The Caloosahatchee River Estuary: a monitoring partnership between Federal, State, and local governments, 2007-13

Abstract

Printed on recycled paper The tidal Caloosahatchee River and downstream estuaries (fig. 1) have substantial environmental, recreational, and economic value for southwest Florida residents and visitors. Modifications to the Caloosahatchee River watershed have altered the predevelopment hydrology, thereby threatening the environmental health of estuaries in the area (South Florida Water Management District, 2014). Hydrologic monitoring of the freshwater contributions from tributaries to the tidal Caloosahatchee River and its estuaries is necessary to adequately describe the total freshwater inflow and constituent loads to the delicate estuarine system. From 2007 to 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), operated a flow and salinity monitoring network at tributaries flowing into and at key locations within the tidal Caloosahatchee River (fig. 1). This network was designed to supplement existing long-term monitoring stations, such as W.P. Franklin Lock,