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Ambient Newsletter
May, nineteen ninety nine Volume three, Number two
Gr
ound Water
Assessing Sources of Nitrate in Springwaters,
Suwannee River Basin - by Brian G. Katz, USGS, Tallahassee
A cooperative study between the (3H) to assess the residence time of 11.0 and 12.1 per mil, indicating
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) of spring waters and water from the likelihood of an organic (ani-
and the Suwannee River Water the Upper Floridan aquifer. mal waste) source of nitrate.
Management District is evaluating These two wells are located near
sources of nitrate in water from Numerous studies have shown dairy and poultry farms, where
selected springs and zones in the that the nitrogen isotope composi- leachate from animal wastes may
Upper Floridan aquifer in the tion of nitrate dissolved in ground contribute nitrate to ground water.
Suwannee River basin. A multi- water can indicate the source of Mean delta 15N values are 6.9
tracer approach, which consists of the nitrate. Nitrogen isotope ratios per mil and 5.2 per mil for
the analysis of water samples for (15N/14N) are commonly ex- springwaters discharging from
naturally occuring chemical and pressed as delta 15N values Lafayette and Suwannee Coun-
isotopic indicators, is being used relative to a standard. Low delta ties, respectively. Slightly lower
to better understand sources and 15N values between 0 to 3 per mil values for springwaters from
chronology of nitrate contamina- (parts per thousand) generally Suwannee County may reflect the
tion in the middle Suwannee River indicate an inorganic nitrate higher contribution of nitrate from
region. In July 1997 and August source (synthetic fertilizer); synthetic fertilizer use.
1998, water samples were col- whereas higher delta 15N values
lected and analyzed from 24 (10 to 20 per mil) typically indicate Residence times for ground water
springs and two wells for major an organic (animal waste) source discharging to springs in the basin
ions, nutrients, and dissolved of nitrate. Delta 15N values that (based on measurements of
organic carbon (DOC). These fall between 3 and 10 per mil CFCs) range from approximately
water samples were also analyzed likely are indicative of mixed 10 to 25 years. Springs that
for selected environmental iso- inorganic and organic sources of discharge ground-water with
topes [18O/16O, D/H, 13C/12C, nitrate or a soil organic nitrogen residence times of more than 20
15N/ 14N] to determine sources of source. Delta 15N values of NO3 years tended to have low NO3-N
water and nitrate. To better in water from the 24 sampled concentrations (0.7 to 0.8 mg/L);
understand when nitrate entered springs range from 2.7 to 10.6 per whereas springs that discharge
the ground water system, water mil and most are indicative of a ground water with short residence
samples were analyzed for chlo- mixed source. Water from two times of approximately 10 years
rofluorocarbons (CFCs; CCl3F, wells sampled in Lafayette County tended to have much higher NO3-
CCl2F2, and C2Cl3F3) and tritium have higher delta 15N-NO3 values N concentrations (26 to 37 mg/L).
Florida Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Network
www2.dep.state.fl.us/water/division/monitoring
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The multi-tracer approach being used in this study, which inte-
grates chronologic, chemical, and isotopic analyses of ground
1998 Quality
water, is a first step in better understanding the sources and fate of Assurance Summary
nitrate in ground water. The relation between the concentration of
nitrate in ground water and the amount of nitrogen that is added to
a ground water basin is affected by hydrogeologic, land-use, At the January 1999 Quarterly
climatic and several other factors. Variations in the nitrogen con- Ambient Monitoring (QAM) Meet-
tent of water that enters the subsurface over time are related to ing held in Plantation Key, Penn
changes in land use practices, the distribution and effectiveness of Craig presented a summary of the
natural remediation processes (such as denitrification), and the 1998 Ambient Monitoring
distance, direction, and time between recharge to and discharge Network’s quality assurance
from ground water. Other information that is being used to deter- activities. The presentation dis-
mine sources and chronology of nitrate contamination in this study cussed a variety of activities,
area includes the delineation of contributing areas for selected including training, field audits,
springs, an assessment of the relative contribution of past agricul- performance sample results, and
tural practices and changes in land use, and an estimation of equipment blanks. The presenta-
loadings of nitrate to ground water over time. tion indicated success in most
quality assurance aspects, al-
though the equipment blank
results indicate that corrective
action may be needed for some
agencies. For a copy of the 1998
report, please contact the Ambient
Monitoring Section at (850) 921-
9423.
