Estuarine Conditions as of Sept 29, 2008

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

During the last week, an average discharge of 858 cfs occurred at S-80 from C-44 and 971 cfs at S308 with no discharge at S-97 from C-23 or 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)

 1.14 (0.33)

2.08 (0.38)

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

    4.73 (2.23)

   9.57 (5.45)

 

Roosevelt Bridge

 7.02 (4.32)

 10.30 (6.36)

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

 16.49 (14.77)

 NR  (23.42)

20.0 – 31.0

  

Compared with the previous week, average salinity increased about 0.7 ppt in the South Fork to about 3-4 ppt in the rest stations of the estuary.  All four monitoring stations are reporting salinities below the preferred range, except for the bottom salinity at A1A Bridge.  Salinity conditions in the estuary are still 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 5032 cfs occurred at S-79, 3558 cfs at S-78, and 3655 cfs at S-77.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant was 53 ppm yesterday, up from 43 ppm at 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)

   0.22 (0.24)

0.22 (0.24)

Rt. 31 Bridge

   0.22 (0.24)

   0.22 (0.24)

I-75 Bridge

   0.25 (0.26)

0.26 (0.27)

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

   0.24 (0.34)

0.24 (0.36)

Cape Coral Bridge

   1.76 (3.45)

   2.57 (5.17)

Shell Point

 13.30 (16.66)

17.42 (19.42)

 

In the estuary, freshwater conditions extend from S-79 downstream to Cape Coral Bridge.  Salinity conditions in the upper estuary east of Ft. Myers are good (30 day average at Ft. Myers = 0.30 ppt).  

 

Compared with the precious week, a decrease in average salinity of about 2-3 ppt occurred between Cape Coral Bridge and Shell Point.  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 29 ppt to 4 ppt.  Therefore, conditions in the lower estuary between Cape Coral and Shell Point are considered poor (see attached).

 

FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) reports that no Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was detected this week in water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas and Monroe counties.  Monitoring data collected by the River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network (RECON) of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) indicated that Chlorophyll concentrations over the last week were about 4.5-5.5 ug/L at Ft. Myers and 1.5 to 4 ug/L at Shell Point.  The DO concentration at the two locations ranged from about 4 to 6 mg/L.

 

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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