The SFWMD has collected phosphorus concentration and flow data in the C-139 basin since Water Year (WY) 2006 that needed to be analyzed to evaluate phosphorus sources, transport, and cycling in the basin.
The specific objectives of this project were:
| • | Evaluate phosphorus sources, transport, and cycling throughout the C-139 Basin through water quality data analysis based on data collected from May 1, 2005 to April 30, 2009; , which represent water years 2006 through 2009 |
| • | Recommend optimization of the monitoring programs with justification (e.g., constituents, frequency, location, new grab locations, new permanent stations, discontinuing grab locations); |
| • | Provide ideas to support adaptive management for implementation of the regulatory source control program (BMP research and demonstration), supplementary initiatives (e.g., BMP grants), or for regional projects. |
The above objectives were achieved by a systematic approach or methodology that was designed to ensure completeness of the analyses and resulting conclusions to meet District needs.
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The purpose of the Dairy Best Available Technology project was to identify, select, monitor, and oversee the implementation of best available technologies (BATs) that will significantly reduce the export of phosphorus (P) from dairy operations into Lake Okeechobee and its tributaries. This project will result in the unbiased identification, selection, implementation, and monitoring of Best Available Technologies (BATs) that will significantly reduce P export from dairy operations into Lake Okeechobee and its tributaries and bring about the most substantial improvements in water quality in the shortest amount of time possible, while minimizing project costs and detrimental socio-economic impacts to the local region. The project included a detailed literature review of available technologies, ranking and selection process for participating dairies, selection of design firms, public workshops, design and construction oversight, system monitoring, and final system evaluation.
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The project was initiated in Nov. 2000 and ultimately resulted in four separate edge of farm treatment systems being designed, constructed and evaluated for phosphorus removal efficiencies. Based on the literature review and technical review of identified alternative technologies, stormwater retention with associated water reuse and chemical treatment of any excess water passing through the retention pond was selected at the most promising technology.
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Multi-agency groups, including the Florida Department of Consumer Services (FDACS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services (UF/IFAS), and growers, have developed agricultural Best Management Practices (BMP) for the major commodities or crops in Florida. The resulting manuals are very useful for describing and providing selection criteria for implementing BMPs. However, the manuals do not provide quantitative estimates for the actual constituent reductions that will result from BMP implementation.
A literature review was conducted to determine what research has been done in the area of BMPs
focusing on Florida and its many agricultural land uses. The review was performed by conducting literature searches from various periodical databases, using an assortment of keywords that were matched, combined and cross-referenced in various permutations. Once relevant articles were located, electronic copies were downloaded and archived in a
computer database. All of the articles (over 600) returned through the keyword searches were compared for
suitability and relevance to the objectives of this study. In most cases, the BMP effectiveness values were not directly available in the technical literature and therefore required professional judgment to synthesis the pieces of related information into actual effectiveness values.
Completing this literature review reinforced the fact that we are still woefully short of detailed BMP effectiveness data and therefore professional judgment will be required for sometime yet to provide these values for many of our BMPs.
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This study evaluated water quality impacts from various fertility practices on flatwood pastures. The field study area is located in a stargrass beef pasture on the Williamson Cattle Company’s property north of Okeechobee, Florida. The field experiments were conducted on thirty-two field plots that were set up during February, March, and April of 1999 to study the ground water and surface water quality as influenced by the phosphorus fertility and amendment trails, see Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows the field plot layout for the study with the location of the surface water samplers (paddlewheel) and shallow (above spodosol layer ~30”) and deep (below spodosol layer ~66”) ground water wells. Each of the plots has shallow berms around them to force its surface runoff through the paddlewheel sampler. The wells and field plots were completed in March 1999 while the paddlewheels samplers were installed in late April 1999. An automated weather station was also installed on April 26, 1999 and has provided data continuously since then except for a five day period during May 1999.
The field data were used to calibrate and verify the use of the EAAMOD model. The model was successfully applied to the fertility treatments. Only these treatments were simulated because the model currently does not handle soil amendments. The modeling setup and results are presented in this report.
Based on the findings the IFAS fertility recommendations for phosphorus on Flatwood soils were reduced.
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The objective of this project was to study phosphorus dynamics, and develop phosphorus retention/assimilation algorithms for the Lake Okeechobee watershed flow network. The newly developed algorithms were validated using data collected from previous studies and literature review. Research findings from this project were used to re-evaluate phosphorus concentration limitations for land parcels within the watershed. The new assimilation algorithms will be helpful in future assessments of land use changes and BMP implementation programs' influence on P loadings entering Lake Okeechobee.
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SWET conducted a technical assessment of eight dairy sites that were found to be significantly over the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) discharge standard of 1.2 mg/l P. SWET met on several occasions with the dairyman at each dairy and conducted tests to determine the source of the high phosphorus and then developed recommendations for mitigating the problem and to bring dairies into compliance. Comprehensive reports with suggested BMPs were developed for each problem or “hot spot” dairy location. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection later adapted these recommendations as part of dairies’ permit requirements when they came up from renewal. SWET continued to work with two of the dairymen after the completion of the District contract.
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