Brighton Reservation MonitoringAbstract: The primary purpose of Project BRM is to address the mandates specified above, particularly the agreement the SFWMD has with the tribes to address water quality issues. The Brighton Seminole Reservation has its own internal water quality-monitoring program. Project BRM was instituted because the Reservation began detecting spikes in the water coming off their land and it did not appear to be from any internal practices. Therefore, one goal of the project is to determine the source (s) of total phosphorous measured by the Tribe at monitoring stations in the primary and secondary canals of the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation. Another goal for this project involves investigating potential water quality changes within the reservation boundaries, in response to the integration of water supplies from Lake Okeechobee. Specific objectives include assessing the quality and quantity of water delivered to the reservation from Lake Okeechobee via pump stations G207 & G208, assessing the quality and quantity of water delivered to the reservation via the C-40 and C-41 canals, and assessing water sources entering and leaving the reservation.; Project Start Date: 05/23/2002
Lake Okeechobee Littoral ZoneAbstract: The purpose of OLIT is to gather baseline data for the development of management strategies and research objectives for Lake Okeechobee, estimate long-term phosphorus loading to Lake Okeechobee; identify trends in total phosphorus and other water quality variables that are indicators of the Lake's health over time; and provide a water quality database for: a. complying with monitoring requirements of the Lake Okeechobee Operating Permit #50-0679349 issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) b. determining effectiveness of the implementation of basin management plans in reducing nutrient loadings into the lake as specified in the Surface Water Improvement and Management Act of 1987 c. determining long and short-term trends necessary to identify potential problem areas in terms of water quality degradation, nutrient loadings, and tracking eutrophication of the lake d. applying eutrophication models to verify and refine the nutrient load targets for the lake and rank its trophic status. The primary focus of the OLIT Project's design is the estimation of long-term phosphorus loading to Lake Okeechobee and the identification of trends in total phosphorus and other water quality variables that are indicators of the Lake's health over time.; Project Start Date: 1996