Lake
Okeechobee Conditions Report October 13, 2008:
According
to the USACE web site,
The
monthly submerged-aquatic-vegetation (SAV) survey was completed last week and
16 of the 35 sites sampled had plants. This was the same as last
month. Water clarity is also similar last month with an average secchi depth:total
depth ratio of 0.36 (compared to 0.34 last month). Tannic conditions
remain in the north around King’s Bar and in
September water-quality monitoring results are now
available. All 25 monitoring stations had sufficient water for sampling
for the first time since January 2007. Total P averaged 128 ppb lakewide (compared to 98 ppb in August) and 118 ppb at nearshore stations (compared to 114 ppb in August).
Total suspended solids (TSS) averaged 20 ppm lakewide (compared to 14 ppm in
August) and 11 ppm at nearshore stations (compared to 5 ppm
in August).
September
phytoplankton monitoring results are also now available. Chlorophyll a
concentrations averaged 19 ppb across the 9 monitoring sites and ranged between
4 ppb (Pahokee) and 31 ppb (
Decaying
terrestrial and emergent vegetation may be depleting dissolved oxygen in areas
of the littoral zone with poor water circulation. For example, low
dissolved oxygen concentrations (<2 ppm)
were noted at three sites on the west side of King’s Bar last week.
Algal blooms anticipated to appear in the littoral zone in response to nutrient
release from decaying vegetation have yet to be reported.
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