FYI – the March 28 samples were posted this week and there were health advisories issued for Bayou’s Grande and Chico. The bacteria count in Texar was elevated but not high enough to issue and advisory

 

Samples this week for Apr 4 are fine. No advisories issued. Here’s the rest…

 

RED TIDE

We are fine here but Southwest Florida is having fish kills and human respiratory problems reported due to red tides in that part of the state.

 

FISH KILLS for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties

No fish kills reported for our area during March, not for the first week of April.

 

HEALTH ADVISORIES

No health advisories issued this week

Number of Health Advisories for Winter 2016

Texar 8 samples – 4 advisories (50%)

Chico 2 samples – 1 advisory (50%)

Grande 2 samples – 1 advisory (50%)

Upper Perdido 6 samples – 1 advisory (16%)

Lower Perdido 6 samples – 0 advisories (0%)

WATER TEMPERATURES

Over the last two weeks water temps have been running between 69-73 F

 

SALINITY

Due to previous heavy rainfall salinities are still running low – see numbers below. This long term low salinity we have had this year could certainly impact some species of marine plants and animals.

 

DISSOLVED OXYGEN

Over the last two weeks DO’s have run between 5.7 – 7.9 mg/L – all good.

 

NUTRIENTS

No updates on nutrients this week. You can read about nutrients from 2015 from local waters in the 2015 Water Quality Report. Again, just let me know if you would like a copy. Roc1@ufl.edu

UWF INSHORE LIONFISH SURVEY:

UWF has not begun their lionfish surveys yet

 

MARINE DEBRIS PLASTICS

Microplastics –

90 samples collected, 939 pieces of plastic (10 pieces/ sample), 73% microfibers, 22% microbeads

Plastics –

Top 3 items from Ocean Hour and Turtle Trash Bash –

1. plastic bottles, (2) plastic bags, (3) cigarette butts – foam

Ocean Hour this week – Bay Bluffs or Chimney Park on Scenic Highway 9:00 – 10:00 AM

 

Here are the numbers…

 

FDEP

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

 

Texar 69 2.4 7.9 8 (April 4)

Chico 73 0.1 5.7 570 (March 27)

Grande 73 4.0 6.5 590 (March 27)

Low Perdido –

Up Perdido –

Gulf Breeze –

 

ECHD

Bayou Texar – Good (Apr 4), Moderate (Mar 27)

Sanders Beach / Bayou Chico – Good (Apr 4), Poor (Mar 27)

Bayou Grande – Poor (Mar 27)

Big Lagoon – Poor (Mar 27)