WCA - Everglades Conditions Update (Oct. 23, 2007)

 

Rainfall:

Seven-day rainfall totals were fair to good (see Raindar.gif). Maximum average rainfall was 1.3 inches in the WCA-1.  WCA-2A, WCA-2B, WCA-3A and WCA-3B had rainfall amounts of 1.2, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.0 inches, respectively.   

 

Water Conservation Areas:

Rainfall amounts led to fair to good re-hydration rates at all gages within the system with the exception of WCA-2A and NW WCA-3A.  The 2-17 gage in WCA-2A had a net deficit water budget (-0.06’).  The 6-2 gage in NW WCA-3 also reported a net deficit of -0.03’, but the entire WCA-3 area average showed an increase of 0.09’.  These deficits at the 2-17 and 6-2 gages have been on going for two an three weeks, respectively (see WCA_stages.xls).  Water depths remain good for this time of year because all locations have at least 1.0 ft of water.  Stages in WCA-1 are within Zone A2.  Water levels in WCA-2A remain well above regulation.  Stages in WCA-3 are again slightly below regulation (see reg stages.doc).

 

Everglades National Park:

Rainfall was patchy and generally low across ENP and FL Bay last week.  Wetland and marine stations received between 0.1 - 0.7” of rain over the 7d period.  The weekly RAINDAR ENP spatially averaged basin-wide accumulation was on the high side of this range at 0.8” last week (see attached .gif).  ENP wetland water levels decreased last week due to lower rainfall. The water level (6.23’) at Shark River Slough (P33) decreased by only 0.01’ over the 7d period, but is low for this time of the year (end of the rainy season).  Stations in the south saw water level declines of 0.25’ at Taylor Slough Bridge, and 0.15’ at both the ENP panhandle (EVER6) and at Craighead Pond.

Salinity remained low and stable across Fl Bay last week.  Strong flow from the Everglades down to the Bay through both Trout Creek and Taylor River allowed salinity to remain in the single digits (with a brief mid-week reversal).  Salinity concentrations at the Little Madeira Bay mouth platform held in the low teens last week.  Salinity in the Taylor River ponds remained below 1 psu all week.  In the north-central Bay areas, Terrapin Bay salinity increased slightly into the low teens (up from single digits last week), while McCormick Creek salinity held below 10 psu over the week.  Salinity to the south, in Whipray Basin, was reading just below 30 psu for another week.  In the Shark River Slough outflow at Tarpon Bay, salinity remained very low, just below 2-3 psu over the 7 d period.

 


 

Back to Lake Okeechobee Operations Main Page

Back to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers WSE Homepage