Project Work Plan

Project Title: Flow Monitoring Along the Tidal Caloosahatchee River and Tributaries West of Franklin Locks.

Principal Investigator(s): Eduardo Patino / USGS, Ft. Myers; 1400 Colonial Boulevard, Suite 70, 33907;
(239) 275-8448
(239) 275-6820 - fax
epatino@usgs.gov

Project Location: Tidal Caloosahatchee River

Objectives: The objective of this study is to quantify freshwater flows into the tidal reach of the Caloosahatchee River, west of Franklin Locks.

Study Design:
Monitoring stations established thru this project are designed as part of a larger network needed for the Caloosahatchee River and tributaries that should remain in place long-term (~10 years). Data from monitoring stations included in this project will be evaluated during the third year of data collection in order to assess viability and need for changes. If all stations were to be discontinued at the end of the third year of data collection (FY-2010), the last year (2011) will be devoted to finalizing records for the previous years and for the removal of all structures and instrumentation.

There is a large number of tributaries to the Caloosahatchee River, from Lake Okeechobee (S-77) to the mouth (Shell Point) that need to be monitored in order to better quantify inflows and sources of pollution to the river. This project only addresses a small portion of these along the tidal reach of the river.

This study is designed to span 5 fiscal years, with the first year dedicated to instrument purchase and gage-house construction, the following 3 years devoted to the collection, processing, and dissemination of hydrologic data, and the last year for the completion of data processing, analyses, and publication. If this network would remain in place for a longer period than is covered thru this project, provisions for funding will be discussed at a later date, before the end of the third year of data collection (2010).

The USGS will be responsible for:

1. Construction and maintenance of gage-houses for all monitoring stations within this agreement.
2. Purchase, installation, and maintenance of all monitoring instrumentation.
3. Collection, processing, QA/QC, and publication of all hydrologic data collected at monitoring stations.
4. Removal of all infrastructure as monitoring stops and stations are discontinued.
5. Following USGS SOPs for flow monitoring.

Data Collection

All hydrologic data collected thru this study, except for that collected at Billy's Creek and Popash Creek, will be transmitted via GOES satellite every hour, stored in the USGS database, and made available on a provisional basis via internet at the USGS real-time web pages, link provided in literature section. Monthly field visits will be made to perform instrument checks and calibration. Emergency visits will be scheduled on an as needed basis.

Hydrologic data will be collected in the Caloosahatchee River near the mouth at Shell Point, Caloosahatchee River at Marker #52 near US-41, Telegraph Creek, Orange River, Hancock Creek, Billy's Creek, and Popash Creek.

1. Shell Point. An existing platform will be used for the installation of all instruments needed at this site.

   Data collected at this site will include:

   1. Water level
   2. Water velocity
   3. Periodic discharge measurements using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).
   4. NO salinity or temperature data to be collected at this site

   Processed data:

   1. Discharge

2. US-41. A platform is planned at the location of Coast Guard channel marker #52.

   Data collected at this site will include:

   1. Water level
   2. Water velocity
   3. Temperature (top & bottom)
   4. Salinity (top & bottom)
   5. Periodic discharge measurements using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).

   Processed data:

   1. Discharge

3. Platforms will be constructed at Telegraph Creek, Orange River, and Hancock Creek locations.

   Data collected at these sites will include:

   1. Water level
   2. Water velocity
   3. Temperature (top & bottom)
   4. Salinity (top & bottom)
   5. Periodic discharge measurements using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).

   Processed data:

   1. Discharge

4. Platforms will be constructed at Billy's Creek and Popash Creek locations.

   Data collected at these sites will include:

   1. Water level
   2. Water velocity
   3. Periodic discharge measurements using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) or comparable instrument.
   4. Sites will be constructed in such way that sensors for the measurement of salinity and temperature, and satellite equipment can be added at a later date if necessary.

   Processed data:

   1. Discharge

5. Tributaries to the tidal reach of the Caloosahatchee River that needed to be monitored but are not part of this project include:

   Yellow Fever Creek, Daughtrey Creek, and Trout Creek among others.

Discharge Computations:

Index Velocity calibration ratings will be developed from ADCP measurements by determining relationships between measured in-situ velocity and mean measured velocity (from ADCP measurements). A sample of these types of ratings is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Index Velocity Rating for Blackwater River monitoring station in the Ten Thousand Islands area. [larger image]

These Index ratings will be used in conjunction with water-level dependent cross-sectional areas to calculate time-series of discharge for all monitoring stations.

Between 60 and 100 ADCP measurements thru tide (~13 hour session of continuous measurements) will be made within the first moth of operation at each monitoring station. These measurements will be used to develop an index velocity rating such as that shown in figure 1. Once this rating is completed, periodic ADCP measurements will be made (6 - 8 times per year) to verify that ratings are holding thru time, and to capture any flow condition not measured during initial phase (i.e. large freshwater releases thru S-79 and/or after a storm event). Once the rating is in place, discharge data will be computed on a quarterly basis and made available as PROVISIONAL records, until publication, at which time all data will be final. If conditions outside the range of measurements used in rating development exist, efforts will be made to capture these with additional ADCP measurements. If a revision of the rating is granted due to new measurements during extreme conditions, records will be revised as needed.

