| TAMB |
Tamiami Canal Culverts - Surface Water |
Robert Stickler |
WQM |
prawlik |
02-OCT-1996 |
27-SEP-2007 |
The Water Conservation Area (WCA) Inflows and Outflows, and the Tamiami Bridge Culverts water quality monitoring programs encompasses an area of over
1,300 square miles of Everglades marsh that receive waters from a variety of land uses, such as; agricultural, native and improved pastures, and urban and rural communities. The water quality monitoring program provides a water quality and nutrient loading data base for,
1.Complying with monitoring requirements of the Everglades National Park (TENP) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the National Park Service, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD or District), and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE)
2.Implementing the Lake Okeechobee Technical Advisory Committee s (LOTAC) s recommendation for a comprehensive monitoring and research plan as described in the Department of Environmental Protection s Lake Okeechobee Monitoring and Research Plan
3.Determining long and short term trends necessary to identify the downstream impacts of LOTAC's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) implementation plan for the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and
4.Determining effectiveness of the implementation of basin management plans in reducing nutrient loadings to the WCA.
Water quality data are also used to establish nutrient budgets for the WCA. Monitoring of nutrients and other water quality parameters is important in the quantification of the effect of inflows on the ecology of the marsh. With the implementation of the SWIM Act, the data collected will be instrumental in evaluating downstream impacts of the Interim Action Plan and other possible management alternatives for the EAA. These data can indicate trends in the changes in water quality, allow for better management of the system, and monitor for environmental enhancement or degradation. Values that deviate significantly from established criteria may signal a concern requiring immediate attention. |
