Estuarine Conditions as of
July 3, 2007
St. Lucie Estuary
Current Conditions:
No releases occurred at S-80
over the past week. At the Roosevelt Bridge
salinity averaged 21.7 ppt on the surface and 22.0 ppt on the bottom for the
week. Corresponding values further downstream at the A1A Bridge are 28.4
ppt and 29.3 ppt. Salinities at both sites are within the preferred range
(8-25 ppt for the Roosevelt
Bridge and 20-31 ppt for
the A1A Bridge) (see attached).
Caloosahatchee Estuary
Current Conditions:
Discharge occurred at S-79 on
one day over the past week (weekly average 40 cfs). Chloride
concentration at the Olga Plant is presently 166 mg/l. Weekly average
surface salinity ranged from 16.2 ppt at S-79 to 21.6 ppt at Ft. Myers.
Bottom salinities ranged from 18.4 ppt at S-79 to 22.9 ppt at Ft. Myers.
Salinity at Shell Point averaged 36.4 ppt on the surface and 37.6 ppt on
the bottom. Salinity remains high in the upper estuary. In
the lower estuary and San Carlos
Bay high salinities are
good for seagrass and fair for oysters (see attached).
There have been reports of
anoxic bottom water around the Route 31 Bridge. A combination of warm
temperatures, the deep navigation channel in this area and stratification of
the water column is the likely cause.
FWRI reports that no Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was detected
alongshore this week in samples collected between Pinellas and Collier
counties. Discolored water due to a bloom of the non-toxic cyanobacteria Trichodesmium
is possible in southern Lee
County.
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