WCA - Everglades Conditions Update (July 24, 2007)

 

 

Rainfall:

Total precipitation (in inches) for the week, starting in the North, was WCA1=1.6, WCA2A=1.6; WCA2B=3.0; WCA3A=1.8; WCA3B=1.8; ENP=1.7. The total estimated evaporation for the week was 1.52 inches (see srs.pdf), thus most areas had neither a  surplus or a deficit water budget for the week, except for area 2B (see attached gif).

 

Water Conservation Areas:

As would be expected with a balanced water budget, most gauges across the Everglades showed little change (see spreadsheet), and in fact, four of the 14 standard measuring sites showed a decline. The only area with a significant stage increase was WCA-2B and this was due to high localized rain. Average stage increase across the entire system for the week was only 0.04 ft. Depths, which averaged about 1 ft across the system, are relatively low for this time of year. In terms of the Regulations Schedules; WCA-1 is at Regulation, WCA-2A is above Regulation, and WCA-3A is below regulation (see .doc).

 

Everglades National Park:

Water levels were unchanged from last week in the southern part of Taylor Slough, at Craighead Pond (CP).  Across all other areas of the Park, though, stages declined.  In SRS at P33, water level dropped slightly (by nearly 0.4”).  Water level in the ENP panhandle (at EVER6) saw a decline of 1.2”.  Once again Taylor Slough Bridge saw the largest weekly change, dropping by nearly 2.5” for the week.   The water budget for the southern Everglades was either balanced or negative for yet another week.

Despite lower water levels, salinity across FL Bay was generally stable.  Salinity at Trout Ck. remained below 5 psu for another week.  The platform at the mouth of Little Madeira Bay held for a second week near 20 psu.  Salinity in the TR ponds was very low all week at ~ 1 psu at Pond 5 and Argyle Hendry.  The 30 d moving average concentration at TR continues to slowly decline, remaining well below the 30 psu point (at 0.8 psu as of Sunday 7/22).  Salinity concentrations held steady again this week in the north-central Bay area of McCormick Ck. & Terrapin Bay at or near 20 psu.  In the central Bay, Whipray Basin salinity remained near 35 psu for yet another week.  To the north and west, Tarpon Bay (SRS outlflow) salinity stayed low at just below 2 psu as of Sunday, 7/22.

 

 

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