Water Quality Monitoring for Everglades-Related Projects
   Florida

Overview
One of the most ambitious environmental undertakings ever attempted is the restoration of the Everglades ecological system in south Florida. Major aspects of this effort include re plumbing the hydrology and reducing nutrients, particularly phosphorus, to areas that historically have had very low concentrations. Farmland being reclaimed for this endeavor can be a continuing source of agricultural chemicals including insecticides and herbicides and their degradation products which also may be toxic. Many stake holders are involved with the movement of water and water-borne chemicals through this intensely managed system. Under contract with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Water & Air has performed several long-term and one time water quality monitoring projects. Most of these projects dealt with nutrient transport via pumping, nutrient reduction by treatment areas, potential contaminant mobilization from former farms and from sediments to be dredged, and chemical and biological exposure issues to which Corps SCUBA divers would be subjected.

Details

• For the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Emergency monitoring, Water & Air established 12 sampling stations most of which included autosamplers collecting daily composites and multi-parameter field meters which collected data at 15-minute intervals. The water being monitored flowed toward and into Everglades National Park and monitoring continued for three years.
• For the Hoover Dike Quarries, surface water quality was monitored for chemicals and bacteria to ensure diver safety during exposures at these four water bodies as well as impacts to surface water receiving discharges from these quarries.
• Sediment and water sampling was performed for the L-40 Canal Widening Project west of Wellington, Florida. Potential release of sediment bound contaminants including pesticides and metals was evaluated using elutriation and the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure.
• Nutrient removal efficiency and mobilization of pesticides were the reason inflow and outflow water from the 10 Mile Creek Reservoir and Treatment Area were monitored. Soil testing also was performed for the CERP Guidance Memorandum (CGM-042) list of contaminants to determine potential mobility when soils were flooded. Ultra-trace sampling procedures were useds to sample mercury.
• Water in Conservation Area No. 3 north of the Tamiami Trail Canal was monitored mostly for nutrients and in situ parameters in case discharge became necessary through Structures 355A & B, potentially impacting water quality in Everglades National Park.

Results
Water quality monitoring for "the Sparrow" and the Conservation Area provided permit compliance documentation of nutrients and other parameters in canal water that, at times directly flowed into Everglades National Park. Information on the chemical and bacteriological constituents in the Hoover Dike Quarries water enabled Corps personnel to manage potential discharge impacts and for divers to select appropriate safety equipment and coverings relative to potential hazards posed by complete emersion in these water bodies. The pesticide DDT and it associated residues were found in substantial concentrations in project area sediments and information from our investigation allowed Corps personnel to plan the management of sediments appropriately. Baseline water quality was documented for the 10 Mile Creek facility and CGM-042 contaminant concentrations in reservoir soil were determined; however, due to engineering and/or hydrological issues this facility did not become operational during or immediately after the term of our monitoring project.