Estuarine Conditions as of October 16, 2007

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

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

Palm City Bridge (S. Fork)

0.5

0.5

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

NA

0.5

 

Roosevelt Bridge

2.81

3.26

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

12.81

21.61

20.0 – 31.0

 

 

Average salinity increased at both the Roosevelt and A1A Bridges last 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 53 cfs over the past week.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant is 80 mg/l.  Average salinity increased throughout the upper estuary last week but changed little at Cape Coral and Shell Point.  Data for specific sites are given below in parts per thousand (ppt). The Ft. Myers site is back on-line.

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Franklin Locks (S-79)

7.5

7.8

Rt. 31 Bridge

6.0

7.4

I-75 Bridge

5.9

8.6

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

11.9

13.3

Cape Coral Bridge

17.6

20.6

Shell Point

26.5

28.5

 

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

 

FWRI reports that no Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism was detected this week in alongshore samples collected between Pinellas and Monroe counties. Additional samples collected offshore of Pinellas and Manatee counties, as well as the Florida Keys, 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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