Estuarine Conditions as of August 21, 2007

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

 

No releases occurred at S-80 over the past week.  Weekly average salinities at the four monitoring sites in the St. Lucie are given below in parts per thousand (ppt).

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

 

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Envelope

Palm City Bridge (S. Fork)

2.9

3.9

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

4.2

9.00

 

Roosevelt Bridge

7.6

8.5

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

15.0

20.1

20.0 – 31.0

 

Local freshwater inflow has caused surface salinity at both the Roosevelt Bridge and A1A Bridge to fall below the preferred range.  Therefore, salinity conditions in the estuary are fair (see attached).

 

 

Caloosahatchee Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

 

Discharge at S-79 averaged 246 cfs over the past week.  Chloride concentration at the Olga Plant is presently 83 mg/l.   Weekly average salinity at the monitoring sites in the Caloosahatchee Estuary are given below in parts per thousand (ppt).

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Franklin Locks (S-79)

5.9

6.0

Rt. 31 Bridge

NA

6.3

I-75 Bridge

5.2

8.8

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

12.6 *

NA

Cape Coral Bridge

18.4

19.1

Shell Point

29.7**

32.1**

 

average of past two days;  ** average of past 4 days; NA= not available

 

Since surface salinity exceeds 10 ppt at the Ft. Myers Yacht Basin, salinity conditions in the upper estuary remain poor.  In the lower estuary and San Carlos Bay salinity condition are good (see attached).

 

 

 

FWRI reports that no Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was detected this week in water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas and Collier counties, including water samples collected in response to a fish kill near Bokeelia (Lee County).  Discolored water due to a bloom of the cyanobacteria Trichodesmium has been reported offshore along the southwest Florida coast and remains possible alongshore in portions of Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.

 

 

To view reports and graphs on line go to:

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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