The Blackwater River Watershed: Moving Toward a Sustainable Future - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Susanna Blair Geology Department Hollie Hall Soil and Water Science Department

The Blackwater River Watershed: Moving Toward a Sustainable Future

A Collaboration of the University of Florida’s Conservation Clinic and Adaptive Management of Water Resources IGERT

Outline

I. Introduction

• II. Adaptive Management
• III. Biophysical Characteristics
• IV. Ecology
• V. Land Cover
• VI. Stakeholders
• VII. Water Use
• VIII. Water Quality
• IX. Recommendations

• This presentation stems from an intensive review of existing information

including identification of:

• Stakeholders & their concerns
• Current & future land and water use
• Unique ecosystems
• Data quality & collection methodologies
• Florida water quality assessment status
• Today’s presentation focuses on:
• Changes occurring in the Blackwater Watershed
• Potential Water Quality Stressors
• Water Quality Sampling
• Management Recommendations

Introduction

Adaptive Management

Monitor the System Evaluate Management Effect Evaluate & Adapt the Plan Identify Management Goals Implement Management Plans

Stakeholder Input

Develop Management Plans

Blackwater River Watershed:

Geographic Area

• The geographic layout of the Blackwater

River watershed in relation to the states of Florida and Georgia including:

• Surface waters
• Riparian wetlands
• Today’s presentation focuses on:
• Data analysis of from the Florida portion
• f the watershed

Map made using data from FGDL, 2009

• Hydrology

– 3 main tributaries- Sweetwater Creek, Juniper Creek, and Coldwater Creek – USGS gauging station at Baker, Florida

• Flooding common occurrence
• ~7 drought stages over last 50 year

Blackwater River Watershed:

Geophysical Characteristics

• Geology

– Dominated by find to coarse grain quartz sand – Mineral resources include; oil, natural gas, sand, gravel, and clay – Sandy river banks have proved to management hurdle due to excessive sedimentation in the river

Blackwater River Watershed:

Geophysical Characteristics

http://www.floridaadventuring.com/blackwater-river.html http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/habitat/threats/urban

Blackwater River Watershed:

Black Water River Characteristics

Nutrient enrichment Increase in primary production Addition of

• rganic debris

Increased sedimentation Increased water temperature after cultivation Change in habitat

? ?

Septic Black water river- LOW D.O LOW pH LOW nutrients Silviculture Decrease in pH after cultivation Urban Runoff Decrease in D.O.

• Ecology

Blackwater River Watershed:

Geophysical Characteristics

Seepage Slope community in Blackwater State Forest Upland pine community in Blackwater State Forest Wet flatwoods community on Eglin- slash pine

Photos by Megan Brown

Fish Habitat

• The American Fisheries Society Endangered Species Committee has

categorized Vulnerable or Threatened fish species in the Blackwater River watershed

Blackwater River Watershed:

Geophysical Characteristics

Common Name Species Name AFS Categorization

Alabama Shad Alosa alabamae Threatened Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula Vulnerable Black Mouth Shiner Notropis melanostomus Threatened Blue Nose Shiner Pteronotropis welaka Vulnerable Florida Chub Macrhybopsis sp. cf. aestivalis Vulnerable Gulf Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhinchus desotoi Threatened Iron Color Shiner Notropis chalybaeus Vulnerable Striped Bass Morone saxatilis Vulnerable

Blackwater River Watershed:

Geophysical Characteristics

Fish Habitat

Current and historic fish habitat for vulnerable or threatened fish species

Current – green Historic – red

Land Cover 1995 Land Cover 2004

Blackwater River Watershed:

Land Cover Change

3 Largest Land Uses :

• Coniferous Plantations
• Cropland and Pastureland
• Forests Coniferous Upland

Data from FGDL (2009)

Blackwater River Watershed:

Land Cover Change

Dominant Land Cover Types:

Data from FGDL (2009)

Forest

Blackwater River Watershed:

Land Cover Change

Minor Land Cover Types:

Data from FGDL (2009)

• The general public who own the majority of the land in the

form of private land holdings and a state park (590 acres), a state forest (206,350 acres), a national forest and an air force base

• Natural resources

Economic - timber, sand, gravel, rangeland, Conservation/ tourism – ecotourism, recreation, and conservation, OFW , Florida Canoe Trail Blackwater River Watershed:

Stakeholders

• Designated Usage

Florida – Class III water body

Alabama – Fish and Wildlife usage

• Water Consumption

Florida – not well constrained Alabama – water use in 1995 (million gallons per day)

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Use

Blackwater River Watershed:

Potential Stressors to Water Quality

Potential sources of contamination to the Blackwater River:

• Permitted Point Discharges
• Nonpoint Sources of Pollution
• Road building
• Urban/storm water runoff
• Septic Systems
• Silviculture/Timber
• Sedimentation
• Nutrients
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Harmful Bacteria

Source: FLDEP Water Quality Assessment Report Nassau-St. Marys 2007

• Alabama
• According to the Alabama Management Plan for the Blackwater

River, from its source to the Florida-Georgia state line is not impaired and therefore has no established TMDL’s.

