M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Chip Merriam, Deputy Executive Director,
Water Resources
FROM: SFWMD Staff
Environmental Advisory Team
DATE: September
18, 2007
SUBJECT: Weekly Environmental Recommendation
for Systems Operations
Recommendation
No
regulatory releases
to the south or estuaries are recommended.
Background
Above average rains this week
with widespread moderate to heavy rains possible tomorrow and Thursday. An upper level trough is digging into the
The upper Kissimmee Basin received 0.83
inches of rainfall over the last 7 days to bring the 30-day total to 3.77
inches (58% of average) and the lower basin received 1.30 inches to bring the
30-day total to 4.55 inches (74% of average) (Daily Rainfall Report for
09/17/07).
Stages in most of the upper basin lakes have been
stable over the last seven days.
Snail kites continue to nest on
According to the USACE web site,
Monthly algal bloom monitoring was conducted on the
12th of September. Four of
the 10 monitoring sites were dry and 1 site was not sampled due to boat
problems. An algal bloom was present at
1 of remaining 5 survey sites. Water
quality data from this trip will be available later in the month.
St. Lucie Estuary
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 |
|
8.7 |
10.1 |
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
9.4 |
13.1 |
|
|
14.9 |
15.2 |
8.0 25.0 |
A1A Bridge |
21.9 |
26.4 |
20.0 31.0 |
Salinity at the
Caloosahatchee Estuary
During the past week, discharge at S-79 averaged
187 cfs. Chloride concentration at the
Olga Plant is presently 77 mg/l. Average
salinity at the monitoring sites in the lower Caloosahatchee Estuary decreased
slightly over the past week. Data for
specific sites are given below in parts per thousand (ppt).
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
|
6.4 |
6.5 |
Rt.
31 Bridge |
NA |
7.1 |
I-75
Bridge |
6.2 |
9.4 |
|
13.0* |
NA |
|
18.0 |
18.5 |
Shell
Point |
28.5 |
33.3 |
* based on two-day average.
Salinity in the upper estuary remains high for this
time of year. The 30-day average surface
salinity at
During a field trip on Sept. 12, dispersed blue
green algae were observed upstream of S-79.
None were noted in the downstream estuary. FWRI reports that no
Karenia brevis, the
Water Conservation Areas
Water depths are similar to last
weeks, ranging from 0.41 in WCA-3A to 2.77 in WCA-2B. Most water depths are 1 to 1.6 in the WCAs,
which are 0.5 to 1 below last years at this time.
Stages rose somewhat in WCA-1,
decreased slightly in WCA-2A and 2B, and remained overall about the same in
WCA-3A. They dropped a steep -0.24 in
WCA-3B (Site 76) but rose 0.11 in Northeast Shark River Slough. WCA-1 is still within Zone A2, WCA-2 is just
below regulation, and WCA-3A is approximately 1 below regulation.
Water
levels across Everglades National Park (ENP) wetlands were generally up again
last week. Water levels rose impressively
in Shark River Slough (station P33) after 3.5 inches of rain produced just
over a 2 rise. A similar increase at
Salinity
either changed little or declined slightly across
Water Supply
Water levels in the upper and lower
Six out of eleven water supply risk measures are in
the high risk category this week no change from last week - including the
projected Lake O Stage (SSM), the Palm Index for Tributary Conditions, the LOK
Multi-Seasonal Net Inflow Forecast and Lower East Coast Service Areas 1, 2 and
3.
Water Conservation Areas 1 and 2A continue to be in
the low risk category and Water Conservation Area 3A is now at medium
risk. The CPC Precipitation Outlook remains
at low risk this week, and the LOK Seasonal Net Inflow forecast is now at
medium risk.
WSE (
The
current
CC: George
Horne