|
Primary Task Objective:
Quantify and assess the source, quality and impact of groundwater, sediment, and surface water on benthic and coastal habitats.
Description: Water quality has been and will remain the primary concern of Tampa Bay stakeholders as identified in the TBEP CCMP due to its critical control on the protection and preservation of habitats and life (including human) that they support. The CCMP, and reviews of water and seagrass goals (appendix 2) identify several water and sediment quality gaps addressed in Task 2. Primary issues include: identifying sources of groundwater flow into Tampa Bay; determining the quality of groundwater and the potential impact of groundwater flow on bay habitats; identifying and quantifying hot spots of sediment contamination and its impact on habitat preservation and restoration; and quantifying the impact of sediment resuspension, water circulation, and natural and anthropogenic flow alteration on benthic habitats.
The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County (EPCHC) and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) have an extensive monitoring program for surface water and sediment quality including nutrients and contaminants. Task 2 subtask objectives are coordinated closely with these agencies to complement their existing monitoring programs by providing missing information on organic contaminants (PAH’s etc.), organic carbon, sediment resuspension and transport, and sediment water interface processes.
We will map and quantify groundwater sources, flow into the bay, and groundwater quality. Seismic mapping from Task 1 performed through partnerships with Eckerd College and the University of South Florida will be coordinated with groundwater objectives to identify potential structural features that may serve as conduits for groundwater flow. Subsequent mapping of subsurface salinities (resistivity mapping) in the bay and coastal areas will identify subsurface freshened water masses and locations for groundwater and surface water investigations.
Correlations between water and sediment quality data, urbanization information, bathymetric and topographic data, and habitat distribution and health will provide the foundation for modeling historical, current, and future impacts of urbanization on water and sediment quality and the resulting impact on bay habitats. The U.S.G.S. will partner with the TBEP, U.S.A.C.E., SWFWMD, USF, FMRI, and Tampa Bay Water to develop and integrated model for Tampa Bay to assess bay-wide impacts from changes in circulation, sediment transport, and water quality. Modeling activities are described in detail in a subsequent section. Circulation and water quality monitoring subtasks, in addition to groundwater and sediment subtasks, will provide information for this modeling exercise.
Subtask Strategic Objectives: Nine subtask strategic objectives address three focus areas of research: 1) locating and quantifying groundwater, 2) mapping and quantifying sediment contaminants and resuspension, and 3) characterizing and modeling surface water quality and circulation.
|
