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Dedicated to Sharing Information About Water Management and the Florida LAKEWATCH Program Volume 45 (2009)
We’re Going Digital!
The Florida LAKEWATCHnewsletter is going almostexclusively digital in order toreduce expenses. During thesetough economic timesLAKEWATCH is facing a 40%reduction in our budget and weare looking for ways to reduceour expenses. One of theseways is to reduce printing costsof our newsletter. This will alsoreduce the use of paper.
After this newsletter allfuture newsletters will onlybe available by downloadingfrom our website unless you
specifically request a papercopy or we do not have ane-mail address for you onfile. In the future you will getan e-mail notice telling youwhen the latest newsletter isavailable. This e-mail willprovide a link for you to go toand download the latest versionof the newsletter. You will needAcrobat Reader 5 or later toview the newsletter.
You will also need to add thelisted e-mail addresses to youre-mail address book to avoidthe notice going straight to your
spam folder. The e-mail noticeswill potentially be sent fromthese e-mail addresses.
[email protected]@[email protected]@ufl.edu
We hope that this is not aninconvenience and thank youfor your understanding as weattempt to weather thiseconomic storm.
FloridaLAKEWATCH
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Many volunteers may haveheard agencies and professionalsrefer to the 305(b) and 303(d)reports. These reports arediscussed at both federal and statelevels and are used to determinewater quality changes and trendsover time. This article provides abrief description of these reports.
When professionals refer tothe 305(b) and 303(d) reports theyare actually referring to theIntegrated Water QualityAssessment for Florida 305(b) and303(d) Reports. These reportsprovide an overview of Florida’ssurface water and ground waterquality trends to date. The FloridaDepartment of EnvironmentalProtection (FDEP), submits thesereports to the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) everytwo years as mandated by therequirements of Sections 305(b)and 303(d) of the Federal CleanWater Act of 1974. The IntegratedReport “allows states to documentwhether water quality standards arebeing attained, the availability ofdata and information for each waterbody segment, identifies trends inwater quality conditions, andprovides information to managersin setting priorities for futureactions to protect and restore thehealth of Florida’s aquaticresources.”
Under Section 305(b) of the CleanWater Act, each state must submitreports every other year to the EPAdepicting water quality trends forsurface water and ground water,major impacts to these waters, anddeterminations if water bodies are
attaining their designated uses (e.g.drinking water, recreation, andshellfish harvesting). Water bodiesthat do not meet their designateduses are deemed impaired underSection 303(d) of the Clean WaterAct. States must then submit a listof impaired waters (the 303(d) list)to the EPA.
In Florida, FDEP mustestablish total maximum daily loads(TMDL’s) for all impaired waters.A TMDL is the maximum amountof a given pollutant that a waterbody can assimilate and stillmaintain its designated use. Once aTMDL is established for awaterbody, a Basin Management
Action Plan (BMAP) is used torestore impaired waters byreducing pollutant loading tomeet the allowable loadingestablished by the TMDL.FDEP develops these broad-based plans with the help oflocal stakeholders and the plansare adopted by Secretarial Orderin order to be enforceable.FDEP further incorporatesTMDL’s into their watershedmanagement approach byfocusing on each water basin, asopposed to individual cases.Florida’s legislature divides thestate’s 52 basins into 29 groupsdistributed among five watermanagement districts.
The regions of the five water management districts in the State of Florida.
What is the Integrated Water Quality Assessment forFlorida: 305(b) Report and 303(d) Report???
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FDEP evaluates Floridasurface waters in five year cycles(20% of the state is assessed eachyear for five years). In addition tothis evaluation, FDEP uses datafrom other Florida sources to makeassessments of the water qualitytrends and meet the requirements ofSections 305(d) and 303(b) of theClean Water Act. One of theseother major data sources is FloridaLAKEWATCH data!!!!
