Caloosahatchee Condition Summary: Freshwater flows of approximately 1000 cfs over the past six weeks have maintained salinities below the MFL in the upper Caloosahatchee Estuary; however, Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) continues to limit light penetration to the submerged aquatic vegetation trying to recover in the upper estuary. Freshwater flows between 800–1,000 cfs have provided a continuous low salinity zone gradient from S-79 to Fort Myers, expanding the habitat volume available for larval fishes and invertebrates. This should result in greater foraging opportunities for zooplankton and may increase reproduction rates during spring spawning. USACE Action: The USACE initiated a 10 day pulse release on 3/10/14 with average flows of 1,000 cfs to the Caloosahatchee estuary at S79. Recommendation: We recommend releases averaging 1,000 cfs be continued to maintain salinities below the 10 psu 30-day moving average and to assist in Lake Okeechobee recession. We request that flows not exceed 1,200 cfs due to concerns over high color and turbidity which are currently impacting tape grass in the upper estuary. Additional nutrient loading may compound the impacts of last year’s high wet season flows and slow recovery of the estuary. The C43 reservoir site should be utilized to pump and store/process excess flow. Conditions at this time of year are optimal for ET so the capacity of the C43 Reservoir site, as well as other watershed storage sites should be optimized for groundwater recharge, storage, treatment and estuary health. The Corps and the District should investigate the potential for holding more water in the canals south of Lake Okeechobee and moving water south into the WCAs when capacity exists. Past reports and background information on Caloosahatchee conditions are available online at: sccf.org/content/201/Caloosahatchee-Condition-Reports.aspx
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 23:06:24 +0000
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