An aquifer analog plotter and model were used to predict changes in ground‐water levels in the Prospect well‐field area caused by changes in the regulation of the canals. Analysis of the model showed that if water stages in the canals were controlled at locations downstream from existing control structures, the area of recharge from the canals to the well field would be increased and a rise in ground‐water levels would result. The increase in ground‐water storage would permit larger withdrawals from existing facilities and would offer additional protection from salt‐water