LSJR TMDL 2016 Annual Water
Quality Progress Report:
Presentation to the
LSJR TMDL Executive Committee
February 23, 2017
John Hendrickson, SJRWMD
Wayne Magley, Ph.D., FDEP
Tiffany Trent, SJRWMD
2016 Meteorological Overview:
Precipitation
a.
Rainfall Total
January – December 2016
Inches
Jacksonville
Green Cove Sp.
Palatka
Orlando
Map prepared by the
SJRWMD Bureau of Water
Resource Information
2016 Meteorological
Overview: Salinity
MATTHEW
Orange vertical
bars indicate
range for the day
April 2016, Palatka
Lower St. Johns River
TN and TP 2016 Status and Trends*
Decreasing
No Trend
Increasing
2016
*Trends determined by the SJRWMD Status and Trends Assessment
LSJR Freshwater Reach Target
Goal: Healthy Pelagic Food Chain
• When chlorophyll-a > 40 µg/L, blooms are
cyanobacteria-dominated
• Cyanobacteria inedible, nutritionally poor,
Bloom level
and potentially toxic to zooplankton = 40 µg/L
Freshwater
Reach
“WorstCase”
WBIDS
Cladocera Ind L-1
200
LG
Pal
Racy
150
100
50
0
0
50
100
150
Days Continuous Algal Bloom
200
LSJR Freshwater
Criteria:
Limit duration of
chlorophyll-a > 40
µg/L (i.e., bloom
level) to less than
40 days
LSJR Marine Reach DO Target
Goal:
Marine Reach
“Worst-Case”
WBID
Protection of Aquatic Life From Hypoxia
• Original criteria not a realistic target for
blackwater rivers
• LSJR DO SSAC adapted from EPA guidance
• Based on mortality, recruitment of sensitive
estuarine species from exposure to hypoxia
Potential Emphasis Areas for
WQ Improvement
• Increasing P loads from
major tributaries
• Regular HAB occurrences
since 2013
• Draft TMDL prepared in 2016
Doctor’s
Lake
• Though N & P decreasing,
chlorophyll-a unchanged
• Algae frequently include
cyanotoxin producers
• Verified impaired for
nutrients (cycle 3 assmt.)
Crescent
Lake
Bull Creek
Canal
Haw Cr.
SAV Monitoring 2016
2016
Transect
Sites
Oligohaline
Fresh
Lower St. Johns 2016 Summary
• Nitrogen concentration declining in all
segments of the LSJR
– Phosphorus declining in marine reach, stable in
freshwater
• Fresh reach chlorophyll elevated, but target met
– Oligohaline chl-a trends, though weather-driven,
indicate value of additional nonpoint control
• Marine reach DO target exceeded, due to force
majeure (i.e. Hurricane Hermine)
• SAV health and extent stable
• Upstream N & P reductions?
– Impending Crescent Lake, Lake George TMDLs
Thank you . . .
Questions?