Non-point water quality impacts on northern west coast inland navigation district waters. Final report on data and analyses.

Abstract

The West Coast Inland Navigation District Waters (WCIND) extends from Manatee River south to Lemon Bay, in Florida. This body of water was granted the Outstanding Florida Waters (OFW) status by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation. This designation required a water quality analysis as part of the establishment of key policies. This report describes a study in support of this to characterize the existing water quality of these waters in the immediate vicinity of tributaries and canals contributing non-point source loads to OFW waters. The study was designed to only define existing water quality and to monitor the long-term impacts of storm events. Parameters examined included physical, chemical and biological categories. The second portion of the study included the analysis of sediments for the assessment of long term or chronic pollution climates. The results of this study are described.