LOWER SJR REPORT 2016 River Report State of the Lower 201620 St. Johns15 River Basin, Florida Water Quality Fisheries Aquatic Life Contaminants Prepared for: Environmental Protection Board, City of Jacksonville, Florida St. James Building, 117 West Duval Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202 By: University of NortH Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32224 Jacksonville University, 2800 University Blvd N., Jacksonville, Florida 32211 Cover image photographer: Michael J. Canella, courtesy of Daniel L. Schafer and www.unfedu.floridahistoryonline, digitally manipulated. LOWER SJR REPORT 2016 Preface The State of the River Report is the result of a collaborative effort of a team of academic researchers from Jacksonville University, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA, and Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL. The report was supported by the Environmental Protection Board of the City of Jacksonville and the River Branch Foundation. The purpose of the project is to review various previously collected data and literature about the river and to place it into a format that is informative and readable to the general public. The report consists of four parts – the website (http://www.sjrreport.com), the brochure, the full report, and an appendix. The brochure provides a brief summary of the status and trends of each item or indicator (i.e., water quality, fisheries, etc.) that was evaluated for the river. The full report and appendix were produced to provide more to those interested. In the development of these documents, many different sources of data were examined, including data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Johns River Water Management District, Fish and Wildlife Commission, City of Jacksonville, individual researchers, and others. The researchers reviewed data addressing many different aspects of the Lower St. Johns River. The most statistically rigorous and stringent research available was used to assemble the report. When a draft of all documents was produced, an extensive review process was undertaken to ensure accuracy, balance, and clarity. We are extremely grateful to the following scientists and interested parties who provided invaluable assistance in improving our document. Vince Seibold Maria Mark, Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation Betsy Deuerling City of Jacksonville Stephan Nix, University of North Florida (UNF) John Flowe, City of Jacksonville Kelly Smith, UNF Melissa Long, City of Jacksonville Dale Casamatta, UNF John Hendrickson, St. Johns River Water Management Robert Richardson, UNF District (SJRWMD) Maia McGuire, University of Florida Sea Grant John Higman, SJRWMD A. Quinton White, Jacksonville University (JU) Dean Dobberfuhl, SJRWMD Charles Jacoby, SJRWMD Teresa Monson, SJRWMD Ted Lange, FWRI Al Canepa, SJRWMD Douglas Adams, FWRI Derek Busby, SJRWMD Wayne Magley, DEP Russ Brodie, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Anita Nash, DEP Institute (FWRI) Kevin O’Donnell, DEP Tony DiGirolamo, FWRI Julie Espy, DEP Justin Solomon, FWRI Daryll Joyner, DEP Christopher Swanson, FWRI Donald Axelrad, DEP Lee Banks, Florida Department of Environmental Barbara Donner, DEP Protection (DEP) Kendra Goff, Florida Department of Health Patrick O’Connor, DEP Jan Landsberg, FWRI Lisa Rinaman, St. Johns River Riverkeeper Robert Storm Burks, SJRWMD Paul Steinbrecher, JEA Matthew Waters, Valdosta State University Ed Cordova, JEA Gary Weise Tiffany Busby, Wildwood Consulting Marcy Policastro, Wildwood Consulting Mike McManus, The Nature Conservancy Richard Bryant, National Park Service Mark Middlebrook, St. Johns River Alliance We have appreciated the opportunity to work with the environmental community to educate the public about the unique problems of the Lower St. Johns River, and the efforts that are under way to restore our river to a healthy ecosystem. ii LOWER SJR REPORT 2016 We would also like to thank the following undergraduate students for their contributions toward the development of this report: Laura Elston, JU Jingu Gene Kang, JU Samuel Dixie, JU Andrea Pertoso, UNF Bobbi Estabrook, JU Ryan Keith, JU Anthony Flock, JU Katie Anagnostou, UNF Jessica Fernquist, JU Rebecca Lucas, JU Sara Debellis, JU Sydney Payton, JU Jessica Goodman, JU Nicole Martin, JU Alexis Crouch, JU Julia Goodman, JU David Roueche, JU Keenan Carpenter, JU Julie Hammon, JU Logan Wood, JU Krystal Dannenhoffer, JU Leon Huderson, III, JU Jenna Manis, JU Emma Fowler, JU Sincerely, Gerry Pinto, Principal Investigator, JU Radha Pyati, Principal Investigator, UNF Nisse Goldberg, JU Peter Bacopoulos, UNF Anthony Ouellette, JU Brian Zoellner, UNF Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, Valdosta State University An-Phong Le, Florida Southern College Ray Oldakowski, author of Highlight section, “Survey Research