DEVELOPMENT OF MADISON BLUE SPRING-BASED MFL TECHNICAL REPORT SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES REPORT WR 03/04-05 CONTRACT NO. 02/03-333 AUGUST 6, 2004 Water Resource Associates, Inc. Engineering ~ Planning ~ Environmental Science 14502 N Dale Mabry Hwy. Suite 226 Phone: 813-265-3130 Fax: 813-265-6610 www.wraconsultants.com TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Statutory Requirements for Establishing MFLs ..................................................1-1 1.2 MFL Implementation...........................................................................................1-2 1.3 Goal for Madison Blue Springs MFL Establishment...........................................1-2 1.4 Objectives for Madison Blue Spring MFL Establishment....................................1-2 1.5 Public Participation in the MFL Establishment Process .....................................1-3 2.0 OVERVIEW OF BASIN..................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Geology and Geomorphology ............................................................................2-1 2.2.1 Geology ..................................................................................................2-1 2.2.2 Geomorphology ......................................................................................2-5 2.3 Hydrostratigraphy...............................................................................................2-7 2.3.1 Surficial Aquifer System (SAS)...............................................................2-7 2.3.2 Intermediate Aquifer System and Confining Unit (IAS)...........................2-7 2.3.3 Floridan Aquifer System (FAS)...............................................................2-8 2.4 Withlacoochee River Hydrology .......................................................................2-10 2.5 Karst Geology...................................................................................................2-11 2.6 Springs of the Withlacoochee River Corridor ...................................................2-12 2.6.1 Madison Blue Spring.............................................................................2-12 2.6.2 Other Springs........................................................................................2-18 2.6.3 Relative Contributions of the Springs to River Flow .............................2-19 2.7 Land Use..........................................................................................................2-20 3.0 HYDROLOGIC ANALYSES..........................................................................................3-1 3.1 Data....................................................................................................................3-1 3.1.1 Surface Water Data ................................................................................3-1 3.1.1.1 Madison Blue Spring Data..........................................................3-1 3.1.1.2 Streamflow Data.........................................................................3-2 3.1.2 Precipitation Data...................................................................................3-3 3.1.3 Ground Water Data.................................................................................3-4 3.1.3.1 Ground Water Levels..................................................................3-4 3.1.3.2 Ground Water Use......................................................................3-8 3.1.4 Summary................................................................................................3-8 3.2 Methods..............................................................................................................3-9 3.2.1 Simulating River Data.............................................................................3-9 3.2.1.1 Simulation of River Stage Data.................................................3-10 3.2.1.2 Simulating River Discharge Data..............................................3-10 3.2.2 Predicting Spring Discharge .................................................................3-11 3.2.3 Maintaining Flow Over Withlacoochee River Shoals............................3-12 3.2.3.1 HEC-RAS Modeling..................................................................3-12 3.2.3.2 Shoal Inundation vs. Spring Discharge.....................................3-13 3.2.4 Uncertainty Associated with Data Simulation .......................................3-13 3.2.5 MBS Basin Delineation.........................................................................3-14 3.3 Results and Discussion....................................................................................3-15 3.3.1 Simulation of River Data.......................................................................3-15 3.3.1.1 Simulation of River Stage Data.................................................3-16 3.3.1.2 Simulation of River Discharge Data ..........................................3-17 3.3.2 Predicting Spring Discharge .................................................................3-18 3.3.3 Maintaining Flow over Withlacoochee River Shoals.............................3-21 3.3.3.1 HEC-RAS Modeling..................................................................3-22 i 3.3.3.2 Shoal Inundation vs. Spring Discharge.....................................3-23 3.3.4 Madison Blue Spring Basin Study Area................................................3-24 4.0 ECOLOGICAL ANALYSES...........................................................................................4-1 4.1 Ecological Overview...........................................................................................4-1 4.2 Selection of Candidate Minimum Flows based on Physical Habitat availability, Biological Integrity, and Water Quality...............................4-12 4.3 Rationale for Applying Ecological Integrity Criteria...........................................4-12 4.4 Rational for Establishing Candidate Low Flow Minimum Flows for Madison Blue Spring.........................................................................4-15 4.5 Constraints.......................................................................................................4-16 4.6 Available Data..................................................................................................4-16 4.6.1 Estimated Flow at Lee ......................................................................................4-16 4.6.2 Surface Water Quality Data ..............................................................................4-17 4.6.3 Benthic Biological Data .....................................................................................4-18 4.6.4 Shoal Cross-section Data .................................................................................4-18 4.7 Data Analysis Methods.....................................................................................4-23 4.7.1 Flow and Water Quality.....................................................................................4-23 4.7.2 Flow and Benthic Biology..................................................................................4-24 4.7.3 Flow and Physical Habitat Availability ..............................................................4-26 4.7.4 Flow Duration Curve .........................................................................................4-29 4.8 Results.............................................................................................................4-30 4.8.1 Flow and Water Quality ........................................................................4-30 4.8.2 Flow and Benthic Biology .....................................................................4-31 4.8.3 Flow and Physical Habitat Availability ..................................................4-32 5.0 MFL DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................................5-1 5.1 Background........................................................................................................5-1 5.2 MBS Specific MFL Values..................................................................................5-2 5.3 Summary of F.A.C. 62-40.473 Value Evaluations..............................................5-2 5.4 Determination of a Recommended Minimum Flow.............................................5-7 5.5 Recommendations .............................................................................................5-8 6.0 LITERATURE CITED.....................................................................................................6-1 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1 Lithostratigraphic and Hydrostratigraphic Columns for the Study Area ..............................................................................................2-2 Table 2-2 Discharge and Proportion of Total Measured Discharge of Springs on the Withlacoochee River ...........................................2-17 Table 2-3 Discharge and Proportion of Total Measured Discharge Of Springs on the Withlacoochee River............................................................2-20 Table 3-1 Stage and discharge measurements available near Madison Blue Springs ........................................................................................3-2 Table