Estuarine Conditions as of August
11, 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 220 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 |
|
5.78 (5.08)
|
7.68 (6.01) |
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
5.62
(4.60) |
11.08 (9.66) |
|
|
9.03 (7.80) |
12.57
(10.32) |
8.0 – 25.0 |
A1A Bridge |
18.88 (16.63) |
24.87 (22.76) |
20.0 – 31.0 |
Compared with salinities of the previous week, average salinity in the estuary increased about 0.7 to 2.8 ppt. Three of four monitoring stations are reporting salinities within the preferred range. Salinity conditions in the estuary are considered to be fair to good based on the salinity preference of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and location in the estuary (see attached).
Caloosahatchee Estuary
Current Conditions:
An average weekly discharge of 1003
cfs occurred at S-79. The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant
was 56 ppm yesterday, down from 64 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).
Based on the USGS flow meter located just below S-77 water
is flowing back into the
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
|
0.25 (0.29) |
0.25 (0.29) |
Rt. 31 Bridge |
0.27 (0.30) |
NR (NR) |
I-75 Bridge |
0.34 (0.40) |
0.30
(0.39) |
|
1.07 (0.85) |
1.49 (0.86)
|
|
NR (7.78) |
NR (9.54)
|
Shell Point |
21.15 (22.88) |
22.54 (24.41)
|
In the estuary, freshwater extends
from S-79 downstream, at least to
No Karenia brevis, the
click on “Current Week”
click on “Technical Summary”
scroll to the bottom and click on “Coastal Ecosystems”
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