Estuarine Conditions as of July 21, 2008

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

There were no releases through S-80 from C-44 over the past week.  An average discharge of 121 cfs through S-48 from C-23 and 448 cfs through S-49 from C-24 occurred over the past week. 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)

 6.48 (4.40)

7.46 (4.91)

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

    2.58 (2.39)

   9.51 (5.24)

 

Roosevelt Bridge

8.38 (7.24)

 11.40 (8.79)

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

 16.95 (15.00)

 24.26 (21.68)

20.0 – 31.0

 

 

Compared with salinities of the previous week, average salinity in the estuary increased about 0.2 to 4.3 ppt.  Salinity conditions in the estuary are considered to be fair, based on the salinity preference of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica (see attached).  

  

Caloosahatchee Estuary

                                                         

Current Conditions:

An average weekly discharge of 2540 cfs occurred at S-79.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant was 54 ppm yesterday, down from 81 ppm in the beginning of this reporting period.  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

Franklin Locks (S-79)

 0.43 (3.60)

0.40 (3.84)

Rt. 31 Bridge

 NR (NR)

    NR (NR)

I-75 Bridge

   0.85 (4.14)

  1.10 (8.98)

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

   3.15 (10.24)

  3.55 (15.06)

Cape Coral Bridge

  10.06 (18.36)

10.43 (20.30)

Shell Point

  20.84 (28.76)

 22.57 (29.47)

 

Compared with salinities of the previous week, average salinity decreased throughout the estuary due to local runoff.  Average salinities dropped between 3 ppt and 11 ppt depending on location and depth.  Salinity conditions in the upper estuary east of Ft. Myers continue to improve this week. Average salinity at the Ft. Myers surface sensor was 3.2 ppt.  The 30-day average surface salinity is decreasing and stands at 12.3 ppt. Salinity at Cape Coral Bridge is below the preferred range for the oyster, Crassostrea virginica.  Conditions in the lower estuary between Cape Coral and Shell Point are poor considering the combined salinity preference of oysters and seagrasses (see attached).  

 

No Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was detected this week in water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas and Collier counties.  Discolored water has been observed near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River (Lee County) and is due to a non-toxic phytoplankton bloom.

 

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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