Estuarine Conditions as of Sept 15, 2008

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

During the last week, an average discharge of 1107 cfs occurred at S-80 from C-44 (including 789 cfs at S308 from the Lake), 170 cfs through S-97 from C-23, and 504 cfs through S-49 from C-24.  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)

 0.26 (0.22)

0.26 (0.22)

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

    0.36 (0.29)

   0.49 (0.47)

 

Roosevelt Bridge

 0.93 (0.92)

   1.21 (1.66)

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

 6.55 (6.48)

 18.29 (16.66)

20.0 – 31.0

  

Compared with salinities of the previous week, average salinity in the estuary increased only slightly in the estuary (<1 ppt for most locations) except for the bottom salinity at Roosevelt Bridge A1A which decreased by 0.5 ppt.  All four monitoring stations are reporting salinities below the preferred range.  Salinity conditions in the estuary are considered to be poor 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 3016 cfs occurred at S-79 including 1166 cfs at S-77 from the Lake.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant was 45 ppm yesterday, up from 40 ppm at the beginning of this reporting period.  An average discharge of 1784 cfs occurred at S-78 over the past week.

 

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)

   0.22 (0.21)

0.22 (0.22)

Rt. 31 Bridge

   0.22 (0.21)

    NR (NR)

I-75 Bridge

   0.25 (0.24)

 0.23 (0.22)

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

   0.41 (0.23)

 0.43 (0.23)

Cape Coral Bridge

   2.63 (1.15)

    7.00 (1.60)

Shell Point

 17.92 (11.16)

 22.24 (16.62)

 

In the estuary, freshwater conditions extend from S-79 downstream close to Cape Coral Bridge.  Salinity conditions in the upper estuary east of Ft. Myers are good (30 day average at Ft. Myers = 0.34 ppt).  

 

Salinity at Cape Coral Bridge is below the preferred ranges for both oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and seagrass, Halodule wrightii. Salinity at Shell Pt is oscillating with the tide between about 33 ppt to 3 ppt.  Therefore, conditions in the lower estuary between Cape Coral and Shell Point are considered poor (see attached).

 

No Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was detected this week in water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas and Collier counties. Additional samples, collected offshore of Sarasota and Lee counties, were also free of any K. brevis.

 

 

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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