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Florida Bay Research and New State Map Projects
by Thomas M. Scott, Florida Geological Survey
Discussions of ongoing research is a reinterpretation of the State’s able to view the fossil coral reef of
in Florida Bay and mapping geomorphology in light of the new the Key Largo Limestone. The
projects of the Florida Geological geologic map. site is interesting from a historical
Survey were presented at the perspective for the mining of
Quarterly Ambient Monitoring The STATEMAP mapping effort, limestone during the construction
Meeting in Islamorada January funded by the United States of the Flagler Railroad in the early
26-27, 1999. Included in the Geological Survey (USGS) on a 1900’s and the mining of decora-
mapping discussion were the new 50-50 cost sharing basis, focused tive “Key Stone”. This is a site
State geologic and geomorphic on the Homestead 1:100,000 well worth visiting when in the
maps and the mapping effort in quadrangle during the first two Keys.
southern Florida under the aus- years of funding under the Na-
pices of the National Geologic tional Geologic Mapping Act. REFERENCES:
Mapping Act, STATEMAP compo- Mapping was undertaken utilizing Brooks, H.K., 1982, Geologic Map of
nent. in-house data, new cores, and Florida: Center for Environmental and
field investigations including Natural Resources, University of
Florida.
The interpretation of Florida’s helicopter flights into the Ever-
near-surface geologic framework glades and Big Cypress areas. Vernon, R.O., and Puri, H.S., 1964
has undergone revisions since the The final product included a Geologic map of Florida, Florida
last geological map of Florida surface sediments map, a bed- Bureau of Geology Map Series 18.
published by the Florida Geologi- rock geology map and a number
cal Survey (FGS) (Vernon and of cross sections. White, W. A., 1970, The geomorphol-
Puri, 1964, scale of 1:2,000,000). ogy of the Florida peninsula: Florida
Brooks (1982) independently The FGS has assisted the USGS Bureau of Geology Bulletin 51, 164 p.
published an interpretation of the in efforts to determine the ecosys-
state’s geology at a scale of tem history of Florida Bay. Since For more information contact Tom
1:500,000. During the last ten February 1995, samples of sedi- Scott at the Florida Geological
years, the FGS has been prepar- ments, flora and fauna have been Survey, 903 W. Tennessee St.,
ing a revised version of the State collected twice a year, in February Tallahassee, FL 32304-7700, or
geologic map incorporating these and July, at 26 sites in the Florida e-mail him at:
new concepts. The draft map Bay portion of the Everglades scott_t@dep.state.fl.us
(scale 1:750,000), text and cross National Park. Also, a number of
sections were presented for shallow cores have been taken for
discussion and debate. The map analyses. Preliminary results of
included a number of new or the on-going studies are available
revised lithostratigraphic units. In as Open-file Reports from the
addition, a novel approach to USGS. These can be accessed
mapping the shell-bearing Plio- via the USGS’s web page at http://
Pleistocene sediments was geology.er.usgs.gov/gmapeast/fla/
discussed. home.html.
A revised map of Florida’s geo- On Wednesday morning, of the
morphology, which is in prepara- meeting, the group took a field trip
tion, was presented for consider- to the newly dedicated Windley
ation by the group. In part, it is a Key Fossil Reef State Geologic
revision of White (1970). It is also Site where the participants were
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Status Network Surface Water Reconnaissance
by Tom Biernacki
The implementation of the Inte- has a navigation accuracy of five or tax collector databases are now
grated Water Resource Monitor- meters and offers three different available on the Internet. It will
ing (IWRM) Network for surface navigation modes. After success- help to take your notes from the
and ground water will require the fully navigating to a site, either by field, which may include land-
reconnaissance of randomly map or GPS, you will want to marks and such, to identify the
selected sites in the status net- gather landowner and landmark properties in question. Once the
work. Ground water reconnais- information. You will also want to owner information is obtained you
sance will be addressed in a take good notes of how to return will want to start the process of
future issue of this newsletter. to the site and whether or not the sending out the permission letters.
