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Water Quality in Southern Florida, Florida, 1996–98 / by Benjamin F

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Water Quality in Southern Florida, Florida, 1996–98 / by Benjamin F Water Quality in Southern Florida Florida, 1996–98 U.S. Department of the Interior Circular 1207 U.S. Geological Survey POINTS OF CONTACT AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The companion Web site for NAWQA summary reports: http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/ Southern Florida contact and Web site: National NAWQA Program: USGS State Representative: Carl Goodwin Chief, NAWQA Program U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division Water Resources Division 227 N. Bronough St., Suite 3015 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, M.S. 413 Tallahassee, FL 32301 Reston, VA 20192 state rep fl@usgs.gov http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/ http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/nawqa/ Other NAWQA summary reports River Basin Assessments Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Basin (Circular 1157) Puget Sound Basin (Circular 1216) Allegheny and Monongahela River Basins (Circular 1202) Red River of the North Basin (Circular 1169) Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (Circular 1164) Rio Grande Valley (Circular 1162) Central Arizona Basins (Circular 1213) Sacramento River Basin (Circular 1215) Central Columbia Plateau (Circular 1144) San Joaquin-Tulare Basins (Circular 1159) Central Nebraska Basins (Circular 1163) Santee River Basin and Coastal Drainages (Circular 1206) Connecticut, Housatonic and Thames River Basins (Circular 1155) South-Central Texas (Circular 1212) Eastern Iowa Basins (Circular 1210) South Platte River Basin (Circular 1167) Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain (Circular 1151) Trinity River Basin (Circular 1171) Hudson River Basin (Circular 1165) Upper Colorado River Basin (Circular 1214) Kanawha-New River Basins (Circular 1204) Upper Mississippi River Basin (Circular 1211) Lake Erie-Lake Saint Clair Drainages (Circular 1203) Upper Snake River Basin (Circular 1160) Las Vegas Valley Area and the Carson and Truckee River Basins Upper Tennessee River Basin (Circular 1205) (Circular 1170) Western Lake Michigan Drainages (Circular 1156) Lower Illinois River Basin (Circular 1209) White River Basin (Circular 1150) Long Island-New Jersey Coastal Drainages (Circular 1201) Willamette Basin (Circular 1161) Lower Susquehanna River Basin (Circular 1168) Mississippi Embayment (Circular 1208) National Assessments Ozark Plateaus (Circular 1158) The Quality of Our Nation‘s Waters—Nutrients and Pesticides (Circular 1225) Potomac River Basin (Circular 1166) Front cover: Everglades National Park (photograph by Benjamin F. McPherson). Back cover: Left, Southern Everglades C-111 agricultural basin, irrigation of crops; center, Northern Everglades, slough and tree islands; right, areal view of Miami (photographs by Benjamin F. McPherson). Water Quality in Southern Florida Florida,1996–98 By Benjamin F. McPherson, Ronald L. Miller, Kim H. Haag, and Anne Bradner U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 1207 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Charles G. Groat, Director The use of firm, trade, and brand names in this report is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Government. 2000 Free on application to the U.S. Geological Survey Information Services Box 25286 Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 Or call: 1-888-ASK-USGS Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data Water quality in Southern Florida, Florida, 1996–98 / by Benjamin F. McPherson…[et al.]. p. cm. -- (U.S. Geological Survey Circular ; 1207) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-607-95413-2 (alk. paper) 1. Water quality--Florida--Everglades. 2. Watersheds--Florida. I. McPherson, Benjamin F. II. Geological Survey (U.S.) III. Series. TD224.F6 W3723 2000 363.739’42’0975939--dc21 00-049463 CONTENTS NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM ............................................................... IV SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS.................................................................................................... 1 Surface-Water Highlights .............................................................................................................. 1 Ground-Water Highlights .............................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA NAWQA STUDY UNIT ........................................ 3 Rainfall .......................................................................................................................................... 6 MAJOR FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................. 7 Nutrient enrichment is prevalent in surface water ......................................................................... 7 NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—Nutrient concentrations vary widely in southern Florida and the Nation............................................................................................................................ 7 Nutrient concentrations in ground water are highly variable ......................................................... 9 Dissolved organic carbon concentrations are often high .............................................................. 9 Pesticides are present in most surface-water samples................................................................. 10 NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—Pesticide detections vary with land use in southern Florida and the Nation............................................................................................................................ 11 Regional patterns of pesticides, VOCs and trace elements are evident in ground water ............. 12 NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—What combinations of pesticides occur most frequently in southern Florida and the Nation?........................................................................................... 13 Pesticides, PCBs, other organics and trace elements have accumulated in bottom sediment and fish ...................................................................................................................... 15 Mercury is a contaminant in the Southern Florida Study Unit ...................................................... 16 Biological communities are influenced by water quality................................................................ 18 NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—Southern Florida aquatic communities in a national context ......... 20 Exotic species are a threat to native biota .................................................................................... 21 STUDY UNIT DESIGN........................................................................................................................ 22 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................................ 24 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 25 APPENDIX A—WATER-QUALITY DATA FROM SOUTHERN FLORIDA IN A NATIONAL CONTEXT............................................................................................................... 27 Contents III NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM THIS REPORT summarizes major findings about water quality in the southern Florida area studied by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program between 1996 and 1998. Water quality is discussed in terms of local and regional issues and compared to conditions found in all 36 NAWQA study areas, called Study Units, assessed to date. Findings also are explained in the context of selected national benchmarks, such as those for drinking-water quality and the protection of aquatic organisms. The NAWQA Program was not intended to assess the quality of the Nation’s drinking water, such as by monitoring water from household taps. Rather, the assessments focus on the quality of the resource itself, thereby complementing many ongoing Federal, State, and local drinking-water monitoring programs. The comparisons made in this report to drinking-water standards and guidelines are only in the context of the available untreated resource. Finally, this report includes information about the status of aquatic communities and the condition of stream habitats as elements of a complete water-quality assessment. Many topics covered in this report reflect the concerns of officials of State and Federal agencies, water-resource managers, and members of stakeholder groups who provided advice and input during the Southern Florida assessment. Basin residents who wish to know more about water quality in the areas where they live will find this report informative as well. NAWQA Study Units Assessment Schedule 1991_95 1994_98 1997_2001 Not Yet Scheduled Southern Florida High Plains Regional Ground Water Study, NAWQA Study Unit 1999_2004 THE NAWQA PROGRAM seeks to improve scientific and public understanding of water quality in the Nation’s major river basins and ground-water systems. Better understanding facilitates effective resource management, accurate identification of water-quality priorities, and successful development of strategies that protect and restore water quality. Guided by a nationally consistent study design and shaped by ongoing communication with local, State, and Federal agencies, NAWQA assessments support the investigation of local issues and trends while providing a firm foundation for understanding water quality at regional and national scales. The ability to integrate local and national scales of data collection and analysis is a unique feature of the USGS NAWQA Program. The southern Florida area
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