Loxahatchee River Watershed

OverviewOverview 11stst river in Florida designated as a National Wild & river in Florida designated as a National Wild &

Scenic RiverScenic River It is connected to the Lake Worth Creek Aquatic It is connected to the Lake Worth Creek Aquatic

PreservePreserve Located in northern Palm Beach & southern Located in northern Palm Beach & southern

Martin counties; over 200 square miles that Martin counties; over 200 square miles that includes the communities of Jupiter Inlet Colony, includes the communities of Jupiter Inlet Colony, Juno Beach and Jupiter IslandJuno Beach and Jupiter Island

Includes large tracts of undisturbed land such as Includes large tracts of undisturbed land such as the Atlantic Coral Reef Ridge & Pal-mar, and the Atlantic Coral Reef Ridge & Pal-mar, and protected parcels like the Jonathan Dickinson State protected parcels like the Jonathan Dickinson State ParkPark

Habitat types found within the watershed include Habitat types found within the watershed include pine land, sand pine scrub, xeric oak sand, pine land, sand pine scrub, xeric oak sand, hardwood hammocks, cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks, cypress swamps, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, sea grass beds, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, sea grass beds, oyster beds, and coastal dunesoyster beds, and coastal dunes

The river supports many endangered & The river supports many endangered & potentially endangered species such as manatee potentially endangered species such as manatee and the four- petal pawpawand the four- petal pawpaw

Wildlife present here are, Wildlife present here are, otters, West Indian manatees, otters, West Indian manatees, alligators, bobcats, turtles, woodalligators, bobcats, turtles, woodstork, osprey, raccoon, snook &stork, osprey, raccoon, snook &grey snapper grey snapper

Four- Petal Pawpaw

Issues Concerning the River

Urban development is threatening these diverse habitats

Over the last 50 years, flood control, major road construction & dredging have taken their toll on the river

Some negative effects of the development: *severed greenway connections, habitat loss & displaced wildlife, disrupted cultural & historical sites resulted in insufficient land to produce hydrologic connections& sustain wildlife

Altered hydroperiod: *drainage canals & barriers in developed areas reduce water storage in some natural areas causong flooding in others & degrading the water

quality Contamination of ground water:

*all of the drinking water in the watershed comes from groundwater-over pumping causes salt water intrusion & leaking fuel storage tanks can pose a potential contamination threat

Spreading of invasive exotic plants: *native species that provide habitat, shelter & food to native wildlife are being crowded out by invasive exotic plants

Over the next 20 years, population is expected to increase from 5.6 million to 7.3 million

Public water supply and domestic self-supply demands will require 317 million gallons per day

It is important to preserver the Loxahatchee River Watershed because it provides about 35% of Martin county communities drinking water; in addition, it is the home of many animals, and if disrupted, can throw off this ecosystem, and potentially cause harm to humans

Green- 1st Trophic Level

Orange- 2nd Trophic Level

Blue- 3rd Trophic Level

Red- 4th Trophic Level

ReferencesReferences Designed by: Michelle Denise FergusonDesigned by: Michelle Denise Ferguson

https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=2814,19613313,2814_19613619&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/south/trails/loxahatchee.htm  

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/sites/loxahatchee/http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/sites/loxahatchee/info.htminfo.htm

http://www.lrhs.org/htmlPages/river.htmhttp://www.lrhs.org/htmlPages/river.htm https://my.sfwmd.gov/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/https://my.sfwmd.gov/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/

PG_GRP_SFWMD_WATERSUPPLY/SUBTABS%20-%20UPPERPG_GRP_SFWMD_WATERSUPPLY/SUBTABS%20-%20UPPER%20EAST%20COAST%20-%20DOCUMENTS/TAB1610177/%20EAST%20COAST%20-%20DOCUMENTS/TAB1610177/UEC_CHAP4.PDF UEC_CHAP4.PDF

https://my.sfwmd.gov/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/https://my.sfwmd.gov/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PG_GRP_SFWMD_WATERSHED/PORTLET%20-%20COASTALPG_GRP_SFWMD_WATERSHED/PORTLET%20-%20COASTAL%20ECOSYSTEMS/TAB1806037/LOX_BROCHURE.PDF %20ECOSYSTEMS/TAB1806037/LOX_BROCHURE.PDF