Regarding surface water, recon- site meets criteria for being This may be an iterative process
naissance is a three-step process. sampled. Staff should bring a so be prepared to start far in
It includes checking the sites on camera, as photographs of the advance of the scheduled sam-
maps in the office, field inspection site will be extremely beneficial if pling.
of sites to verify if they meet the the random location does not
inclusion criteria for sample meet the inclusion criteria. A Once the permission letters are
collection, and collecting land- picture is truly worth a thousand returned, make sure they are kept
owner information to obtain words and greatly assists in in a safe place. Another good idea
permission for site access. documenting site conditions. may be to carry a copy of these
letters with you when you return to
Rreconnaissance starts in the The final step after completing sample, just to remind the owner
office. The visual inspection of both the office and field portions that he did give permission.
the selected sites on accurate of the reconnaissance is obtaining Public relations are a concern so
maps may lead to their exclusion the landowner information. While it’s best to be prepared and your
from the sampling list. For ex- in the field you will find it difficult sampling will go smoothly.
ample, a site may be coded as a to get landowner information
large lake, but in actuality, it’s a except for at a few sites. The The reconnaissance of status
small stream. This task will need local county property appraiser’s network sampling sites will con-
to be repeated by the contractor. office will have plat maps or tax tinue throughout the cycles of
Again, the key for making this rolls from which you can get the IWRM. Following a three-stepped
type of decision is to have accu- landowner information. Many of approach should make it a task
rate maps. The reasons for the the county property appraiser and/ that’s well worth the time.
exclusion of any sites must be
documented. Care should be
taken when excluding sample
sites while in the office.
Field reconnaissance involves
navigating to the selected sites.
One can navigate using the maps
created in office, ideally assisted
by a Global Positioning System
(GPS) unit. Most Florida Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection
(FDEP) contractors will be using
the Trimble Pro XR GPS, which
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An Internet Application Highlighting the FDEP Surface
Water Temporal Variability (SWTV) Monitoring Network
by David Ouellette
A recently developed World Wide
Web publication highlights the
FDEP’s SWTV Network. The
SWTV Network consists of 80
lake and stream stations moni-
tored monthly for a variety of
surface water quality indicators.
The stations were chosen to
monitor basin outflows and out-of-
state inflows. Many of the stations
are proximal to flow-gaging
stations maintained by the USGS.
The web report provides site
information for each station in the
network, as well as a digital
photograph and sketch map of
each location. In addition, links to
the water quality data and associ-
ated USGS real-time flow data are
provided. The page will consist of
two interactive frames: a location
map of all stations (which are
linked to individual station pages)
in the left frame, and the detailed
station pages in the right. The
report opens with a brief descrip-
tion of the purpose and history of
the network. This is displayed in
the right frame. The detailed
report pages are loaded by click-
ing on the location marker on the
map, in the left frame.
This publication is expected to go
on-line by May 1, 1999. When
completed, it can be reached
through the AMS Home Page
located at :
http://www2.dep.state.fl.us/
division/water/monitoring/.
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May Quarterly Ambient Meeting Information
by Cindy Cosper
The next QAM Meeting is scheduled for May 11-13 in Cedar Key,
Florida. The meeting will be held at the Lions Club on the corner of
6th Street and F Street, which is 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the various lodg-
ings that are available.
Cedar Key is a small island fishing community at least 40 miles from
any other small community. The town is a good place for bicycling and
walking, and there are lighted public tennis courts. In addition, there
are quite a few art galleries, two museums, and several good seafood
restaurants. Fishing from the town dock is popular, and rental boats
are available for fishing or shoreline excursions. Cedar Key fills up on
the weekend and room prices go up, but two lodgings, Island Place
and Cedar Cove may let you stay the weekend for the weekday rate.
Several lodging options are available.
Island Place - Fairly new, furnished condos with full kitchen, pool,
sauna, and Jacuzzi. These condos, with a queen size bed in the
bedroom, a lower bunk in the hall, and a sofa bed in a living
room, can sleep up to four people. There are eight interior
rooms night. Call 1-800-780-6522 to make reservations.
