Craig Tepper (Seminole Tribe of Florida) Tim Bechtel (SFWMD)
Three flow sites have been located at critical water delivery points to Tribal Lands for which information was previously lacking (program reduced to two sites in FY 2000 when the Miccosukee Tribe ended their cooperative agreement). The most significant aspect of the work is related to establishing a main channel hydro-period baseline for flow and nutrient loads for L-28 Interceptor and L-28 canal flows for inclusion in the Decompartmentalization Project Delivery Team (PDT) currently under consideration. An externally funded USGS/SFWMD ancillary Open File Report product entitled Feasibility of Estimating Constituent Concentrations and Loads Based on Data Recorded by Acoustic Instrumentation was published as OFR 02-285 during the 2002 water year. USGS flow and Seminole Tribe of Florida nutrient data were both utilized from the L-28IN site for this independently funded product. Continuous records of discharge have been computed by the USGS and published in SFWMD/Seminole Indian Tribe data reports. This data has been routinely presented to the Seminole Working Group for review and evaluation and this processing detail continues on a semiannual basis for compliance to the Everglades Forever Act. Protocols for handling event driven flow weighted nutrient data collection and analysis have been possible only due to synergies created by combining the three funding group’s resources. This effort has resulted in establishing a template for other CERP related efforts for TMDL monitoring using emerging acoustic real-time flow-weighting technologies. An ancillary product is refinement of a flow and nutrient baseline required prior to development for CERP canal rerouting of the L-28 Interceptor Canal.
The implementation of strategically located stream flow gaging points and associated data collection for nutrients has helped define future surface-water flow requirements and has provided valuable baseline flow data prior to the establishment of the recently constructed northern Storm Treatment Areas (STA’s 5 and 6) and the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area. Generating continuous flow data at selected impact points for interior basins has complemented the existing eastern coastal canal discharge network, and has allowed for more accurately timed surface-water releases while providing flow and nutrient monitoring after recent STA implementation. A unique multi-agency experiment was conducted with much success with the focus on cooperation and development of new instrumentation and acoustic flow-weight auto-sampler protocols. The original data collection and processing was provided by three separate entities at each site with responsibilities originally allocated between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and SFWMD. USGS provides calibration, analysis and processing of acoustic velocity meters (AVM’s) and side-looking Doppler systems and stage shaft encoders, SFWMD provides data loggers with real-time flow-weighted algorithms, and radio frequency (RF) telemetry instrumentation. The Seminole Tribe provides auto-sampler service and funds nutrient load analysis through the USGS Ocala Lab.
Suite 107
The implementation of strategically located streamflow gaging points and associated data collection for nutrients helped define future surface-water flow requirements and provided valuable baseline data prior to the establishment of the recently implemented northern Storm Treatment Areas (STA's 5 and 6) and the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area. Generating continuous flow data at selected impact points for interior basins complemented the existing eastern canal discharge network, and allowed for more accurately timed surface-water releases while providing flow and nutrient monitoring after recent STA implementation.
A new acoustic side-looking Doppler velocity indexing system was installed at the L-28 IN site (L-28 Interceptor Canal), and data collected in tandem with the existing AVM velocity indexing system for the six month period which followed. This test along with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP) calibration effort produced a new flow-rating resulting in a much more accurate and reliable total and instantaneous flow computation. Quality assurance has been, and continues to be, refined to better quantify mass balance for flows and nutrients to both reservations and WCA 3A.
Calibration and analysis of stage of flow data at two sites. Velocity rating refinement will continue as well as calibration of both the travel-time Acoustic Velocity Meter system at the L-28U site and the side-looking Doppler acoustic system at the L-28IN site. This task is to monitor telemetered velocities and channel area so real-time auto-sampler flow-weighted nutrient load volume triggers are maintained. Provisional discharges will continue to be analyzed and processed and forwarded to the Seminole/SFWMD Working Group. Final quality assured water-level and flow to be published annually in the publication, Water Resource Data, Florida, Volume 2A.
Suite 107
Suite 107
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for
Coastal Geology
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