WATER QUALITY AND SOURCE OF FRESHWATER DISCHARGE TO THE CALOOSAHATCHEE ESTUARY, FLORIDA

The Caloosahatchee River has two major sources of freshwater: one from its watershed and the other via an artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee. The contribution of each source to the freshwater discharge reaching the downstream estuary varies and either may dominate. Routine monitoring data were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Water Resources Association 1999-08, Vol.35 (4), p.793-806
Main Authors: Doering, P. H., Chamberlain, R. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aquatic ecosystems
Brackish
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
estuary
Exact sciences and technology
Freshwater
freshwater discharge
Hydrology
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
nutrients
ocean studies
Pollution, environment geology
USA, Florida, Caloosahatchee Estuary
USA, Florida, Caloosahatchee R
USA, Florida, Okeechobee L
water quality
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Summary:The Caloosahatchee River has two major sources of freshwater: one from its watershed and the other via an artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee. The contribution of each source to the freshwater discharge reaching the downstream estuary varies and either may dominate. Routine monitoring data were analyzed to determine the effects of total river discharge and source of discharge (river basin, lake) on water quality in the downstream estuary. Parameters examined were: color, total suspended solids, light attenuation, chlorophyll a, and total and dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. In general, the concentrations of color, and total and dissolved inorganic nitrogen increased, and total suspended solids decreased, as total discharge increased. When the river basin was the major source, the concentrations of nutrients (excepting ammonia) and color in the estuary were relatively higher than when the lake was the major source. Light attenuation was greater when the river basin dominated freshwater discharge to the estuary. The analysis indicates that water quality in the downstream estuary changes as a function of both total discharge and source of discharge. Relative to discharge from the river basin, releases from Lake Okeechobee do not detectably increase concentrations of nutrients, color, or TSS in the estuary.
ISSN:1093-474X
1752-1688
DOI:10.1111/j.1752-1688.1999.tb04175.x