Cedar Cove - Older, more basic, refurbished condos
with full kitchens, pool, weight room, marina, and restau-
rant. There are several room designs that can sleep
from two to six. Rates are $75-95/night, special 3-night
deal for $174. Call 1-800-366-5312 to make reserva-
tions.
Cedar Key Bed & Breakfast - Very nice, antique
furnished, 115 year old home. Rates start at $65/night
and this includes breakfast. Call 1-800-453-5051 for
reservations.
Mermaid Cottages are available for the economy
minded. They are on the left just before the bridge into
Cedar Key. They are rustic, with kitchens, sleep 2-4
and cost between $40-65/night. Call 352/543-5949.
Other options include the Dockside Motel at $49 to $69/
night (pH. 352-543-5432); the Park Place Motel at $65
to $80/night (pH. 352-543-5737), and the Island Hotel
at $75 & up (pH. 352-543-5111) may still be open.
For the September 21-23 QAM Meeting we have
contacted the Holiday Inn Sunspree in Daytona Beach
again.
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DRAFT Agenda
Quarterly Ambient Monitoring Meeting
May 11-13, 1999 in Cedar Key
Tuesday, May 11, 1999
1:00 Short Course
“Measuring Changes and Evaluating
Monitoring Outcomes” Sam Upchurch, ERM-S
5:00 ADJOURN
Wednesday, May 12, 1999
8:30 Short Course (Continued)
10:30 Business Meeting
DEP Lab Issues Paul Hansard, DEP
Ambient Monitoring QA Plan Paul Hansard
GWIS3 CD ROM Distribution Paul Hansard
Evaluation of STORET Data Base Brian Katz, USGS
12:00 LUNCH
1:00 Business Meeting (Continued)
TV Data Submittals Jay Silvanima, DEP
Continued Drilling of Monitoring Wells Gary Maddox, DEP
Contracts for SFY 1999-2000 Gary Maddox
Ground Water TV Network Gary Maddox and
Rick Copeland, DEP
DRASTIC CD ROM Distribution Gary Maddox
Status Network Reconnaissance Issues Gary Maddox and
Tom Biernacki, DEP
Head of Tide Line Dave Adams and
Rick Copeland, DEP
Definition of Target Populations Rick Copeland
Glossary of Terms Dave Adams
Habitat Assessment Training
and Biological Monitoring Rick Copeland
4:30 ADJOURN
5:30 Clam or Oyster Hike Cindy Cosper, DEP
Thursday, May 13, 1999
8:30 Special Topics and IWRM
Springs of the Suwannee River Basin David Hornsby, SRWMD
Effects of Land Use on Shallow
Ground-water Quality in Southern Florida Anne Bradner, USGS
Implementing a Watershed Approach Tom Singleton, DEP and
to Water Resource Protection Daryll Joyner, DEP
TMDL Assessments Status Jan Mandrup-Poulsen, DEP
Progress in Tier III Monitoring Donnie McClaugherty
Aquifer Vulnerability Mapping Allen Stodghill, DEP and
Mark Dietrich, DEP
Discussion Rick Copeland
12:00 ADJOURN
Note 1 - If attendees are interested in kayaking, information on rentals will
be available at the meeting. Prices range from $14. to $22. per one half day.
Note 2 - Seahorse Key is closed due to bird nesting.
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Ambient Monitoring Section
Florida Department of
Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road
Mail Stop 3525
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
Ambient Newsletter
The Ambient Newsletter is published three times per year by the Ambient Monitoring Section of the Division of Water
Facilities, Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Send address changes to:
Mary Geuin at the address above or,
via e-mail to: geuin_m@dep.state.fl.us or,
via telephone at (850) 921-9422
Editors/Ambient Monitoring Staff
Dave Adams, David Ouellette, Rick Copeland, Cindy Cosper, Paul Hansard, Gary Maddox, Joe North, Mary Paulic, Jay
Silvanima, Tom Biernacki, and Mary Geuin
Contact us at: (850)921-9424 or by email at: last name_first initial@dep.state.fl.us
Layout/Graphics
David Ouellette
Circulation
Mary Geuin
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