Project Proposal for 1998

Program: FRAGILE ENVIRONMENTS
Project Title: Internal Surface-Water Flows
Location of Study Area: SOUTH FLORIDA
Project Start Date: OCTOBER 1995
Project End Date: SEPTEMBER 1999(under extension request)
Project Number: 4598-62000
Project Chief: Mitch Murray
Region/Division/Team/Section: Southeast/WRD/FL District/Miami Subdistrict
E-mail:mmurray@usgs.gov
Phone: FTS 305-526-2895
Fax: FAX 305-526-2881
Mailing Address:
9100 NW 36 St., Miami, Fl., 33178
Commercial 305-594-0655
Program Element(s)/Task(s)
Element: Element 4-ECOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Task: TASK 4.3-INTERNAL SURFACE-WATER FLOWS
Panel:
Collaborators, Clients:
During the duration of the project close collaboration and exchange of technical information will be maintained with SFWMD personnel operating telemetry at three of the five sites. SFWMD data from AVM sites located directly upstream of the USGS sites will be compared routinely. These sites will be used in a quality assurance effort to maintain mass balance information with downstream USGS sites. The USGS will facilitate coordination of instrumentation troubleshooting and streamflow quality assurance at the multi-agency sites. The USGS will also assist both Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes in verifying data logger totaled flows which will be utilized in quality assuring flow weighted autosampler totals. The USGS will also help train the two Tribes to access telemetric data through either ADAPS or the World Wide Web. Logistical support for pump and gate operations will be provided by SFWMD. Progress and data dissemination will be communicated in monthly technical meetings and summarized for members of the monthly Seminole Working Group meetings.

BACKGROUND NARRATIVES

Project Summary: Proposed modified water deliveries to Indian Tribal lands, Big Cypress National Preserve, and other interior lands require that flow measurements at critical points in the interior are measured. This task provides flow data to supplement the current gaging station network in the area south of Lake Okeechobee.

Project Justification: The accurate determination of flow through the interior canal networks south of Lake Okeechobee and the C-139 basin is necessary for water budgets and regional model calibrations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes, South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park (ENP), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The implementation of strategically located streamflow gaging would help define future surface-water flow requirements. Subsequent studies based on accurate flow calibrations may then be used for computation of nutrient and other contaminant loading in the canal system. Providing continuous flow data at selected impact points for interior basins will compliment the existing eastern flow canal discharge network and allow for more accurately timed surface-water releases.

Project Objectives: There are three sites located at critical water delivery points for which information was previously lacking. Two additional sites will be constructed in 1997. All sites are instrumented with Acoustic Velocity Meters (AVM's), stage shaft encoders, data loggerSr and Data Collection Platforms (DCP's) to measure water velocity and water level on a continuous basis. RF Radio/cellular telemetry is currently used to record and transmit all data from the field into the database of the U.S. Geological Survey Miami Subdistrict office through the SFWMD database. The AVM will be calibrated by performing a series of ongoing streamgaging measurements utilizing the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) when appropriate streamflow velocities are available. Continuous records of discharge will be computed and published in special data reports on a yearly basis, starting in the second year of operation. An autosampler will be provided and installed at each site and maintained by the Miccosukee Tribe for sampling nitrates and phosphates. The Miccosukee Tribe will process all autosampler data and nutrient loads will be computed by a proposed separate agreement between the Tribes and SFWMD.

Overall Strategy, Study Design, and Planned Major Products: Results of ADCP calibrations performed during the last quarters of 1998 will be made available by direct retrieval and data release for agencies involved in quantifying nutrient loading. Daily value discharge for the two new stations will be published and available after April 1, 1999 for the water years, 1997, and 1998. Provisional unit value stage and discharge will be made available for determinations for real time water releases by SFWMD for areas serviced by the existing and proposed gages.

WORK PLAN

Overall: AVM, stage, autosampler, and radio telemetry has been installed at 3 sites (see map) and the same is proposed at two new sites with the exception that a DCP will be used in place of radio telemetry. Discharge will be calibrated by the USGS Miami office utilizing simple linear regressions to accurately sum flow weighted water samples that will be collected by both Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes under SFWMD direction. Water quality analysis will be accomplished by Florida International University lab for the Miccosukee Tribe and by the USGS Ocala lab for the Seminole Tribe. SFWMD will calculate monthly nutrient loads utilizing Tribal water quality lab analysis. Initial calibration of the insitu AVM by ADCP has begun and velocity analysis has revealed site specific conditions whereby revised data logger threshold modifications will be implemented to produce a more accurate representative flow weighted nutrient sample. Flow- weighted autosampler protocol training of Tribal nutrient data collection personnel by SFWMD has begun. Real time provisional daily value discharges are available from SFWMD with USGS discharge values availability pending future calibration efforts under a variety of stage and flow regimes. Results of ADCP calibrations performed during the last quarters of 1998 will be made available by direct retrieval and data release for agencies involved in quantifying nutrient loading. An indirect product of the ADCP streamgaging calibration effort for rating the two new AVM sites will be to provide SFWMD with a series of discharges with which the combination pump/gate structure S-140 can be more accurately calibrated. This will supplement periods of missing record at the twin USGS L-28 AVM sites to also include periods of greater than bank full stages when the two AVM sites will be inadequate to record total discharge and/or nutrient loads into Conservation Area 3A.

Timeline:
MAJOR TASKS:

FY96: Site selection, cross sections completed, construction and fabrication, and multi-agency telemetry installations installed for two sites (J. Overholser Construction Chief, M.Murray, Hydrologist, K.Overton, Hydrologic Technician, USGS Data Section Personnel, data logger programming by SFWMD personnel).

