MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

W528
Myakka River Water Quality Monitoring
Project Type SWIM
AOR(s)
Water Quality
Basin(s) Manasota
Cooperator(s)
Project Manager KAUFMAN, KRIS
Task Manager(s)
Status Ongoing
WOLDEN, CATHERINE
Description
This project is an ongoing SWIM Initiative to monitor the water quality of the Myakka River. In 1996, a
SWIM watershed assessment project for Charlotte Harbor found that in order to make sound management decisions,
water quality monitoring was needed in the Peace and Myakka river basins. The District participated in a multi-agency
cooperative effort to monitor the Myakka River in 1999. It was determined a long term effort was needed to
characterize water quality conditions and pollutant loadings in the river system. The current project began in 2000 and
funding for this project will be used to continue the monthly water quality monitoring program at six United States
Geological Service (USGS) stream stations on the Myakka River. The data from this project will be used in conjunction
with streamflow measurements provided by an existing USGS program to estimate monthly pollutant loading at the six
gauge sites (See W554 & W547). Partners in this project include the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and
the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (CHEC). Currently, CHEC is presenting results of this effort on its website,
www.checflorida.org (See W547).
Benefits
This data will be used to develop future water quality improvement projects as needed. The project's data is regularly
used to create publications such as, "Water Quality Conditions and Pollutant Loads and Yields in the Peace and
Myakka River Basins" (See W554). Ongoing projects such as the Myakka River Watershed Initiative will benefit from
use of the ongoing long term data set.
Costs
The FY2010 costs for this project are funded from the Manasota Basin Board. The funds are for the District's Water
Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) staff to collect samples and the District Laboratory to analyze the samples.
District funds shown in the table include staff salaries.
Additional Information
The Myakka River discharges into Charlotte Harbor, a SWIM priority waterbody and a Charlotte Harbor National
Estuary Program (CHNEP) designated "estuary of national significance." Charlotte Harbor is generally viewed as one
of the most productive estuarine systems in Southwest Florida. Although it is appropriately considered a healthy
system, problems exist in the areas of hydrologic alterations, water quality degradation, and habitat loss. The SWIM
Plan for Charlotte Harbor focus on management strategies for the Peace and Myakka Rivers, in addition to Charlotte
Harbor proper, to reduce point and non-point source pollution and to preserve and restore habitat. The objectives of
this project are consistent with these strategies. The District began water quality monitoring projects along the Peace
and Myakka Rivers in 2000 (See W527). Since 2001, the District has also supported sampling in the tidal portions of
the Peace and Myakka Rivers by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) (See W521).
Prior
FY 2009 FY2010
Funding Funding Funding
District Budgeted - Ad Valorem Based
Revenue
021 Manasota Basin 76,878 12,328 25,753
0 114,959
District Budgeted - Outside Revenue
State Trust Funds (SWIM) 32,704 12,328
0
0 45,032
State Trust Funds (SWIM) - Prior 2006 66,262 0
0
0 66,262
WMLTF (SWIM) - Prior Year Funds 0 0 25,753
0 25,753
021 - Manasota Basin 67
Total:
Future
Funding
Total
Funding
$252,006