MEMORANDUM
TO: Chip
Merriam, Deputy Executive Director, Water Resources
FROM: SFWMD Staff Environmental Advisory Team
DATE: December 18, 2007
SUBJECT: Weekly
Environmental Recommendation for Systems Operations
Recommendation
No Lake Okeechobee regulatory releases to the
south or estuaries are recommended.
Background
Minor showers mainly east through
Friday. Look for warmer temperatures and
increasing cloud cover on developing east winds today. Weak showers could tickle the east coast by evening,
but no significant rainfall is expected.
A weak cold front is expected to push through on Friday and again Sunday
with only minor rainfall. Next chance
for any appreciable rainfall may arrive in 9-10 days. The next
ten days precipitation outlook is below average with moderate confidence.
During the last week, water levels in all of the upper basin lakes
decreased slightly from evapotranspiration. Water levels in Lakes Kissimmee, Hatchineha and
In the river channel of the
Recent wading bird surveys found foraging flocks, dominated by
glossy and white ibis, along the receding water line in the upstream portion of
the Kissimmee River Restoration Project.
Foraging flocks of wading birds were not observed in the deeper ponded areas near S-65C.
According
to the USACE web site,
Results
of November phytoplankton bloom monitoring show a continued absence of bloom
formation. Seven out of 9 monitoring
stations had sufficient water for sampling.
The average chlorophyll concentration was 13 ppb, well below bloom
levels (> 40 ppb). No algal
toxins were detected. Total P
concentrations averaged 118 ppb. These
results are similar to those from the past few months.
St. Lucie Estuary
There
were no releases through S-80 over the past week. Discharge at S-97 on the C-24 Canal averaged
76 cfs.
Discharge at S-49 on the C-23 canal averaged 52 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 weeks
(in parenthesis).
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Envelope |
|
4.8 (7.0) |
6.1 (9.0) |
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
9.9 (11.7) |
11.3 (14.4) |
|
|
11.9 (14.8) |
12.9 (15.7) |
8.0 25.0 |
A1A Bridge |
20.0 (23.6) |
23.5 (26.8) |
20.0 31.0 |
Salinity
decreased this week at all monitoring sites.
Both the surface and bottom salinity are in the preferred range at the
FWRI reports that water samples collected this
week along the east coast of
Caloosahatchee Estuary
No
discharge occurred at S-79 last week.
The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant is 163 mg/l. Average salinity increased at all 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 weeks data (in parenthesis).
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
|
15.9 (14.8) |
16.6 (15.6) |
Rt.
31 Bridge |
15.7 (14.5) |
17.4 (16.4) |
I-75
Bridge |
15.1 (14.1) |
18.3 (16.9) |
|
21.3 (20.3) |
21.8 (20.4) |
|
25.2 (25.6) |
28.5 (27.7) |
Shell
Point |
|
|
Salinity
conditions throughout the system remain good seaward of
FWRI reports that water samples
collected this week detected very low concentrations of Karenia
brevis, the
Water Conservation Areas
Good to Fair dry season recession rates
continue to dominate the region except in WCA-1 where
the rainfall caused water levels to increase by 0.06 ft. Although recession rates were Good or Fair, the depths in the
Mixed
patterns for Everglades National Park (ENP) wetland
water levels reflected the patchy distribution of precipitation over the
week.
Salinity
remained generally stable across
Water Supply
Water
levels in the upper and lower
The
Water Supply Risk Measures were unchanged this week. Six out of eleven water supply risk measures
are in the high risk category - the projected Lake O Stage (SSM), the Palmer Index for Tributary Conditions, the LOK Seasonal Net Inflow Forecast and Lower East Coast
Service Areas 1, 2 and 3.
Water
Conservation Areas 1, 2A and 3A continue to be in the low risk category.
The
CPC Precipitation Outlook and Multi-Seasonal Net Inflow Forecasts remain at
medium risk this week.
Chlorides
at the Olga WTP on the
WSE
(
The
current
CC: George
Horne