south florida water management district ......summer 2017 ~55% lower than 2013 11 south florida...

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

PRESENTATION TITLELake Okeechobee Key Findings Based on Monitoring and Analysis During Water Years

2013-2017Paul R. Jones Ph.D.Senior ScientistSouth Florida Water Management District

Greater Everglades Ecosystem RestorationCoral Springs, FLApril 25th 2019


Outline

System Status Report Chapter 4 - Lake OkeechobeeSummarizing key findings from May 2012 to April 2017

(a.k.a. Water Years 2013–2017)

Lake StageWater QualityNutrients, Clarity, Phytoplankton and Vegetation

FishWading Birds

Assessed using Performance Measures

1


Lake Stage

Lake Okeechobee water levels are managed for… Flood Control Water Supply Ecological health of Lake, Estuaries and Greater Everglades

2


Lake Okeechobee Stage Data WY 2012 to 2017

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Lake

Sta

ge (f

t NG

VD)

Date

Preferred Stage Envelope (12.5 – 15.5 ft)

3



7

9

11

13

15

17

19

Lake

Sta

ge (f

t NG

VD)

Date

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Lake

Sta

ge (f

t NG

VD)

Date

Ecological Envelope

3



10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Lake

Sta

ge (f

t NG

VD)

Date

3



7

9

11

13

15

17

19

Lake

Sta

ge (f

t NG

VD)

Date

4


Percentage of time lake stages outside of Ecological EnvelopeMay-Sep (green) and Oct-Apr (purple)

-100%

-75%

-50%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Perc

enta

ge o

f day

sBE

LOW

env

elop

e │

ABO

VE e

nvel

ope

Water Year

Above-ng

5


Percentage of time lake stages outside of Ecological EnvelopeMay-Sep (green) and Oct-Apr (purple)

-100%

-75%

-50%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Perc

enta

ge o

f day

sBE

LOW

env

elop

e │

ABO

VE e

nvel

ope

Water Year

Above-G

Above-ng

Below-G

Below-ng

May-Sep

Oct-Apr

5


Variable Performance Measure Target

Five-Year Average (WY2008-WY2012)


Total Phosphorus (TP) Load 140 mt/yr 387 mt/yr 531 mt/yr

Total Nitrogen (TN) Load No target 4,788 mt/yr 6,302 mt/yr

Pelagic TP 40 µg/L 134 µg/L 129 µg/LPelagic TN No target 1.52 ppm 1.41 ppmPelagic SRP No target 42 µg/L 43 µg/LPelagic DIN No target 191 µg/L 199 µg/LPelagic TN to TP > 22:1 11.3:1 10.6:1Pelagic DIN to SRP > 10:1 4.5:1 4.7:1Nearshore TP Below 40 µg/L 76 µg/L 89 µg/L

Algal bloom frequency < 5% of pelagic Chl-a exceeding 40 µg/L 5.6% 9.1%

Diatom to Cyanobacteria Ratio >1.5:13.3:1 (Pelagic)

3.6:1 (Nearshore)

2.1:1 (Pelagic)

1.4:1 (Nearshore)

Nearshore Water Clarity

Secchi disk visible on lake bottom at all nearshore SAV sampling

locations from May to September (100%)

44% 32%

Nearshore SAV CoverageTotal SAV >50,000 ac

(interim goal >35,000 ac)

No current Vascular SAV target

38,137 ac

17,388 ac

28,905 ac

22,032 ac

Water Quality Performance Measures

6





Total Phosphorus (TP) Load 140 mt/yr 387 mt/yr 531 mt/yrTotal Nitrogen (TN) Load No target 4,788 mt/yr 6,302 mt/yrPelagic TP 40 µg/L 134 µg/L 129 µg/LPelagic TN No target 1.52 ppm 1.41 ppmPelagic SRP No target 42 µg/L 43 µg/LPelagic DIN No target 191 µg/L 199 µg/LPelagic TN to TP > 22:1 11.3:1 10.6:1Pelagic DIN to SRP > 10:1 4.5:1 4.7:1Nearshore TP Below 40 µg/L 76 µg/L 89 µg/L