The 2008 Integrated WaterQuality Assessment Reportincludes results from the
completion of afive year cycleand suggest that28% of rivers andstreams, 25% oflake acres, and59% of the squaremiles of estuariesevaluatedexperiencedpoorer waterquality mostlyassociated withintense agricultureand industrialuses. As of 2008,FDEP hasevaluated 100% ofthe state and willdevelop
approximately 2,565 TMDLs for1,688 Florida waters. Of thosewaters, FDEP has developed,proposed, or adopted 322 TMDLsfor 166 water bodies. Because,TMDLs are developed forindividual pollutants, a water bodymay have multiple TMDL’s.FDEP has completed or adopted bySecretarial Order BMAPs for theUpper Ocklawaha River Basin,Orange Creek, and Long Branch.See the Florida LAKEWATCHnewsletter volume 42 (2008)(http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/NEWSLETT.HTM) for moreinformation on TMDLs andBMAPs.
The USEPA website for accessing water quality assessmentsand TMDL’s
The 2008 Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida: 305(b) Report and303(d) Report is available for download at:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/docs/2008_Integrated_Report.pdf.
These reports are available for each state. In addition to surface waters, groundwaters and wetlands are also examined.
See volume 42 (2008) (http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/NEWSLETT.HTM) for moreinformation on TMDLs and BMAPs.
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Harmful algal blooms impactfreshwater systems as well ascoastal marine and estuarine watersand their effect can vary widelydepending on the type, intensity,and extent of the bloom.Determining the specific trigger fora bloom in coastal waters can betroublesome due to the complexityof these systems and the numerousinterwoven factors involved such assalinity, temperature, nutrientlevels and ratios, nutrient inputsources, and day-length(photoperiod). Bloom effects canrange from brief decreases inSecchi depth for benthic plants andalgae during mild blooms tocatastrophic kills of marine lifeduring long, intense blooms ortoxin-producing blooms. FloridaBay has received the worst of theseand portions of the Bay weredevastated as a result. The damagecaused by these blooms has hadcascading effects throughout theestuary.
Florida Bay is a broad estuary
that receives freshwater from theEverglades and opens to theshallow marine habitats of theFlorida Keys and Gulf ofMexico (Figure 1). The benthichabitats of western Florida Bayare a mixture of seagrass beds,
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include sponges, sea whips, andsmall coral heads (Figure 2).
Hard-bottom is particularlysensitive to the persistent algalblooms which occasionallyblanket the Florida Keys andFlorida Bay, most recently in2007. The causative agents forthese blooms have beenidentified as several non-toxinproducing species of thecyanobacteria in the genusSynechococcus. These are smallchain-forming photosyntheticbacteria that thrive duringabnormally low or high salinityperiods when otherphytoplankton do not. In thewake of bloom events, there isample evidence for thedevastating impact on the hard-
Algal Blooms in Florida Bay Test the Mettle of SpinyLobsters
by Don Behringer, University of Florida and Mark Butler, IV, Old Dominion University
Figure 1: Satellite image of Florida Bay
open sand/mudareas, and hard-bottom habitat.The latter iscomposed of athin layer ofsedimentcovering a flatcalciumcarbonate rocksubstrate.Abundant andconspicuousorganisms inhard-bottom
Figure 2: Sessile (attached) organismscharacteristic of hard-bottom habitat in westernFlorida Bay. (A) vase sponge, (B) loggerheadsponge, (C) coral head, (D) sea whips.
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Figure 3: Spiny lobsters aggregated under acoral head in a severely bloom-impactregion of hard-bottom. Nearly 100% of thesponges were killed at this site.
bottom sponge communities.Following a series ofcyanobacteria blooms in theFlorida Keys from 1991 to 1995,researchers described a cascadeof disturbances through whichthe loss of large, structure-forming sponges hadconsequences for juvenilelobsters, which use them as aprimary refuge. The 2007 bloomdestroyed recovering andpreviously unimpacted hard-bottom sponge communities,
ability to detect and avoid otherlobsters infected with a lethaldisease. The infectious virus,termed PaV1, is the first virusdescribed for any lobsterspecies and has remarkableaffects on their ecology. Thisdisease affects primarily thejuvenile lobsters that useFlorida Bay as a nurseryhabitat. The disease avoidancebehavior that healthy lobstersuse results in isolation ofinfected individuals andreduced infection risk. This
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killing close to 100%of the sponges in thecore area of the bloom.
