This week's water quality report from the Florida Oceanographic Society (FOS) revealed a mix of results across the Southern Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie Estuary. The weekly report, covering July 24 to July 30, showed that while some areas of the region’s waterways are in satisfactory condition, others continue to struggle with poor water health.
The overall habitat health grade for the reporting week was 70%, earning a C- grade for the region. The report, compiled through the Florida Oceanographic Society’s community survey program (FLOWSS), highlights significant variability in water quality across different zones, ranging from satisfactory to destructive conditions.
The South Fork, which had a grade of F, registered is among those rated destructive, with poor visibility (0.4 m) and poor salinity (3.8 ppt). Similarly, the other rated F area, Winding South Fork, also saw poor visiblity (0.7 m) and poor salinity (0.3 ppt), as well as poor dissolved oxygen levels (2.5 mg/L).
In contrast, other parts of the lagoon showed better results. The Indian River Lagoon and Intracoastal Waterway South both earned scores of 'A', earning high marks across all measured qualities. The inlet area also fared well, earning a 'B' score with very good dissolved oxygen levels of 5.3 mg/L.
The data constitutes 37 reports across the 10 zones.