Water Quality PM’s - Nutrients

7





Total Phosphorus (TP) Load 140 mt/yr 387 mt/yr 531 mt/yrTotal Nitrogen (TN) Load No target 4,788 mt/yr 6,302 mt/yrPelagic TP 40 µg/L 134 µg/L 129 µg/LPelagic TN No target 1.52 ppm 1.41 ppmPelagic SRP No target 42 µg/L 43 µg/LPelagic DIN No target 191 µg/L 199 µg/LPelagic TN to TP > 22:1 11.3:1 10.6:1Pelagic DIN to SRP > 10:1 4.5:1 4.7:1Nearshore TP Below 40 µg/L 76 µg/L 89 µg/L

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Tota

l Pho

spho

rous

(100

0kg)

Series1

Series2

5 per. Mov. Avg. (Series1)

Water Quality PM’s - Nutrients

7

Total Annual TPTP TargetTP 5yr Average





Algal bloom frequency < 5% of pelagic Chl-a exceeding 40 µg/L 5.6% 9.1%


3.6:1 (Nearshore)

2.1:1 (Pelagic)

1.4:1 (Nearshore)


Secchi disk visible on lake bottom at all nearshore SAV sampling

locations from May to September (100%)

44% 32%


(interim goal >35,000 ac)


38,137 ac

17,388 ac

28,905 ac

22,032 ac

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Alga

l Blo

om F

requ

ency

(%)

Water Year

NearshorePelagic

NS

Water Quality PM’s - Phytoplankton

8


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Aver

age

Secc

hi D

epth

to T

otal

Dep

th R

atio

Date

Water Quality PM’s – Water Clarity

9


Five-Year Average

(WY2008-WY2012)

Five-Year Average

(WY2013-WY2017)


Secchi disk visible on lake bottom at all

nearshore SAV sampling locations

from May to September (100%)

44% 32%


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Aver

age

Secc

hi D

epth

to T

otal

Dep

th R

atio

Date


Five-Year Average

(WY2008-WY2012)

Five-Year Average

(WY2013-WY2017)


Secchi disk visible on lake bottom at all

nearshore SAV sampling locations

from May to September (100%)

44% 32%

Water Quality PM’s – Water Clarity

9


100,000 acre nearshore region


Five-Year Average

(WY2008-WY2012)

Five-Year Average

(WY2013-WY2017)

Nearshore SAV Coverage

Total SAV >50,000 ac(interim goal >35,000 ac)


38,137 ac

17,388 ac

28,905 ac

22,032 ac

Non-vascular e.g. Chara spp. Vascular e.g.Ceratophyllum Vallisneria

Coontail Eel grass

Water Quality PM’s – Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

10


Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

improves WQ and provides habitat

Non-vascular e.g. Chara spp.

Vascular e.g.Ceratophyllum Vallisneria

Summer 2017 ~55% lower than

2013

11


Fish abundance used as a metric for ecosystem health

Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) i.e. fish per minuteBlack Crappie Surveyed in January of each year

• Age 1 • ≥ 10 inches

Largemouth Bass Surveyed in October of each year

• Age 1 • ≥ 12 inches

12


0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

CPU

E (fi

sh/m

inut

e)

Water Year

A

B

C

D

F

Fish abundance used as a metric for ecosystem health

13


Black Crappie

0.030.12

0.81

1.13

0.59

0.47

0.76

0.91

0.60

1.02

0.79

0.0

0.3

0.6

0.9

1.2

1.5

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

CPU

E (fi

sh/m

inut

e)

Water Year

0.03

0.32

1.13

1.62

0.92

2.14

1.17 1.19

0.95

0.180.34

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

CPU

E (fi

sh/m

inut

e)

Water Year

Age 1 ≥ 10”

14


Largemouth Bass

0.01

0.12

0.26

0.110.09

0.08

0.140.13

0.040.05

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

CPU

E (fi

sh/m

inut

e)