• Florida
• In 1998 Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

made a partial assessment of water quality in the 104 water body segments making up the Blackwater River watershed.

• In 1998 several Blackwater River water body segments were added to

the 303(d) List of Parameters of Concern.

• As of 2006 only about half assessed. Seven of the assessed are

impaired due to fecal coliform and Mercury.

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality

In 2001 T.M.D.Ls were established for fecal coliforms in 7 water bodies; Downstream Segment, Big Cold Water Creek, Big Juniper Creek, Blackwater River, East Fork Big Cold Water Creek, Manning Creek, and West Fork Big Cold Water Creek. The T.M.D.L. concentration for fecal coliform is 200 colonies per 100ml of water, while the load of coliforms varies for each river segment.

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality (con’t)

Data source: FDEP 2007

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality Assessment Status

• Blackwater River = 104 water body segments
• Incomplete water quality assessment = 65 water body segments

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Point Sources

www.echo.epa.gov

Location of Waste Water and Hazardous Waste Permits around Milton

Permitted Point Sources of Pollution

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

Septic Systems

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• Improper maintenance or installation
• f septic tanks can result in the

discharge of bacteria, organic matter & nutrients into the environment.

• Collects & separates, partially

decomposes household sewage & wastewater before releasing it into the soil.

• Sandy soils such as those in the

Blackwater River watershed allow for rapid flow of waste through the soil.

• Hundreds of septic systems are

present in the watershed.

• Each of these systems is a potential

source of fecal coliforms.

• Data gathered from the

STORET database

• 6 F.D.E.P. sampling sites were

chosen on each of the main tributaries for long term data trends

• D.O., Phosphorous, Nitrogen,

Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids, Specific Conductivity, Fecal Coliforms, Entercoccus Group Bacteria Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

Florida Fish and Wildlife 1984 - 2000 Florida Department of Environmental Protection 1994 - 2009 Florida Lake Watch

Dissolved Oxygen

• The F.D.E.P. rule for

Class III waterways, is that DO should not be below 5 mg/L

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

Phosphorous

According the F.D.E.P. Criteria for Surface Water Quality water bodies must be protected from further enrichment if they have P concentrations less than 0.04 mg/L (40 ppb)

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

Nitrogen

According the F.D.E.P. Criteria for Surface Water Quality water bodies must be protected from further enrichment if they have nitrogen concentrations below 0.3 mg/l (300 ppb).

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

Total Suspended Solids <20 mg/L = clear >150 mg/L = dirty Why are there water body segments

• n planning list

for T.S.S.? Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

Fecal Coliforms

T.M.D.L = 200 counts/100ml

Blackwater River Watershed:

Water Quality – Non-Point Sources

• EPA Proposed Nutrient Criteria

– Criteria for instream values regionally based – Blackwater river in the Panhandle region

Blackwater River Watershed Water Quality:

EPA Proposed Rules

Blackwater River Watershed:

Sedimentation

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• Can cause the breakdown in the aquatic

food chain as sediment suffocates small

• rganisms living in the streambed and

decrease spawning areas due to sediment infilling.

• Natural rates of sedimentation disrupted

by historic anthropogenic activities.

• It is not known to what extent that

disruption is impacting the system today.

• Little information exists about base line or

individual reach sediment loads within the basin.

Blackwater River Watershed:

Woody Material

• Provides aquatic habitat, promotes bank stability, stores organic

material, and influences riffle pool sequence

• Historic logging in 1900’s floated logs down the river
• Deadhead logs are valuable
• Woody material has been and is currently being removed
• navigation
• bridge safety
• Understanding the importance and function of woody material is

crucial for understanding how to manage and restore the Blackwater River

• Hydrology
• Erosion and sedimentation
• geomorphology
• macroinvertebrate and fish assemblage

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Blackriver Watershed:

Initial Recommendations

• 1. Improve Seepage Slope Habitat
• 2. Improve Fish Habitat
• control anthropogenic sedimentation into the river
• limit development along river banks
• 3. Develop a water budget for the watershed
• 4. Improve and Maintain River & Stream Water Quality
• Complete stream segment assessments
• Institute appropriate buffers
• 5. Increase Stakeholder Involvement
• 6. Unify Management Across State Boundaries
• 7. Reduce Fecal Coliform levels in the river/ bay
• Establish buffer/ setbacks for septic tanks

Blackriver Watershed:

Initial Goals

Conservation/ Economic/ Tourism

• Re-open shell fishing waters
• Preventing continuing decline of fish populations

Water Quantity

• Development of a water budget
• Establish MFLs

Water Quality

• Reduce anthropogenic contributions of sediment to the river
• Delist fecal coliform impaired water segments
• Complete water quality assessment of water bodies
• Compliance status of current NPDES permits
• Limit land-use impacts

Political

• Watershed based coordination between political and geographic boundaries
• Unify management across jurisdictional boundaries

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Thank You!