Integrated Report

FINAL
Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida:
2016 Sections 303(d), 305(b), and 314 Report and Listing Update

Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

June 2016

2600 Blair Stone Rd.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400

FINAL 2016 Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida, June 2016

This Page Intentionally Blank.

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Letter to Floridians

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Acknowledgments

This document was prepared by staff in the following divisions and offices of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration

− Bureau of Laboratories:

Biology Section

− Water Quality Standards Program:

Standards Development Section Aquatic Ecology and Quality Assurance Section

− Water Quality Assessment Program:

Watershed Assessment Section Watershed Monitoring Section

− Water Quality Evaluation and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Program:

Ground Water Management Section Watershed Evaluation and TMDL Section

− Water Quality Restoration Program:

Nonpoint Source Management Section Watershed Planning and Coordination Section

Division of Water Resource Management

− Domestic Wastewater Program − Industrial Wastewater Program − State Revolving Fund Program − Engineering, Hydrology, and Geology Program − Submerged Lands and Environmental Resources Coordination Program − Water Compliance Assurance Program

Office of Water Policy Office of Intergovernmental Programs

In addition, DEP thanks staff at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Health, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for their valuable help in updating sections of this report, and the Southwest, Suwannee River, and St. Johns River Water Management Districts for reviewing the report.

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Table of Contents

L ETTER TO F LORIDIANS..............................................................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................................................................3 LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS...............................................................................................14 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..............................................................................................................................20
Purpose and Contents.......................................................................................................................20 Summary of Statewide Status and Trend Monitoring Results for Surface and Ground Water ...................................................................................................................................21

Summary of Water Quality Standards Attainment for Assessed Rivers/Streams, Lakes, Estuaries, Coastal Waters, and Beaches.............................................................................22 Summary of Ground Water Monitoring Results...........................................................................22 Ongoing and New Issues and Initiatives.........................................................................................23

C HAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................25
Purpose ..............................................................................................................................................25 Federal Assessment and Reporting Requirements........................................................................25 Florida’s Integrated Approach to Monitoring and Assessment...................................................26 Integrating the Federal Requirements into Florida’s Watershed Management Approach ...........................................................................................................................................28

The EPA Consent Decree .................................................................................................................29 The New EPA 303(d) Long-Term Vision........................................................................................30

Future Prioritization, 2016 to 2022 .........................................................................................30

Implementation of Numeric Nutrient Criteria (NNC)..................................................................32 Probabilistic Monitoring ..................................................................................................................32

C HAPTER 2: BACKGROUND I NFORMATION ..............................................................................................33
Overview ............................................................................................................................................33

Population ................................................................................................................................35 Climate......................................................................................................................................35 Physical Setting ........................................................................................................................36

Surface Water and Ground Water Resources ...............................................................................39

Streams and Rivers...................................................................................................................39 Lakes .........................................................................................................................................40 Estuaries and Coastal Waters ..................................................................................................41 Wetlands ...................................................................................................................................42 Aquifers and Springs................................................................................................................43

Hydrogeology ....................................................................................................................................44

Ground Water...........................................................................................................................44 Surface Water–Ground Water Interactions............................................................................45

C HAPTER 3: ISSUES OF E NVIRONMENTAL I NTEREST AND W ATER Q UALITY I NITIATIVES ....................46

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Algal Growth in Springs ..................................................................................................................46 Chemical Wastewater Tracers To Identify Pollutant Sources .....................................................46 Florida Water Resources Monitoring Council Projects................................................................48 Low-Impact Development (LID) Projects and Practices ..............................................................50 Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) ...................................................................................50 Microbial Source Tracking (MST) Implementation .....................................................................52 Nitrogen Source Inventory and Loading Tool (NSILT) for Nutrient-Impaired Springs ...............................................................................................................................................53 Numeric Nutrient Criteria (NNC) Implementation To Address Nutrient Enrichment.............54 Pesticide Testing in Surface Waters and Spring Waters ..............................................................57 Reduction of Potential Fertilizer Impacts ......................................................................................57 South Florida Canal Aquatic Life Study ........................................................................................59 Triennial Review of Florida’s Water Quality Standards..............................................................60 Increased Water Quality Modeling Coordination between DEP and the WMDs......................61

C HAPTER 4: OVERVIEW OF W ATER P ROTECTION AND R ESTORATION P ROGRAMS ..............................64
Florida Water Resource Management Programs..........................................................................64 Overview of Surface Water Monitoring Programs .......................................................................65

Watershed-Based Monitoring and Reporting .........................................................................65

Overview of Surface Water Protection Programs .........................................................................67

Water Quality Standards (WQS) Program..............................................................................67 Watershed Assessment Program..............................................................................................69 Surface Water Improvement and Management Program ......................................................74 Point Source Control Program ................................................................................................76 Nonpoint Source Management Program ................................................................................78

Wetlands Program............................................................................................................................88

Wetlands Inventory and Wetlands Protection.........................................................................88 Historical Wetlands Coverage in Florida................................................................................88 Development of Wetlands Water Quality Standards...............................................................89 Wetlands Management and Protection ...................................................................................89 Integrity of Wetlands Resources ..............................................................................................94

C HAPTER 5: STATEWIDE P ROBABILISTIC AND T REND A SSESSMENTS, 2012–14 ....................................97
Background .......................................................................................................................................97 Water Resources Monitored ............................................................................................................97 Summary of Status Network Surface Water Results ....................................................................98

Introduction..............................................................................................................................98 Results for Rivers, Streams, Canals, Large Lakes, and Small Lakes ..................................103 Sediment Quality Evaluation .................................................................................................114 Discussion of Rivers, Streams, Canals, Large Lakes, and Small Lakes..............................119

Summary of Status Network Ground Water Results..................................................................120

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Discussion of Confined and Unconfined Aquifers ...............................................................126

Summary of Surface and Ground Water Trend Network Results ............................................126

Overview .................................................................................................................................126 Surface Water Trends ............................................................................................................126 Ground Water Trends ............................................................................................................140

C HAPTER 6: OVERVIEW OF S TRATEGIC M ONITORING AND A SSESSMENT M ETHODOLOGY FOR

S URFACE W ATERS...........................................................................................................166
Assessment Methodology: The IWR.............................................................................................166 The Watershed Management Approach ......................................................................................167 Implementation of the TMDL Program under the Rotating Basin Approach .........................168

Assessment Periods for the Planning and Verified List Assessments..................................169 Determination of Use Support ...............................................................................................169 Public Participation in the Process .......................................................................................172 Data Management ..................................................................................................................174 Tracking Improvements through Time .................................................................................180

C HAPTER 7: RESULTS FOR D ESIGNATED U SE S UPPORT IN S URFACE W ATERS ....................................181
303(d) Listed Waters ......................................................................................................................183

Causes of Impairment ............................................................................................................183 Assessment Results.................................................................................................................184 Impairment Summary ............................................................................................................189

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