This area is a nurseryhabitat for manyeconomically valuableor endangeredorganisms includingCaribbean spinylobsters, stone crabs,groupers (e.g., red,black, Nassau, andgoliath), and snappers.Lobsters in particular,rely heavily on theshelter provided bylarge sponges (oftenapproaching 1 meterwide!) and theirabundance is ofteninfluenced by spongeabundance. Therefore, whenthese sponges are killed,lobsters are forced to aggregatein the few shelters that remain(Figure 3).
Spiny lobsters are socialcreatures, using their sensitiveolfactory (smell) abilities to findeach other and aggregate.However, they are alsoequipped with the olfactory
research is focused ondetermining the factors affectingbloom formation, maintenance,termination, and impacts. Thework presented here highlightsthe need to consider the indirecteffects of blooms on the wholeaquatic ecosystem. However, italso demonstrates theadaptability and resilience thatorganisms such as the spinylobster can display in the face ofenvironmental adversity.
isolation was theorized to limitspread of infection among densepopulations of lobsters,however, this theory wasdifficult to test in nature. Thatis, until the extensive bloomoccurred in 2007.
The loss of sponges in largeareas of Florida Bay hard-bottom dramatically increasedthe aggregation of lobsters inthe remaining shelters. This
increased aggregation was a “natural test” of theeffectiveness of avoidancebehavior in reducing infectionpotential for this contact-transmitted disease. However,PaV1 infection prevalence didnot increase on the bloomimpacted sites relative tounimpacted sites followingseveral months of increasedaggregation, and was actuallylower on impacted sites. Thedecrease in disease prevalencemay have resulted from
increased predation oninfected lobstersdenied adequateshelter. Fieldexperimentscomparing predationon healthy versusdiseased lobsterscollected from thesurrounding habitatalso showed thatdiseased individualswere more susceptibleto predation than theirhealthy counterparts.
Harmful algal bloomsare a continuous threatto aquaticcommunities and
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Is My Lake Spring Fed?
“My lake is spring-fed!” We asregional coordinators hear it allthe time from our FloridaLAKEWATCH volunteers.When asked why they believetheir lakes are spring fed, weusually get responses like,“Because, I can feel colderwater down near my feet whenI go swimming” or “MyGrandpa told me so!” It ispossible that some lakes arespring fed. For example, LakeApopka is fed by GourdneckSprings. But, there may beother reasons for cooler waternear the lake bottom andGrandpa may have been toldthat the lake was spring-fed bysomeone who had no evidenceto back up their claim.
located, they usually do nothave an answer. After thinkingabout it for a little while, theyadmit that if a spring werefeeding their lake, then thewater would need to have aplace to flow out. Otherwise,the lake would continue to fillup and flood their property.That’s when they beginscratching their heads.
If their lakes are not spring fed,then why do they feel coldwater near the bottom? If youswim in a lake during thesummer, you may notice thatthe deeper water near your feet
Continued on page 7.
A lot depends on yourdefinition of a spring. For mostpeople, a spring is a localizedhole in the ground from whichlots of water flows. Majorsprings can pump outthousands or even millions ofgallons of water on a dailybasis including the famousSilver Springs (near Ocala),Blue Springs, and ItchetuckneeSprings to name a few. Mostvolunteers would agree thatthese springs meet the criteria.
On some occasions lakes doactually receive water fromsprings. But, when volunteerswho claim their lake is spring-fed are asked where theoutflow from their lake is
Ginnie Springs located in Gilchrist County, Florida.
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feels cooler than the water nearthe surface. This is because theupper surface water layer hasbeen warmed by the sun and asa result, has become less denseor “lighter” than the cooler,denser layer below near yourfeet. This warmer above/coolerbelow water layering effect isknown as thermal stratification.A temperature difference of aslittle as one degree Fahrenheitcan result in stratification.Since this is a naturalphenomenon that can occur inall water bodies (evenswimming pools) it is notnecessarily evidence that thelake is spring-fed.
