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Recommended Minimum Flows for Wakulla and Sally Ward Springs Wakulla County, Florida DRAFT

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Recommended Minimum Flows for Wakulla and Sally Ward Springs Wakulla County, Florida DRAFT Recommended Minimum Flows for Wakulla and Sally Ward Springs Wakulla County, Florida DRAFT Northwest Florida Water Management District 80 Water Management Drive Havana, Florida 32333 (850) 539-5999 www.nwfwater.com November 2020 Program Development Series 21-XX NORTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD George Jerry Pate Roberts Chair, Panama Vice Chair, City Pensacola Kellie Ted Nick Gus Ralston Everett Patronis Andrews Tallahassee Chipley Panama Defuniak City Springs Brett J. Cyphers Executive Director DISTRICT OFFICES Havana (Headquarters) DeFuniak Springs Youngstown Milton For additional information, write or call: Northwest Florida Water Management District 81 Water Management Drive Havana, Florida 32333-4712 (850) 539-5999 www.nwfwater.com 2 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. 6 LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................... 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 11 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 16 1.1 OBJECTIVE ........................................................................................................................................... 17 1.2 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................................... 17 1.3 CONCEPTUAL APPROACH ....................................................................................................................... 18 1.3.1 Study Area ................................................................................................................................ 19 1.3.2 Wakulla River Watershed ......................................................................................................... 19 1.3.3 Physiography ............................................................................................................................ 21 1.3.4 Land Use, Population, and Structural Alterations .................................................................... 23 1.4 PRECIPITATION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….28 1.5 HYDROGEOLOGY…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....31 1.6 WATER QUALITY…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….35 1.6.1 Previous Investigations of Wakulla Spring Water Quality........................................................ 35 1.6.2 Wakulla River Basin Management Action Plan ........................................................................ 35 1.6.3 Wakulla Spring Water Quality Data Collection ........................................................................ 36 1.6.4 Trends in Wakulla Spring Nitrate Concentration ...................................................................... 37 1.6.5 Trends in Wakulla Spring Water Clarity ................................................................................... 39 1.6.6 Trends in Wakulla Spring Dissolved Oxygen and Specific Conductance ................................... 41 1.7 BIOLOGY……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….44 1.7.1 Vegetation ................................................................................................................................ 44 1.7.2 Soils ........................................................................................................................................... 48 1.7.3 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................................... 48 1.7.4 Recreation ................................................................................................................................ 57 2 HYDROLOGY………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….59 2.1 HYDROLOGIC SETTING……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..59 2.1.1 Wakulla Spring ......................................................................................................................... 61 2.1.2 Sally Ward Spring ..................................................................................................................... 61 2.1.3 McBride Slough and Associated Springs ................................................................................... 63 2.1.4 Additional Wakulla River Springs ............................................................................................. 63 3 2.1.5 Lower St. Marks River ............................................................................................................... 64 2.1.6 Spring Creek Spring Group ........................................................................................................ 64 2.2 HYDROLOGIC AND WATER QUALITY DATA COLLECTION…………………………………………………………………………..64 2.3 WAKULLA SPRING DISCHARGE MEASUREMENTS AND RECORD GAP FILLING………………………………………………..69 2.4 TRENDS IN WAKULLA SPRING DISCHARGE…………………………………………………………………………………………….72 2.5 ANALYSIS OF WAKULLA SPRING DISCHARGE INCREASES…………………………………………………………………………..74 2.6 TRENDS IN WAKULLA RIVER HYDRODYNAMICS……………………………………………………………………………………..76 2.7 POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF WAKULLA SPRING DISCHARGE INCREASES…………………………………………………….79 2.8 FLOWS MEASURED AT USGS STATION 02327022……………………………………………………………………………….80 2.9 GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS……………………………………………………………………………………………………….81 2.10 WAKULLA SPRING BASELINE TIME SERIES SELECTION…………………………………………………………………………..83 2.11 TIDAL INFLUENCE ON THE WAKULLA RIVER………………………………………………………………………………………..84 2.12 SALLY WARD SPRING DISCHARGE…………………………………………………………………………………………………….86 2.13 TRENDS IN SALLY WARD DISCHARGE AND SPRING RUN HYDRODYNAMICS………………………………………………..88 2.14 SALLY WARD BASELINE TIME-SERIES SELECTION…………………………………………………………………………………89 3 WATER RESOURCE VALUES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………90 3.1 RECREATION IN AND ON THE WATER………………………………………………………………………………………………….91 3.1.1 Safe Boat Passage .................................................................................................................... 91 3.2 FISH AND WILDLIFE HABITAT AND THE PASSAGE OF FISH………………………………………………………………………..92 3.2.1 Fish Passage ............................................................................................................................. 92 3.2.2 Manatee Passage and Thermal Refuge.................................................................................... 93 3.2.3 Instream Woody Habitat Inundation ....................................................................................... 94 3.2.4 Floodplain Vegetation Inundation ............................................................................................ 95 3.2.5 Other Fish and Wildlife Habitat Considerations ....................................................................... 95 3.3 ESTUARINE RESOURCES ......................................................................................................................... 96 3.3.1 Estuarine Habitats .................................................................................................................... 96 3.4 TRANSFER OF DETRITAL MATERIAL .......................................................................................................... 98 3.5 MAINTENANCE OF FRESHWATER STORAGE AND SUPPLY .............................................................................. 98 3.6 AESTHETIC AND SCENIC ATTRIBUTES ........................................................................................................ 98 3.7 FILTRATION AND ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS AND OTHER POLLUTANTS ........................................................ 99 3.8 SEDIMENT LOADS ................................................................................................................................. 99 3.9 WATER QUALITY .................................................................................................................................. 99 3.10 NAVIGATION ...................................................................................................................................... 100 3.11 SELECTION OF WATER RESOURCE VALUES .............................................................................................. 100 4 MODELS USED IN MINIMUM FLOW DETERMINATION…………………………………………………………………101 4.1 HEC-RAS MODEL DEVELOPMENT AND CALIBRATION ............................................................................... 101 4.2 ESTUARINE EFDC MODELING ............................................................................................................... 105 4.2.1 Model Development and Calibration ..................................................................................... 105 4.3 EFDC MODELING AND MANATEE THERMAL HABITAT EVALUATION (THERMAL MODEL) ................................ 110 4.3.1 Model Development and Calibration ..................................................................................... 111 4.4 CONSIDERATION OF INSTREAM HABITAT MODELS ...................................................................................
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