Welcome back to 2016 and the Water Quality Update. This year we will be expanding to include data from the Escambia Marine Science Educators (ESME) and from the Florida Microplastics Awareness Program. Later this month we will submit an article explaining the FMAP program. Also this year we will be working on centralizing data collected from around the county. We were hoping to do this last year but did not make it happen.

 

I have been working on the 2015 report this week. It is not finished yet but hopefully by next Friday.

 

RED TIDE

The only reports of red tide in the panhandle this week were low-background level readings from Bay and Gulf counties. There were high levels reported in the Tampa area. All good here.

 

FISH KILLS for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties

There are no reports of fish kills this month.

HEALTH ADVISORIES

There was a health advisory issued for Bayou Texar – ENT = 84

Samples were collected in Bayou’s Chico and Grande

Perdido Bay is fine

 

WATER TEMPERATURES

All waters are running between 50-59°F except lower Perdido who reported 49°F

 

SALINITY

Salinities are running very low for most water bodies. Almost all were reporting < 10 ppt. Ft. Pickens reported 8.7 ppt. (VERY low for this location). Continuous rain the cause.

 

DISSOLVED OXYGEN

All good.. Numbers coming in between 9.0 – 10.0 mg/L

 

NUTRIENTS

The Marine Science Academy at Washington High School is monitoring nutrients within Bayou Texar.

No data was collected on total nitrogen. Phosphates are high and the Ph levels drop some due to this. Chlorophyll numbers are low. Turbidity is not bad.

UWF INSHORE LIONFISH SURVEY:

UWF has not begun their lionfish surveys yet

 

Here are the numbers…

 

FDEP

Water Body Temp (F) Salinity (ppt) DO(mg/L) ENT bacteria count (colonies/100ml)

 

Texar 55 4.1 8.4 84 HEALTH ADVISORY

Chico –

Grande –

Low Perdido 49 8.1 9.9 24

Up Perdido 58 4.6 9.9 114 (fecal coliform/freshwater)

Gulf Breeze 53 7.4 10.0 10

 

ECHD

Bayou Texar – POOR

Sanders Beach / Bayou Chico – good

EMSE – MARINE SCIENCE ACADEMY – TEXAR

Station Total Nitrogen Total Phosphate Chlorophyll Turbidity (FIU

12^th Ave – 1600 0.2 5

Hyde Park – 2600 4.2 0

Boat Ramp East – 1900 3.9 11

Dog Beach – 3000 7.1 17

 

 

FLORIDA MICROPLASTICS AWARENESS PROGRAM

Station Number of pieces of microplastic recorded Total

Chimney Park (14), (7) 21

Wayside Park @

Bayou Texar (17), (10) 27

Navy Point (20), (3), (5) 28

Mouth of Escambia

River (6) 6

Bay Fishing Bridge (3) 3

 

 

For more information on local water visit:

http://escambia.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-health/beaches/index.html

 

http://whs-ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1395816840292&group_id=1395814370227&no_controls=t