Sometimes a volunteer willreport seeing little “springs”about 1 to 2 inches in diameterbubbling up in the shallowsediments near the lakeshoreline. In Florida, mostlakes receive their water fromdirect rainfall, inflow fromstreams, and groundwaterinfiltration. Groundwater iswater that has been depositedon the land by rainfall that thenfilters through the soil until ithits an impervious layer ofrock, mineralized soil, or clay.This impenetrable layer stopsthe downward movement of thewater and causes it to movelaterally or sideways.
When this underground watermoves towards a low spot (likea lake), the water cansometimes be seen percolatingthrough the bottom sedimentsof the lake and adding water tothe lake. Sometimes you caneven see this infiltration
fed will have cooler water nearthe bottom and warmer waternear the surface, as volunteershave reported. However, in thewinter the same lake couldhave warmer water on thebottom near the spring andcooler water on top if airtemperatures get cold enough.In fact, this observation wouldbe stronger evidence that a lakeis spring-fed than would theobservation made in thesummer.
Anglers on Woodbine Springs in Santa Rosa County.
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occurring in the shallow, sandysediments and it looks like tinylittle “poofs” of sand puffingup from the bottom. Somepeople may even refer to theseobservations as being “littlesprings” because they are underpressure and cause the sands tolift as the water flows in.
As a final thought to ponder, inFlorida most natural springsusually have a year-roundtemperature of about 72degrees Fahrenheit. So in thesummer, a lake that is spring-
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A Gateway to Florida’s Lakes
As reported in Vol. 39 of the LAKEWATCH newsletter,Florida LAKEWATCH, the Florida Center for CommunityDesign and Research at the University of South Florida andthe Florida Lake Management Society have teamed up toprovide easy access to data for all LAKEWATCH lakes. Thisservice is implemented as the “Florida Atlas of Lakes” foundat the Water Atlas website (www.wateratlas.org).
This statewide atlas has the key water chemistry data that isgenerated by the Florida LAKEWATCH program. TheFlorida Atlas of Lakes manage and deliver data through amap interface. LAKEWATCH sites are matched to mapthemes based on the 1:24,000 scale National HydrologyDatabase (NHD). Additional map themes are then added tothe base map to create the map that is used as a key elementof the database.
The Florida Atlas of Lakes allows the citizens of Florida tobetter understand and appreciate the important work that isdone on their behalf by Florida LAKEWATCH volunteers.Users are able to view data for any of the waterbodies in theFlorida LAKEWATCH program.
To visit the Florida Atlas of Lakes go to the websitelisted below:
http://www.wateratlas.usf.edu/AtlasOfLakes/Florida/
New LAKEWATCH Collection Centerin Marianna
Volunteer Bulletin Board
The Florida Atlas of Lakes
Notice to all FloridaLAKEWATCH active samplers
Keep those samples flowing!Please be sure to deliver all frozen
water and chlorophyll samples to yourcollection center as soon as possible.
This will allow us to collect and processthem in a timely manner.
Thanks for you help!
Collection Center Closings
The following collection centershave been closed and are no
longer available for sample drop-off and new supply pickup.
Marianna
Elder Care Services Marianna Office4297 Liddon StMarinna, FL 32446
Miami
Deering Estate16701 SW 72nd AveMiami, FL 33157
If you use one of these collectioncenters please call us at 1-800-
525-3928 for an alternativecollection center location.
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LAB NOTESFrom Florida LAKEWATCH Chemist
Greetings all LAKEWATCHERS!
Everyone in the lab would like toexpress their heart-felt thanks foryour continued sampling effortsand years of dedicated hard work.
As you work hard to collect andprocess your samples, the folks inthe lab want to be sure you get thebest and most accurate resultspossible. Occasionally, we runinto a few problems we would likeyour help to correct in order to getyour results back to you asexpeditiously as possible. Thesegentle reminders shouldbe reviewed and shared withthose folks helping you sampleyour lake.
name/county, date, and amountfiltered are recorded is importantto get results back to you, ourvolunteer. In particular the amountfiltered is essential to the actualcalculations used to determinechlorophyll concentrations.
