2nd UF Water Institute Symposium Abstract

   
Submitter's Name Radha Pyati
Session Name Poster Session: Human Dimensions of Water Sustainability 1
Category Human dimensions of water sustainability
Poster Number 116
 
Author(s) Radha Pyati,  University of North Florida
  Daniel McCarthy,  Jacksonville University
  Stuart Chalk, University of North Florida
  Patrick Welsh, University of North Florida
  Heather McCarthy, Jacksonville University
   
  The Second State of the River Report and Brochure on the Lower St. Johns River Basin: a Technical Report Designed for the Public
   
  The Second State of the River Report and Brochure are a summary and analysis of the health of the Lower St. Johns River Basin (LSJRB) and is a collaboration between UNF and Jacksonville University supported by the Environmental Protection Board of the City of Jacksonville. Both documents are written for public reading and have been designed to make scientific and technical data from sources such as the Florida DEP STORET accessible and understandable to the public and to policymakers. The Report addresses four main areas of river health: water quality, fisheries, aquatic life, and contaminants. Section 1 provides an overview of the Report and the basin, and it describes the basin’s landscape, human occupancy, and environmental management spanning the 1800s to 2009. Section 2 describes water quality in terms of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, turbidity, algal blooms, fecal coliform, and metals. Examination of individual tributaries reveals their overall health and identifies water quality characteristics in need of attention. Section 3 addresses the state of the river’s finfish and invertebrate fisheries. Section 4 examines the condition of aquatic life, encompassing numerous species of plants and animals as well as wetlands. Section 5 discusses the importance of four classes of sediment contaminants to the health of organisms in four regions of the river. The classes include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides that contain chlorine. The Brochure is an eleven-page, color document that encapsulates the conclusions of the full Report and provides readers with a graphic representation of ways they can help the St. Johns River. Since the release of the Brochure and Report in summer 2009, the public has viewed the Report and Brochure many times, as evidenced by the hit counts on the project website.