Weekly
Estuarine Conditions Update
As of April 6, 2009
St. Lucie Estuary
Current Conditions:
Over the past
week discharge averaged 0 cfs
at S-80. Discharge from the
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Envelope |
|
20.3 (20.4) |
21.3 (21.4) |
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
23.2 (24.1) |
|
|
|
25.8 (25.9) |
26.1 (26.2) |
8.0 – 25.0 |
A1A Bridge |
30.3 (31.1) |
31.7 (32.5) |
20.0 – 31.0 |
Salinity remained about the same throughout the estuary last week. At both the Roosevelt and A1A Bridges weekly average salinity is above the upper bound of the preferred range. Salinity conditions in the estuary are considered to be fair based on the time of year and salinity preference of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and location in the estuary.
Caloosahatchee Estuary
Current Conditions:
During the last week, discharge averaged 251 cfs at S-79, 300 cfs at S-78, and 578 cfs at S-77. The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant was 145 ppm yesterday. The current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the six monitoring sites in the Caloosahatchee Estuary are given below in parts per thousand (ppt), along with the previous week’s (in parenthesis).
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
||
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
|
5.5 (10.3) |
6.2 (11.2) |
Rt. 31 Bridge |
7.5 (12.0) |
9.0 (13.0) |
I-75 Bridge |
9.4 (13.6) |
13.0 (15.4) |
|
18.6 (20.0) |
19.0 (20.0) |
|
26.3 (27.0) |
27.0 (27.6) |
Shell Point |
34.3 (34.0) |
35.2 (35.8) |
A 7-day pulse
release at S-79 ended on Saturday, 4/4/09. While average salinity declined
throughout most of the estuary, the greatest decreases occurred in the narrow
head waters of the estuary between I-75 and S-79. Conditions in the upper
estuary east of
FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) reports that water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas
and Monroe counties contained no K. brevis. (www.floridamarine.org).
Monitoring data collected by the River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network
(RECON) of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
(SCCF) indicated DO concentration at Ft. Myers (Shell Point was unavailable) ranged from 5.3 to 9.9 mg/L (www.recon.sccf.org).
click on “Current Week”
click on “Technical Summary”
scroll to the bottom and click on “Coastal Ecosystems”