Estuarine Conditions as of Jan 22, 2008

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

There were no releases through S-80 over the past week.  Discharge at S-97 on the C-23 Canal and at S-49 on the C-24 canal averaged < 1.0 cfs.  The current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the four monitoring sites in the St. Lucie are given below in parts per thousand (ppt), along with the previous week’s (in parenthesis).

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

 

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Envelope

Palm City Bridge (S. Fork)

11.1 (9.4)

13.5 (12.3)

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

15.4 (13.2)

16.8 (15.5)

 

Roosevelt Bridge

18.7 (16.6)

17.9 (16.7)

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

27.6 (24.2)

28.9 (26.7)

20.0 – 31.0

 

Average salinity increased during the past week. Both the surface and bottom salinity are in the preferred range at the Roosevelt Bridge, and at the A1A Bridge. Based on the salinity tolerances of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, salinity conditions in the estuary are good.  The current surface salinity of 18.7 ppt at the Roosevelt Bridge is 9.3 ppt  below the maximum weekly average of 28.0 ppt  achieved in May 2001 during the 2000 – 2001 drought (see attached).

 

FWRI reports that concentrations of  Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, in samples collected between Volusia and St. Lucie counties ranged from not present to background.

 

Caloosahatchee Estuary

                                                         

Current Conditions:

No discharge occurred at S-79 last week.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant is 182 mg/l.  Average salinity changed little over the past week. Weekly average salinities for specific sites are given below in parts per thousand (ppt).  Current weekly averages (in bold) may be compared to last week’s data (in parenthesis). 

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Franklin Locks (S-79)

18.5 (18.7)

18.7 (18.7)

Rt. 31 Bridge

17.7 (17.4)

18.4 (19.1)

I-75 Bridge

(NA)

20.5 (21.8)

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

22.7 (23.0)

22.9 (24.0)

Cape Coral Bridge

25.9 (25.7)

29.1 (29.0)

Shell Point

32.8 (33.7)

34.5 (35.5)

 

Conditions in the upper estuary east of Ft. Myers are poor due to high salinity. The current surface salinity of 18.5 ppt at S-79 is 1.5 ppt below the maximum weekly average of 20.0 ppt achieved in May 2001 during the 2000 – 2001 drought.  Salinity at the Cape Coral Bridge is at the upper limit of the optimal range for the oyster, Crassostrea virginica (see attached).

 

FWRI reports that water samples collected between Pasco and Collier counties contained concentrations of Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, ranging from not present to background.

 

 

To find this information on the web:

https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=1314,2554645,1314_19738269:1314_19738234&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

·        click on “Current Week”

·        click on “Technical Summary”

·        scroll to the bottom and click on “Coastal Ecosystems”

 


 

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