Problem:Filters not stored in silica geldessicant.
Solution:Filters must be stored in thebottles of silica gel dessicantprovided to prevent degradation ofyour sample due to mold growth.
Problem: Missing information on datasheets.
Solution:We ask that you complete thelake/county, date, and write bothSecchi depth and water depthmeasurements on the sheet in thespace provided. Visibility anddepth information is entered in thelong-term database along withyour chlorophyll results. Missinginformation on the data sheet canlead to a delay in informationrelayed back to you.
You work hard to collectthese samples and we all wantthem to be the very best theycan be. Thanks for your helpand keep up the good work!
Problem:Cracked water bottles resultingfrom bottles being over-filledbefore freezing.
SolutionWhen collecting water bottlesplease fill completely and thenpour out some water until you getdown to the shoulder of thecollection bottle, as this will allowfor expansion of the water uponfreezing.
Problem:Chlorophyll filters exposed.
SolutionWhen folding your algae samplefilters, please be sure to fold themexactly in half, with the algae onthe inside. (Pretend you’re makingan “algae taco.”) If any part of thealgae sample is uncovered andexposed while putting the filterinto its wrapper, some of it canrub off the sample filter and stickto the outside wrapper. Thatportion of the algae is lost and thesample is less than accurate.
ProblemUnlabeled filters or missinginformation.
SolutionLabeled filters help us keep trackof chlorophyll and correspondingwater samples as they passthrough the lab. A quick double-check to be sure the lake
Claude Brown, Chemist
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In the past if you had anaquatic plant problem and/orneeded an aquatic plantremoval permit you wouldcontact the Florida Departmentof Environmental Protection’sBureau of Invasive PlantManagement. However, thathas changed. The FloridaDepartment of EnvironmentalProtection’s Bureau of InvasivePlant Management is now theInvasive Plant ManagementSection within the Florida Fishand Wildlife ConservationCommission’s (FWC) Divisionof Habitat and Species.
The Invasive PlantManagement Section isresponsible for coordinatingand funding two statewideprograms controlling invasiveaquatic and upland plants onpublic conservation lands andwaterways. These invasiveplant management programsare the largest of their kind inthe United States. This sectionalso insures that beneficialnative aquatic plants in ponds,lakes, and rivers are protectedthrough its permitting programsand funds invasive plantmanagement research to ensurethat the most cost-effective andenvironmentally safe controlmethods are used.
Aquatic vegetation plays animportant role in maintainingand protecting water quality,providing shoreline
stabilization and ensuringbalanced fish and wildlifepopulations. Therefore, Floridalaw requires all persons orpublic agencies intending tocontrol, eradicate, remove, orotherwise alter any aquaticweeds or plants in waters of thestate to obtain a permit fromthe FWC unless an exemptionfor the activity has beenprovide in statute or rule.
The FWC Invasive PlantManagement Section regionaland field offices throughout thestate provide the followingfunctions:
- Provide extension/educationservices concerning aquaticplant management
- Annually survey the aquaticplant communities inapproximately 450 publicwater bodies
- Direct, review and monitorthe control of non-nativeaquatic plants by contactors ofFWC
- Assist and coordinate withfederal, state and localgovernments on issues relatedto aquatic plant management
- Regulate aquatic plantmanagement activities throughtwo permitting programs
- Perform compliance/enforcement activities relatedto aquatic plant management
Regions and Field Offices
Northwest Florida Office3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS705Tallahassee, FL 32399Matt Phillips([email protected])850-245-2809Counties: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia,Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes,Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa,Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton,Washington, and Jefferson.
Suwannee River Office341 SE Charmont LaneLake City, FL 32025Joe Hinkle([email protected])386-758-0464Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford,Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval,Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette,Madison, Nassau, Putnam, Suwannee,Taylor, and Union.
Southwest Florida Office6355 South Florida AvenueFloral City, FL 34436Robbie Lovestrand([email protected])Terry Sullivan([email protected])352-726-8622Counties: Citrus, Hernando, Levy,Marion, and Sumter.