Time-series discharge records for all monitoring stations will represent the mean discharge for the entire cross-section. In the event that 3-D velocity field information is needed for modeling purposes, ADCP measurement files can be made available upon request.

In order to provide mean daily discharge values for load calculations used within the TMDL program, time-series data of tidal flow (flux) will be filtered to calculate NET discharge at all monitoring stations.

For more information on USGS techniques and protocols for the use of hydroacoustic instrumentation when measuring velocity and computing discharge at gaging stations, please refer to the following link (some papers listed in Literature section below):
http://hydroacoustics.usgs.gov/indexvelocity/references.shtml

Salinity Records:

Salinity sensors will be field calibrated monthly with the use of Conductivity Standards. Any electronic drift or bio-fouling corrections will be applied accordingly following USGS established protocols. All bad data will be removed from records.

Temperature Records:

All field temperature sensors will be cross-checked against an NIST approved and verified thermometer during field visits. All erroneous data will be removed from records.

Deliverables:

1. Yearly progress reports will be provided by July 31 for the duration of the study.
2. All real-time data will be available as provisional records thru the USGS web pages.
3. Non real-time data will be made available as provisional records upon request.
4. All processed data (such as stage, discharge, salinity, and temperature) will be made available as provisional data upon request throughout the duration of the study.
5. All final data will be published in the USGS Annual Data Report. All data for any given water year (Oct. - Sept.), is published by April of the following year, except for 2007-2008 records which be published together with 2009 by April, 2010.

Cooperators/Partners: Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

Timeline with Milestones:

August - November, 2007

• Purchase of all instrumentation for 7 monitoring stations in the tidal Caloosahatchee River and tributaries.
• Construction and instrumentation of all 7 monitoring stations.
• Begin collection of hydrologic data at all 7 monitoring stations.
• Make all real-time data available on a provisional basis thru the USGS Real Time web pages.

November, 2007 - September, 2008

• Collection, QA/QC, and storage of hydrologic data from all monitoring stations.
• Make all real-time data available on a provisional basis thru the USGS Real Time web pages.
• ADCP discharge measurements made at all monitoring stations for the development of velocity calibration ratings.
• Begin processing discharge data at all monitoring stations.

October, 2008 - September, 2009

• Continue the collection, QA/QC, and storage of hydrologic data from all monitoring stations.
• Make all real-time data available on a provisional basis thru the USGS Real Time web pages.
• Continue ADCP discharge measurements made at all monitoring stations for the verification of velocity calibration ratings
• Continue processing discharge data at all monitoring stations.

October, 2009 - September, 2010

• Continue the collection, QA/QC, and storage of hydrologic data from all monitoring stations.
• Make all real-time data available on a provisional basis thru the USGS Real Time web pages.
• Continue ADCP discharge measurements made at all monitoring stations for the verification of velocity calibration ratings
• Continue processing discharge data at all monitoring stations.
• Publish 2007 - 2009 (data from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009) records in the USGS 2009 Annual Report by April 1, 2010.

October 2010 - September, 2011

• If stations are to be continued, first three items listed for previous years will continue.
• Continue processing discharge data at all monitoring stations.
• Publish 2010 (data from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010) records in the USGS 2009 Annual Report by April 1, 2011.

Project cost:

This budget assumes all monitoring stations will be constructed and instrumented starting in FY-2007, and will be discontinued by September 30, 2010. If these continue, a new SOW will be submitted for funding consideration by both agencies before the end of fiscal year 2010. No Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost is assumed in FY-2007 nor 2011.

Literature:

1. Water Resources of Florida, Volume 2A: South Florida Surface Water, Water Year 2005.
   http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-fl-05-2a/
2. South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) web page.
   http://sofia.usgs.gov/
3. USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) real-time web page.
   http://waterdata.usgs.gov/fl/nwis/current?type=flow&group_key=county_cd&search_site_no_station_nm
4. Quality-Assurance Plan for Discharge Measurements Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers, K. A. Oberg, S. E. Morlock, and W. S. Caldwell.
   http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2005/5183/
5. Discharge Measurements using a Broad-band Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, M. Simpson.
   http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/ofr0101/
6. Computation of Discharge Using the Index-Velocity Method in Tidally Affected Areas, C. A. Rhul and M. Simpson.
   http://hydroacoustics.usgs.gov/publications/SIR_2005-5004.pdf
7. Freshwater flow from estuarine creeks into northeastern Florida Bay, C. D. Hittle, E. Patino, and M Zucker.
   http://fl.water.usgs.gov/Abstracts/wri01_4164_hittle.html