South Florida - Friday April 26, 2024: The Florida Oceanographic Society provides a snapshot of local water quality conditions in the St. Lucie Estuary (SLE) and southern Indian River Lagoon (IRL). This report provides an overview of ecosystem health and function for the SLE and IRL and includes a summary of additional water quality conditions from publicly available sources.
Summary of Weekly Water Quality for Habitat Health for Reporting Week
This week’s water quality grade for habitat health in the SLE and southern IRL earned an “A” based on water clarity, oxygen content, and salinity values in 39 reports across 10 zones.
Discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the east stayed at a 0 cfs constant schedule (current Lake Okeechobee daily status, see Table 2). Salinities across the SLE and IRL were good across all zones. Figure 4 shows how these salinities affect oyster habitat health in the IRL.
Water clarity (visibility) was graded as fair – good for seagrass health across all zones within the SLE and IRL. Throughout the SLE and IRL, dissolved oxygen levels were good at all sites.
Summary of Weekly Water Quality for Habitat Health for Reporting Week
This week’s water quality grade for habitat health in the SLE and southern IRL earned an “A” based on water clarity, oxygen content, and salinity values in 39 reports across 10 zones.
Discharges from Lake Okeechobee stayed at a 0 cfs constant schedule (current Lake Okeechobee daily status, see Table 2). Salinities across the SLE and IRL were good across all zones. Figure 4 shows how these salinities affect oyster habitat health in the IRL.
Water clarity (visibility) was graded as fair – good for seagrass health across all zones within the SLE and IRL. Throughout the SLE and IRL, dissolved oxygen levels were good at all sites.
Weekly water quality grades for the SLE and southern IRL for 2022 (blue line) and 2023 (red line)
Average weekly salinity upstream of the Roosevelt Bridge (Zones 1 – 4) and downstream of the Roosevelt Bridge (Zones 5 – 10)
Summary of Water Quality Updates Obtained from Publicly Available Sources
FDEP Blue-Green Algal Blooms Report
From the week of April 12, 2024 – April 18, 2024, FDEP reported algal bloom conditions in 14 of 21 samples collected. “The satellite imagery for Lake Okeechobee from 4/18 shows low to moderate bloom potential on approximately 40% of the lake, with the most condensed bloom potential in the northern half of the lake. The satellite imagery for the St. Lucie Estuary from 4/18 shows no visible bloom potential.”
For more information on current algal blooms that could potentially affect our Treasure Coast waterways, you can view FDEP's Algal Bloom Sampling Status interactive map by clicking on this link.
SFWMD Weekly Environmental Conditions Reports
Lake Okeechobee: SFWMD reported on April 24th, 2024, “Lake Okeechobee stage was 13.36 feet NAVD88 (14.64 ft NGVD29) on April 21, 2024, which was 0.23 feet lower than the previous week and 0.88 feet lower than a month ago. Average daily inflows (excluding rainfall) were slightly lower than the previous week, at 850 cfs, compared to 880 cfs. Average daily outflows (excluding evapotranspiration) increased from the previous week, going from 3,120 cfs to 4,350 cfs. The April 21, 2024, satellite image from NOAA’s Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System moderate to high cyanobacteria concentrations along most of the northern and western shorelines, and moderate concentrations along the remaining shallow shorelines of the Lake.”
St. Lucie Estuary: SFWMD reported that “Total inflow to the St. Lucie Estuary averaged 70 cfs over the past week with all of the flow coming from the Tidal Basin. Mean salinities increased at all three sites in the estuary over the past week. Salinity in the middle estuary was in the optimal range (10-25) for adult eastern oysters.”
Weekly average inflows into the SLE. Data reproduced from the SFWMD Environmental Conditions Report
Citizen scientists volunteer their time and effort for the FOS FLOWSS program. Although the data is screened, it comes with no warranties regarding the completeness, accuracy or reliability and is intended for educational and outreach use only .
Learn more about the FOS Citizen Science Water Quality Monitoring Program by click on this link.