Some things change…
And some things stay about the same….
Today, I was looking though my family library of photos and saw one from 2005, the year Ed and I got married.
“Boy we looked young,” I thought…”We have really changed…”
Then I noticed these SFWMD nutrient loading maps in the same file, as they were “published” in 2005 as well. These awesome maps were shared by SFWMD’s Boyd Gunsalus, such a helpful and smart person when it comes to water.
These SFWMD maps were very helpful to me when I was first learning about phosphorous and nitrogen loading by basins and Lake Okeechobee. The lake’s cumulative pollution is even higher than the different canals/basins. I would bet these numbers have not changed much. The state’s approach with BMAPS and TMDL’s is to be appreciated but just too slow.
Well, Ed and I have clearly aged and changed… but the maps–I bet if they made new ones for 2005-2016, the numbers would look about the same. I can’t say I’m envious. We are meant to change. To get better.
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Maybe a scientist will chime in and let me know???
“Change”as they say, is the one constant. You both look very happy and content.
As for the BMAPS and TMDL’s, is it any wonder our estuary is so polluted! I’d much rather see these maps printed full page in the Stuart News. At least these tell the truth!
Funny, I am pretty sure my nutrient load has changed as well.
Baited —lured in and manipulated. It is so obvious to me. I guess I was taught how our state government works at a young age. Phosphorus is required for all living things. our lagoon used to glow at night from all the phosphorus.The one thing that is missing is all the calcium. Put it back and you can still save some of the creatures that are about to go exstinct from having their environment changed. It would not hurt to apologize to the farmers and the taxpayers for letting the state government use you as a tool to waist billions of Their dollars.
I once worked for a guy who led a small crew. One day I asked him why he had not moved up in the company because in was obvious he was very qualified. He looked me in the eye and said—BECAUSE I WILL NOT LIE UNDER OATH. It is obvious no scientist are going to ‘chime in’ because what I have been saying is the truth, Not a well thought out lie like people have been told for many years
Hi Jacqui,
I’ll send the charts and table in an e-mail to you.
When you compare flows and nutrient loads across two different time periods, you need to look at how the underlying environmental conditions have changed. The source of the data on the graphic that Boyd gave to you was the 2009 St. Lucie River Watershed Protection Plan and covered the 11-year period from January 1, 1995 – December 31, 2005. That 11-year period had an extreme of hydrologic conditions – multiple hurricanes, a regional drought and periods of exceptionally high Lake releases with resulting ecological and economic impacts to the river, estuary and lagoon.
As you might imagine, the major determinant of runoff to the River is rainfall, and the average annual rainfall for the 1995-2005 period was 64 inches. By contrast, the average annual rainfall since 2005 has been only 49 inches – a reduction of 15 inches (23%). Hence you would expect runoff and nutrient loads to the River to be reduced from the 1995-2005 average values – and they have.
It is important to distinguish measured values from estimated values on the chart. Flows and nutrient loads for the C-44, C-23, C-24 and from Lake Okeechobee are measured at the major water control structures. Flow is not measured for the other tributaries due to the complexity of estimating flow at locations that are significantly influenced by tidal fluctuations. In these basins, flow and nutrient loads for Basins 4-5-6, North Fork and Tidal St. Lucie were estimated based on a regional computer model . The SFWMD estimated that the flow from these Coastal Tributaries amounted to approximately 43% of the measured flows from the adjacent C-23, C-24 and C-44 Canal basins. Similarly, the SFWMD estimated the phosphorus and nitrogen loads from these Coastal tributaries amounted to 34% and 32%, respectively, of the measured loads from the adjacent basins.
Flow and water quality monitoring has been added to the water control structure on Ten Mile Creek, one of the contributing flows into the North Fork, and now measured values can be used for that tributary. Also, the SFWMD now uses different maps to reflect the different basins, so we can’t use the map that Boyd did. I’ll work on an updated graphic, but in the mea time I’ll use tables and bar charts.
Table 1 and Figure 2 present a comparison of the flows and nutrient levels entering the St. Lucie River and Estuary for the 1995-2005 period and the 2006-2015 period. Because the underlying rainfall was so different, the resulting flows and loads are hard to compare. In these situations you could look at how the nutrient concentrations have changed, and those concentrations are also shown in Table 1. You’ll notice that some concentrations increased while others decreased. Table 1 also compares the nutrient levels of the recent time period with the State-approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). You’ll note that while progress has been made for some parameters in some basins, all basins will need additional reductions in both phosphorus and nitrogen. That basic conclusion is shown in Figures 2 and 3, in sharp contrast with the misleading conclusion presented by the State in their BMAP Progress Report (FDEP 2015).
Additional details can be found in the Technical Support Document for the St. Lucie River Watershed at http://www.garygoforth.net/TSD%20for%20SLRW%20-%2012%2018%202013.pdf
The truth is our lagoon could once again feed millions of creatures and their familys and become a safety net for millions of people to feed themselves and their familys but there are those who have no problem lieing to say otherwise. Our lagoon used to glow at night from the phosphorus—phosphorus is essential for ALL life. remove the phosphorus and you remove the life.