Santa Fe River and Springs Environmental Analysis Phase 2 – Quarterly Report #2: Environmental Data Prepared for Santa Fe River and Springs Scientific Working Group Date December 2018 Prepared by The Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute i Table of Contents Figures ................................................................................................................................... iv Tables .................................................................................................................................... vi Section 1.0 Introduction ............................. 1 Section 2.0 Methods .................................. 3 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Physical Environment ....................................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Underwater Light Transmission ............................................................................................. 8 2.2.2 Water Quality ............................................................................................................................ 9 2.2.3 Secchi Disk Visibility ................................................................................................................ 9 2.2.4 Stream Discharge .................................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Biology ............................................................................................................................10 2.3.1 Fish ........................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3.2 Plant Community Characterization ...................................................................................... 10 2.4 Ecosystem Level Monitoring ............................................................................................11 2.4.1 Ecosystem Metabolism ......................................................................................................... 11 2.4.2 Community Export .................................................................................................................. 13 Section 3.0 Results .................................. 14 3.1 Physical Environment ........................ 14 3.1.1 Underwater Light Transmission ....................................................................................14 3.1.2 Water Quality ................................................................................................................17 3.1.3 Dissolved Oxygen .........................................................................................................17 3.1.4 pH .................................................................................................................................21 3.1.5 Specific Conductance ...................................................................................................24 3.1.6 Water Temperature.......................................................................................................27 3.1.7 Discharge .....................................................................................................................30 3.1.8 Nitrate and Nitrite ..........................................................................................................31 3.1.9 Flow and Nitrate Period of Record ................................................................................34 3.1.9 Detailed Water Chemistry .............................................................................................40 3.1.10 Water Clarity ...............................................................................................................42 ii 3.2 Biology ............................................... 45 3.2.1 Fish ..............................................................................................................................45 3.2.2 Vegetation ....................................................................................................................46 3.3 Ecosystem Level Monitoring .............. 52 3.3.1 Metabolism ...................................................................................................................52 3.3.2 Particulate Export .........................................................................................................52 References ............................................... 53 Appendix A ............................................... 54 Detailed Water Chemistry ......................................................................................................54 Appendix B ............................................... 64 Ecosystem Metabolism Summary ..........................................................................................64 Appendix C .............................................. 89 Quarter 2 and 3 Fish Data .....................................................................................................89 Appendix D .............................................. 95 Quarter 3 Data .......................................................................................................................95 iii Table of Exhibits Figures Figure 1. Phase 2 Sampling Stations for the Santa Fe River and Springs Environmental Analysis2 Figure 2. Segments 1 and 2 Santa Fe River monitoring station locations .......................................... 4 Figure 3. Segment 3 Santa Fe River monitoring station locations ....................................................... 5 Figure 4. Lower Santa Fe River Segment 4 and the Ichetucknee monitoring station locations ...... 6 Figure 5. Underwater LI COR sensor used to measure PAR ............................................................... 8 Figure 6. Example estimation of ecosystem metabolism based on upstream-downstream dissolved oxygen data (from WSI 2007). .............................................................................................. 12 Figure 7. Community export estimation using a plankton net to capture suspended material and a flow meter to record volume sampled ............................................................................................... 13 Figure 8. PAR Diffuse Attenuation and Percent Transmittance measurements along the Santa Fe River (01 April to 30 September 2018) ................................................................................................... 15 Figure 9. PAR Diffuse Attenuation and Percent Transmittance measurements along the Ichetucknee River (01 April to 30 September 2018) ............................................................................ 16 Figure 10. Average dissolved oxygen measurements along segments one and two of the Santa Fe River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ..................................................................................................... 18 Figure 11. Average dissolved oxygen measurements along segment three of the Santa Fe River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 12. Average dissolved oxygen measurements along segment four of the Santa Fe River and the Ichetucknee (1 April to 30 September 2018) .................................................................................. 20 Figure 13. Average pH measurements along segments one and two of the Santa Fe River (1 April to 30 September 2018) .............................................................................................................................. 21 Figure 14. Average pH measurements along segment 3 of the Santa Fe River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ....................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 15. Average pH measurements along segment 4 of the Santa Fe River and the Ichetucknee River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ..................................................................................................... 23 Figure 16. Average specific conductance measurements along segments one and two of the Santa Fe River (1 April to 30 September 2018)................................................................................................ 24 Figure 17. Average specific conductance measurements along segment three of the Santa Fe River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ............................................................................................................... 25 Figure 18. Average specific conductance measurements along segment four of the Santa Fe River and the Ichetucknee River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ................................................................ 26 Figure 19. Average water temperature measurements along segments one and two (1 April to 30 September 2018) ....................................................................................................................................... 27 iv Figure 20. Average water temperature measurements along segment 3 (1 April to 30 September 2018) ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 21. Average water temperature measurements along segment four and the Ichetucknee River (1 April to 30 September 2018) ....................................................................................................