Estuarine Conditions as of December 11, 2007

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

There were no releases through S-80 over the past week.  Discharge at S-97 on the C-24 Canal averaged 1 cfs.  Discharge at S-49 on the C-23 canal averaged 0.3 cfs. 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)

7.0 (7.6)

9.0 (9.1)

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

11.7 (9.5 )

14.4 (12.8)

 

Roosevelt Bridge

14.8 (13.3)

15.7 (13.7)

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

23.6 (21.4)

26.8 (26.4)

20.0 – 31.0

 

 

Salinity increased this week at most monitoring sites. Both the surface and bottom salinity are in the preferred range at the Roosevelt Bridge, and at the A1A Bridge. Based on the salinity tolerances of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, salinity conditions in the estuary are good (see attached).

 

 

Caloosahatchee Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

No discharge occurred at S-79 last week.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant is 147 mg/l.  Average salinity increased at most monitoring sites over the past  week. Shell Point was not reporting. Weekly average salinities for specific sites are given below in parts per thousand (ppt).  Current weekly averages (in bold) may be compared to last week’s data (in parenthesis). 

 

 

Weekly Average Salinity (ppt)

Sampling Site

Surface

Bottom

Franklin Locks (S-79)

14.8 (13.6)

15.6 (14.4)

Rt. 31 Bridge

14.5 (13.8)

16.4 (16.1)

I-75 Bridge

14.1 (14.0)

16.9 (17.0)

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

20.3 (19.1)

20.4 (20.2)

Cape Coral Bridge

25.6 (24.0)

27.7 (27.2)

Shell Point

NA (32.5)

NA (34.1)

 

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

 

 

FWRI reports that water samples collected this week detected background to low concentrations of Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, along the coast of Collier County and 11 to 14 miles north of Key West (Monroe County).  Additional offshore samples, collected 12 miles west of Siesta Key (Sarasota County), contained background to very low concentrations of K. brevis.  Background concentrations were also detected in Pinellas County at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach.  No reports of fish kills have been received from southwest Florida.  

 

 

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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