on Behaviors and Opinions Regarding the St. Johns River and Related Duval County Waterways” Niki Spadaro, Technical Editor iii LOWER SJR REPORT 2016 Executive Summary The Ninth State of the River Report is a summary and analysis of the health of the Lower St. Johns River Basin (LSJRB) available at http://www.sjrreport.com. The Report addresses four main areas of river health: water quality; fisheries; aquatic life; and contaminants. This year’s assessment of the LSJRB shows positives and negatives as noted below. Over the years, some indicators have improved, others have worsened, and still others have remained unchanged. The trends of some indicators have improved: • Total nitrogen levels in the mainstem have declined. • Overall air emissions of toxic chemicals in the region are down. The trends of some indicators have worsened: • Salinity has gradually risen over the last two decades and is expected to continue its increase, with potential negative effects on submerged aquatic vegetation and the aquatic life that depends upon it. • Overall surface water discharges of toxic chemicals in the region have increased. • Nonnative species increased this year to 75 total species, and the spread of lionfish and Cuban treefrogs is of particular concern due to their impacts on the native ecosystem. The trends of many indicators are unchanged: • For dissolved oxygen, there was a change in water quality criterion. Although levels of DO remain largely unchanged over several years, these levels are considered satisfactory when using the new criterion based upon percent oxygen saturation. • Phosphorus levels in both mainstem and tributaries remain unsatisfactory. • Chlorophyll-a, an indicator of harmful algal blooms, continues to exhibit high levels, particularly in the saltwater reaches of the LSJR mainstem. However, recent years show possible improvements. • Fecal coliform levels remain above water quality criteria in many tributaries. • Submerged aquatic vegetation has experienced some very recent regrowth due to rainfall, but the long-term trend is uncertain. • Most finfish and invertebrate species are not in danger of overfishing, with the exception of channel and white catfish and Penaeid shrimp, which both have the potential to be overfished in the near future. • Threatened and endangered species are stable. • Wetlands continue to be lost to development pressures. This year’s Report contains a Highlight section by guest contributor Professor Ray Oldakowski of Jacksonville University on survey research about behaviors and opinions of area residents regarding the St. Johns River. The survey is ongoing, and current results are reported from a convenience sample of 373 individuals. Of this group, 70% had used a water access facility, such as a boat ramp or riverwalk, within the last month, and two-thirds felt that additional water access facilities were needed in Duval County. The full Report provides an in-depth look at many aspects of the LSJRB. Section 1 provides an overview of the Report and the basin and describes the basin’s landscape, human occupancy, and environmental management spanning the 1800s to early 2016. Section 2 describes water quality in terms of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, algal blooms, turbidity, fecal coliform, tributaries, and salinity. Section 3 addresses the state of the river’s finfish and invertebrate fisheries. Section 4 examines the condition of aquatic life, encompassing plants, animals, and wetlands. Section 5 discusses conditions and importance of contaminants in the LSJRB. These contaminants include air and water emissions of chemicals in the LSJRB, as reported to EPA Toxics Release Inventory; mercury, the subject of a new statewide reduction effort; metals, in both sediments and the water column; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; polychlorinated biphenyls; and pesticides. iv LOWER SJR REPORT 2016 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AEF American Eagle Foundation MRZ Mesohaline Riverine Zone AKA Also Known As MS4 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry NAP Non-Algal Particulates AWS Alternate Water Supply NAS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species BMAP Basin Management Action Plan NAS JAX Naval Air Station Jacksonville BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service CCA Chromated Copper Arsenate NOAA National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration CDC Center for Disease Control NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System CDOM Colored Dissolved Organic Material NRC National Research Council CFR Code of Federal Regulations NPS National Park Service COJ City of Jacksonville NTU Nephelometric Turbidity Units CSA Continental Shelf Associates PAHs Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons CWA Clean Water Act PCBs Polychlorinated