FY97: Same as 1996 for third site with the addition of ADCP preliminary calibration and regression analysis by K.Overton, cross-section and survey by M.Oliver.

FY98:Construction, fabrication (J. Overholser, A. Rohlfing, R. Rodriegez, construction); M. Murray, hydrologist overall review; K. Overton, R. Solis, Development of CR-10x program to interface with the Data Collection Platform (telemetry) and Autosampler (nutrient loads), instrumentation installation, ADCP measurements, regressions; DECODING, N. Keppie, hydrologic technician.

DELIVERABLES: Quarterly progress reports-October, January, April and July. Annual Data Report preliminary stage and discharge November 1998. Annual Data Report final stage and discharge April 2000.

PRODUCTS: Five site references in the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources for South Florida, Volume 2A. Surface Water (Annual Data Report).

Planned Deliverables/Products: A data report listing the daily value stage and discharges will be produced entitled: "Water Resources Data Florida, Water Year 1999 Volume 2A. Statistics which will also be included are monthly totals, means, maximums, minimums, annual totals, means, highest and lowest daily means, annual. seven-day minimum, annual runoff in acre feet to include 10, 50, 90 exceedance percentages. Quarterly progress reports -October, January, April and July, Annual Data Report preliminary stage and discharge for 3 sites November 1998, Annual Data Report final stage and discharge for 2 additional sites April 2000.

Planned Outreach Activities: Outreach will be directed to other Tribes such as the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and other federal agencies such as the South Florida Water Management District, Big Cypress Basin, Corp of Engineers, Everglades National Park, Environmental Protection Agency and local agencies or groups that have an interest in the health of.-the south Florida ecosystem.

Prior Accomplishments in Proposed Area of Work:

New Directions, Expansion of Continuing Project (if applicable): The purpose of the Interior Flows Project is to accurately gage flows in canals entering and leaving Tribal Lands, The Big Cypress National Preserve, and Conservation area 3A. These USGS calculated flows are then used by SFWMD to calculate nutrient loading in the canals used by Native American Tribes and on Federal lands. Currently three sites have been established, two on the Seminole south boarders for L-28 and L-28 Interceptor Canals and one on the L-28 Interceptor canal where flows enter the western Miccosukee lands from the Big Cypress National Preserve. The area west of the L-28 canal and just to the north of the S-140 pump station is used by the Miccosukee Tribe as a cattle ranching area. This area has collector canals that discharge directly into the L-28 canal. The S-140 pump station located south of the cattle ranches moves water from the L-28 canal into Water Conservation Area (WCA) 3A. No comprehensive study has been made at this location to determine if the nutrients from the cattle operations are contained within the ranching area, and if not, what impact they have on WCA 3A. In addition, no nutrient information is available for the portion of the L-28 canal south of Interstate 75. In order to fully understand and quantify the nutrient contribution being delivered into WCA 3A by the Miccosukee Tribe cattle ranching operations and from the "triangle area" south of Interstate 75, additional flow-weighted sampling is warranted. Two additional sites located on the L-28 canal just upstream and downstream of the intakes to the S-140 pump station will significantly further the understanding of the nutrient levels leaving the Miccosukee Reservation. Based on information from the South Florida Water Management District, the pump and gate ratings are not sufficiently accurate to be used to trigger the Miccosukee water quality auto-samplers.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OUTCOMES, PRODUCTS, OUTREACH

Accomplishments and Outcomes, Including Outreach: Three (3) RF (radio frequency)/AVM(acoustic velocity meter)/autosampler(flow weighted nutrients) sites have been installed, two (2) on the L-28 interceptor canal, and one (1) on the L-28 canal. Eight months of flow data has been collected at site (261533080571600), six months of data at site (261543080495000) and four months of data for site (260823080524100). Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) calibration of the AVM index has begun at all sites and acoustic refraction troubleshooting (ray bending) due to thermal stratification has been initiated. Monthly technical multi-agency, tribal meetings have also been initiated to delineate protocols and pathways for quality assurance, data dissemination and documentation.

Deliverables, Products Completed: A Fact sheet and poster describing the project and its relationship to the Everglades Ecosystem Initiative were produced. Quarterly reports describing project progress have been prepared and distributed to collaborators and clients.

NEEDS

Required Expertise:
1998: Project chief with expertise in index calibrations, acoustics, and discharge rating analysis. Hydrologic technician with AVM, Campbell data logger, and ADCP background. Hydrologic technician with ADCP rating spreadsheet background. Construction chief with AVM mount fabrication and walkway construction background and construction assistants.

1999: project chief, (2) hydrologic technicians

Names of Key Project Staff:
1998: Mitch Murray, hydrologist, project chief; Keith Overton, Mike Oliver, Neil Keppie hydrologic technicians; Jack Overholser, construction chief; Alex Rohlfing, Rene Rodriegez, construction assistants.

1999: Mitch Murray, hydrologist, project chief; Keith Overton, Rick Solis, hydrologic technicians.

Major Equipment/Facility Needs:
Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) rental: (5) AVM's, (2) DCP, and (5) shaft encoders.
Purchase: (2) of each, auto sampler shelter, AVM/DCP/logger shelter, encoder shelter, antenna, data logger/environmental enclosure, data logger, (3 sets) of solar panels and mounts and construction materials for fabrication and installation of (4) 20 foot walkways.

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