Estuarine Conditions as of October 30, 2007

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

No releases occurred at S-80 over the past week.  The C-24 canal is discharging about 265 cfs at S-97.    Discharge at S-49 on the C-23 canal is currently about 470 cfs. 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

Palm City Bridge (S. Fork)

2.8

2.9

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

2.0

4.6

 

Roosevelt Bridge

5.8

7.0

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

16.2

23.0

20.0 – 31.0

 

 

There was little change in average salinity over the past week.  Only bottom water at the A1A Bridge fell within the preferred salinity range. Based on the salinity tolerances of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, salinity conditions in the estuary are poor to fair (see attached).

 

 

Caloosahatchee Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

Discharge at S-79 averaged 135 cfs over the past week.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant is 82 mg/l.  Average salinity in the estuary changed little over the past week. Data for specific sites are given below in parts per thousand (ppt).

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Franklin Locks (S-79)

7.6

7.7

Rt. 31 Bridge

7.3

8.3

I-75 Bridge

NA

NA

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

13.3

13.7

Cape Coral Bridge

21.4

22.6

Shell Point

29.0

30.8

 

Salinity conditions throughout the system are good seaward of Cape Coral.  Conditions in the upper estuary are poor (see attached).

 

FWRI reports that offshore samples collected this week detected Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, west of southern Lee and Collier counties. Samples collected 3 to 9 miles west and southwest of Sanibel Island (Lee County) contained K. brevis concentrations ranging from very low to high.  Low to medium concentrations were identified 18 miles west of both Wiggins Pass and Naples and very low concentrations were detected 46 miles west of Naples.  Additional samples collected alongshore of Sanibel Island contained K. brevis concentrations ranging from not present to low with a single fish kill reported from the area.  All other samples collected between Pinellas and Collier counties contained no K. brevis.  . 

 

 

To find this information on the web:

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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