Water Year

0.03

0.06

0.170.19

0.31

0.23

0.28 0.28

0.190.21

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

CPU

E (fi

sh/m

inut

e)

Water Year

Age 1 ≥ 12”

ND ND

15


Wading Bird foraging and nesting tied to lake health

MIEN - Mean Interval between Exceptional Nesting years Exceptional = greater than 70th percentile of all abundance estimates in

POR (1977-1992, 2002-2011) Target = reporting period (2012-2017) MIEN more than one standard

error below overall prior MIEN

PMNA – mean Percentage of Maximum Nest Abundance PMNA = mean 5-yr running average of nest abundance / average of 5

highest nest abundances in POR Metric score is between 0% and 100%, and the target is 100%

Great Egret (GREG), Snowy Egret (SNEG), White Ibis (WHIB)

16


GREG

WHIB

SNEG

Wading Bird foraging and nesting tied to lake health

MIEN targetmet

Nes

t abu

ndan

ce

GREG

SNEG

WHIB

1.5 ± 0.3 1.2 ± 1.0

2.6 ± 0.6 0.3± 0.2

2.8 ± 0.6 1.3 ± 0.5

POR = 1977-1992, 2006-2011RP = 2012-2017

Perc

enta

ge o

f Max

imum

obs

erve

d N

est A

bund

ance

PMNA = 40% ± 6%

PMNA = 70% ± 8%

PMNA = 24% ± 2%

GREG (max = 2329 nests)

SNEG (max = 2580 nests)

WHIB (max = 5750 nests)

17


GREG

WHIB

SNEG

Wading Bird foraging and nesting tied to lake healthN

est a

bund

ance

GREG

SNEG

WHIB

1.5 ± 0.3 1.2 ± 1.0

2.6 ± 0.6 0.3± 0.2

2.8 ± 0.6 1.3 ± 0.5

Perc

enta

ge o

f max

imum

obs

erve

d ne

st a

bund

ance

PMNA = 40% ± 6%

PMNA = 70% ± 8%

PMNA = 24% ± 2%

GREG (max = 2329 nests)

SNEG (max = 2580 nests)

WHIB (max = 5750 nests)

18

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C TS O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Acknowledgements

SFWMD – Andy Rodusky, Chuck Hanlon, Rich Botta, Therese East, Zach Welch

FWC – Alyssa Jordan, Andrea Dominguez

Florida Atlantic University - Dale Gawlik, David Essian

Audubon Florida – Paul Gray

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C TS O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Mon

thly

Tota

l rai

nfal

l (in

ches

)

Lake

Sta

ge (f

t NG

VD)

Date


3


Variable PM Target Five-Year Average (WY2008-WY2012)


Total Phosphorus (TP) Load 140 mt/yr 387 mt/yr 531 mt/yr

Total Nitrogen (TN) Load No target 4,788 mt/yr 6,302 mt/yr

Pelagic TP 40 µg/L 134 µg/L 129 µg/L

Pelagic TN No target 1.52 ppm 1.41 ppm

Pelagic SRP No target 42 µg/L 43 µg/L

Pelagic DIN No target 191 µg/L 199 µg/L

Pelagic TN to TP > 22:1 11.3:1 10.6:1

Pelagic DIN to SRP > 10:1 4.5:1 4.7:1

Nearshore TP Below 40 µg/L 76 µg/L 89 µg/L

Algal bloom frequency < 5 percent of pelagic chlorophyll a exceeding 40 µg/L 5.6% 9.1%


3.6:1 (Nearshore)

2.1:1 (Pelagic)

1.4:1 (Nearshore)


Secchi disk visible on lake bottom at all nearshore SAV

sampling locations from May to September (100%)

44% 32%


(interim goal >35,000 ac)No current Vascular SAV target

38,137 ac

17,388 ac

28,905 ac

22,032 ac

Water Quality Performance Measures

south florida water management district ......summer 2017 ~55% lower than 2013 11 south florida...

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