North Central Office601 W. Woodward AvenueEustis, FL 32726Nathalie Visscher([email protected])321-228-3364Counties: Lake
Continued on page 12
Invasive Plant Management: Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission’s New Role
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LAKEWATCH would like torecognize Arthur Morlan Duttonfor his service to theLAKEWATCH program. Arthurwas trained to sample LakeGeorgia in 1989 by Sandy Fisher(retired LAKEWATCH Director).Lake Georgia is located in WinterPark (Orange County) betweenHwy 417 and North Dean Roadjust North of UniversityBoulevard (28° 36’ 23” and 81°
14’ 47”). Arthureither sampled orhelped sample thelake for a total of228 months. Weregret to say thatArt passed away onNovember 5, 2008.His service andcommitment to theprogram will begreatly missed.
He was born on July28, 1923 to Arthurand Letta MorlanDutton. He attendedIowa State where hereceived a Bachelorof Science degree inElectricalEngineering and aPH.D. inMathematics andStatistics. Arthurwas in the Navyduring World WarII and while servinghe attended
Japanese language school. Afterthe Navy he went to work at theUniversity of Rochester in
An areiel view of Lake Georgia in Orange County.
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Rochester, New York. Then, hemoved to Orlando, Florida in1968. He was chairman of MathSciences at University of CentralFlorida (UCF), formally known asFlorida Technological University.He was in the statisticsDepartment of UCF until hisretirement.
Art is survived by his wife JoanneMcHenry Dutton, their son, David
(Cindy) and daughter, theirdaughter Margaret "Maggie" (Michael) Ziesmer, grandson
Benjamin and granddaughterChristina and three great-grandchildren.
The pleasure of having Arthur asa volunteer was all ours. We donot come across volunteers likeArthur very often. The dedicationto the program for Lake Georgiagoes beyond anything we couldhave hoped for from a volunteerwhen the program was created.
We wish the best to his family andour dearest gratitude for hisefforts.
Outstanding LAKEWATCH Volunteer
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This newsletter is generated by the Florida
LAKEWATCH program, within UF/IFAS. Support
for the LAKEWATCH program is provided by the
Florida Legislature, grants and donations. For more
information about LAKEWATCH, to inquire about
volunteer training sessions, or to submit materials for
inclusion in this publication, write to:
Florida LAKEWATCHFisheries and Aquatic Sciences
School of Forest Resources and Conservation
7922 NW 71st Street
Gainesville, FL 32653
or call
1-800-LAKEWATCH (800-525-3928)
(352) 392-4817E-mail: [email protected]://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/
All unsolicited articles, photographs, artwork or other
written material must include contributor’s name,
address and phone number. Opinions expressed are
solely those of the individual contributor and do not
necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of the Florida
LAKEWATCH program.
Florida LAKEWATCHFisheries and Aquatic SciencesSchool of Forestry Resource Conservation7922 NW 71st StreetGainesville, FL 32653
FloridaLAKEWATCH
St. John’s River Office5882 South Semoran Blvd.Orlando, FL 32822Ed Harris ([email protected])407-275-4004Counties: Brevard, Flagler, Orange,Osceola, Seminole, St. Johns, andVolusia.
South Central Florida Office2001 Homeland-Garfield RoadBartow, FL 33830 -HighlandsErica VanHorn([email protected]) -PolkKelle Sullivan([email protected])Danielle Schobl([email protected])863-534-7074Counties: Highlands and Polk
Invasive Plant Management: Florida Fish and Wildlife Consevaion Commission’s NewRole (Continued from page 10)
Information for the article was taken from the Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission’s website at MyFWC.com.
South Gulf Office8302 Laurel Fair Circle, Suite 140Tampa, FL 33610David Demmi([email protected])John Rodgers([email protected])813-744-6163Counties: Charlotte, Desoto, Hardee,Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pasco,Pinellas, and Sarasota.
South Florida Office9737 Gumbo Limbo LaneJensen Beach, FL 34957Jackie Smith([email protected])772-871-5407Counties: Broward, Collier, Glades,Hendry, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, PalmBeach, and St. Lucie.
