A method was developed to determine bulk values of aquifer and sediment resistance parameters in a coupled canal-aquifer system using generated sinusoidal hydraulic disturbances. The method is based on analytical solutions to the canal-aquifer interaction problem derived assuming small perturbations, linear analysis, and spectral methods. Results were obtained in terms of dimensionless parameters so that they can be applied to many practical problems. Numerical models were used to verify the solutions in selected test problems. The method was applied to determine physical parameters of the L-31W canal in Miami-Dade County, Florida, near the Everglades in both dimensionless and dimensional forms. The field experiment was carried out using operational control features of the south Florida conveyance system. Results of the analysis show that various dimensionless parameter groups determine various dynamic behaviors in both confined and unconfined aquifers. Which flow component dominates in the system depends on the range of a particular dimensionless parameter. The analytical solutions derived during the analysis are useful in calculating parameters in regional systems where the historical data are noisy or questionable. Calculation of parameters is accomplished by designing field experiments in which input and output signals of a particular frequency can be used with analytical equations to obtain parameters.