Water Quality Assessment Report - Florida Department of ...

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30 Water Quality Assessment Report: Springs Coast 25 percent of the country’s manatee population. They also provide habitat and protection for numerous other wildlife species. Anclote Key, the northernmost barrier island in the basin, comprises the Anclote Key Preserve State Park. The island is still expanding and has increased in size by about 30 percent since 1957. Just to the east of Anclote Key lies Anclote Anchorage, a shallow area containing seagrass beds that provides breeding habitat for numerous marine species, including threatened and endangered animals such as sea turtles and the West Indian manatee. The Anclote National Wildlife Refuge encompasses the waters between Anclote Key and the mainland. South of Anclote Anchorage is the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve. The waters near the preserve attract numerous sponge divers. Honeymoon Island State Park, Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area, and Caladesi Island State Park, which are undeveloped, are located along the Gulf coast in northern Pinellas/southern Pasco Counties. A 1921 hurricane split Honeymoon Island in two, creating Hurricane Pass and Caladesi Island to the south. Honeymoon Island contains one of the few remaining south Florida stands of virgin slash pine, which provides osprey nesting sites. Both Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island contain a number of important coastal plant communities such as mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, salt marshes, tidal fl ats, and sand dunes. Honeymoon Island has more than 208 plant species and a variety of shorebirds, including several threatened and endangered species. To the east of Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands lies St. Joseph Sound. It contains about 14,700 acres of seagrass, which is about 60 percent of the total seagrass acreage found in Tampa Bay. Other major, publicly owned conservation areas in the basin include the following: • The Chassahowitzka River and Coastal Swamps Area, comprising 5,676 acres in western Citrus and Hernando Counties, contains the headwaters of the Chassahowitzka River and several tributaries and springs; • Starkey Wilderness Park, an 8,069-acre tract, encompasses a portion of the headwaters of the Anclote River and a stretch of the Pithlachascotee River; and • Weeki Wachee Preserve, a 9,000-acre area, is located on the Gulf coast in Hernando County. It contains the southernmost coastal hardwood hammock in western Florida. Limerock was mined in the southwest corner of the preserve from the 1940s through 1995. The Crystal, Homosassa, Chassahowitzka, Weeki Wachee, Anclote, and Pithlachascotee Rivers and their associated coastal aquatic resources are popular for recreational activities such as swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, fi shing, and boating. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there were 91,515 visitors to the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and 33,340 visitors to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge during 1996. Estimated visitors in 1997 at other nearby
sites include 250,000 at Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, 17,800 at the Chassahowitzka River Campground and Park, and 70,000 at the park at Pine Island. In 1979, recreational fi shing trips and total number of fi sh landed on Florida’s west coast, including the Springs Coast Basin, exceeded that of Florida’s east coast and all other shorelines in the southeastern United States. The counties of the Springs Coast Basin, collectively, generated 18,370 fi shing trips and landed over 4.5 million pounds of seafood in 1995. By 1999, the number of fi shing trips had grown to 19,753, with approximately 5.1 million pounds of seafood landed. Agriculture was the historical economic base in Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco Counties. Several factors, however, including residential growth, the decreasing profi tability of farming, and freezes affecting the citrus industry, have had a dramatic effect. Today, these counties’ economies predominantly comprise retail trade, services, government, and construction. A signifi cant portion of Hernando County’s economy is still based on industry (including mining), cattle, and agriculture. Signifi cant limerock mining activities are carried out northwest of Brooksville. Western Pinellas County is largely urban, with some industrial development. Table 2.1 lists the acreage and percentage of total acreage for land uses and land cover in the Springs Coast Basin. The table shows that over onethird of the basin (34 percent) is urban and built-up, followed by upland forests (26 percent) and wetlands (22.1 percent). Table 2.1: 1995 Land Use and Land Cover in the Springs Coast Basin Land Use/Land Cover Acres Percent of Total Acres Urban and Built-up 243,303 34.0 Agriculture 93,963 13.1 Rangeland 9,949 1.4 Upland Forests 186,573 26.0 Water 10,306 1.4 Wetlands 158,358 22.1 Barren Land 2,985 0.4 Transportation, Communication, and Utilities 11,055 1.5 Total 716,492 100 Source: SWFWMD, April 2001. Table 2.2 lists historical and projected population fi gures for the basin. In 1980, the population of the four counties (Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, and Pinellas) was almost 1.02 million. By 1998, it had risen to more than 1.45 million, and by 2020 is projected to grow to more than 1.8 million. There is also a large infl ux of seasonal residents into the basin during the winter months. U.S. Highway 19 and U.S. Highway 41 are the major north-south corridors through Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. Continued Water Quality Assessment Report: Springs Coast 31
Page 1: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
Page 5 and 6: Acknowledgments The Springs Coast W
Page 7: Preface Content Features • Execut
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Page 17 and 18: Table of Contents Water Quality Ass
Page 19 and 20: Tables Table 1.1: Stakeholder Invol
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Page 25: Noteworthy Contents of This Report
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80 WBID Waterbody Segment 8044 Crys
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108 mg/L Water Quality Assessment R
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Chapter 5: The Verified List of Imp
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Table 5.2: Elements of Reasonable A
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Pollutants Causing Impairments Of t
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Table 5.6: Springs Coast Basin Medi
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• WBID 1668B, nitrogen and phosph
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144 Planning Unit WBID Anclote Rive
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