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Conductivity as a tracer of agricultural and urban runoff to delineate water quality impacts in the northern Everglades

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Abstract

Agricultural and urban runoff pumped into the perimeter canals of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), a 58,320-ha soft-water wetland, has elevated nutrients which impact the Refuge interior marsh. To best manage the Refuge, linkages between inflows to the perimeter canals and environmental conditions within the marsh need to be understood. Conductivity, which typically is high in the canals and lowest at the most interior sites, was used as a surrogate tracer to characterize patterns of constituent transport. The Refuge was initially classified into four zones based upon patterns and variability in conductivity data: Canal Zone; Perimeter Zone (canal to 2.5 km into the interior); Transition Zone (2.5 to 4.5 km from the canal); Interior Zone (>4.5 km from the canal). Conductivity variability declined from the Perimeter to the Interior Zone, with the highest variability in the marsh observed in the Perimeter Zone and the lowest variability observed in the Interior Zone. Analysis of other water quality parameters indicated that conditions in the Perimeter and Transition Zones were different, and more impacted, than in the Interior Zone. In general, there was a positive relationship between structure inflows and canal phosphorus concentrations, including discharges from treatment wetlands and bypasses of untreated water. This classification approach is applicable for stratified sampling designs, resolving spatial bias in water quality models, and in aiding in management decisions about resource allocation.

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Author notes

  1. Matthew C. Harwell & Donatto D. Surratt

    Present address: c/o A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, 10216 Lee Rd., Boynton Beach, FL, 33473, USA

  2. Dorianne M. Barone

    Present address: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Interior—Everglades Program Team, Boynton Beach, FL, 33473, USA

    Matthew C. Harwell, Donatto D. Surratt, Dorianne M. Barone & Nicholas G. Aumen

  2. c/o A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, 10216 Lee Rd., Boynton Beach, FL, 33473, USA

    Nicholas G. Aumen

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  1. Matthew C. Harwell
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  2. Donatto D. Surratt
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  4. Nicholas G. Aumen
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Correspondence to Matthew C. Harwell.

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Harwell, M.C., Surratt, D.D., Barone, D.M. et al. Conductivity as a tracer of agricultural and urban runoff to delineate water quality impacts in the northern Everglades. Environ Monit Assess 147, 445–462 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-0131-3

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