U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Circular 1207

Water Quality in Southern Florida

Summary

Intro to S Florida NAWQA Study Unit

Major Findings

- Nutrients

- DOC and DOM

- Pesticides, VOCs, Trace Elements and Herbicides

- Bottom Sediments and Fish

- Biological Communities

Study Unit Design

Glossary

References

Appendix

PDF version

Biological communities are influenced by water quality.

The distribution of fish, invertebrates, and algae within a river or canal is influenced by natural conditions and human activities that affect water quality and available habitat. Generally, a diverse aquatic community composed of a variety of species and dominated by no single species or group of species is an indicator of favorable biotic conditions and an absence of contaminants and other environmental stresses. Although human activities have caused significant changes in many southern Florida freshwater habitats, it is important to understand how unique natural conditions in southern Florida influence the composition of aquatic communities there.

Sixty-three species of fish in 26 families were collected in the seven canals and rivers sampled in the SOFL Study Unit during 1996- 98. The fish community included 43 native species and 10 exotic or non-native species. Additionally, 10 species of marine fish that periodically inhabit portions of canals and rivers in southern Florida also were collected. The chemical composition of freshwater in southern Florida, in particular the concentrations of sodium, chloride, and calcium, facilitates the invasion and occasional establishment of fishes with broad salinity tolerance (Loftus and Kushlan, 1987). No fish species listed as threatened or endangered in the United States or Florida were collected in southern Florida during the NAWQA study.

Florida rivers have smaller drainage basins and fewer fish species than rivers in the adjacent Southeastern United States (Swift and others, 1986). Natural conditions, in this case the repeated rise and fall of sea level over geologic time, have reduced the number of freshwater fish species in the Florida peninsula. The present fish community represents the most recent reinvasion following sealevel withdrawal (Bass, 1990). The most important natural factors limiting the diversity of the fish community are unsuitability of habitat and climate for temperate species (Loftus and Kushlan, 1987).

The rivers in southern Florida have very low gradients, typically only a few inches per mile (McPherson and Halley, 1996), as well as slow current velocities, high water temperatures, and low dissolved-oxygen concentrations. Fish and invertebrate communities are characterized by species that prefer these conditions and by the absence of related species that are found only in cool, swiftly flowing, well-oxygenated streams. The number of fish species collected at SOFL sites, or the species richness of the community, tended to increase with increasing mean annual dissolved-oxygen concentrations. Some game-fish species, such as bass, were absent at sites with the lowest dissolved-oxygen concentrations. One entire group of invertebrates (Plecoptera: stoneflies), which prefer cool running waters, usually are not found anywhere in the waters of southern Florida. Diptera (true flies) was the dominant insect group at all sites (fig. 13). Many of the Diptera were species in the family Chironomidae (midges), which are adapted to aquatic environments with sandy substrates and very low dissolvedoxygen concentrations, such as those prevalent in southern Florida surface waters. Species in this family are also tolerant of nutrient enrichment and contaminants.

In the canals and some of the rivers of southern Florida, habitat alteration is significant. The canal channels are rectangular in crosssection, and they have been channelized and are routinely dredged to facilitate navigation and the movement of water. There are few areas of shallow water (littoral zone) to provide sufficient light for attached algae (periphyton) and suitable spawning areas for fish. Moreover, aquatic vegetation is periodically removed for watermanagement purposes, further reducing habitat for small fish and invertebrates that serve as food for fish. The species richness of fish and the total numbers of fish collected generally were lowest in the canals of southern Florida in basins with agricultural land use (fig. 14). The canals and channelized rivers have little suitable habitat of any kind for many aquatic insects that prefer hard substrate, such as caddisflies (Trichoptera) and some mayflies (Ephemeroptera); snags (woody debris) are scarce because bankside vegetation is usually cleared, and hard surfaces, such as rock, are limited to porous limestone outcroppings.

Figure 14. Environmentally tolerant fish are common in southern Florida canals and rivers. [larger image]

Fish can be categorized on the basis of their ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions. There were no intolerant fish species collected in any of the canals in southern Florida (fig. 14). The presence of intolerant species in the Peace River during the SOFL study, as well as in earlier studies (Champeau, 1990), indicates favorable biotic conditions. The Peace River is unique among the rivers sampled in southern Florida because it has not been channelized, and the main channel is connected to the flood plain during periods of high water. The flood plain provides a refuge for fish during high flow, perhaps enhancing survival and reproduction. Also, periodic flooding results in input of particulate organic matter and dissolved organic carbon from the flood plain, which increases the productivity of the river and increases its ability to support a diverse fish community.

The environmental conditions in the Peace River also supported a diverse aquatic insect community compared to most other SOFL sites (fig. 13). For example, the Peace River had the highest mean dissolved- oxygen concentration of any southern Florida site. Hard substrates, such as the woody snags preferred by many aquatic insects, were abundant. Seasonal input of leaf debris (particulate organic matter) from the flood plain provides a valuable food source for many aquatic invertebrates. In contrast, Hillsboro Canal, a relatively degraded SOFL site, had insects from a number of different groups, but few of the pollution- sensitive insects, including caddisflies, were present.

In many parts of the United States, the abundance of a group of invertebrate taxa referred to as the EPT taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) is used to assess the biotic condition of streams and rivers. Species in these insect groups generally thrive in conditions of flowing water, moderate to high dissolved oxygen, and low suspended sediment and are intolerant of contaminants and habitat disturbance. The relative abundance of EPT taxa compared to the more tolerant Diptera taxa can be used to assess and compare sites. However, this metric must be used with caution because Plecoptera usually are not found in southern Florida. The Peace River had the highest EPT/Diptera ratio compared to the other SOFL sites. The Peace River also supported a diverse algae community with the greatest species richness (220 species) of all the SOFL sites. Total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations were high in the Peace River compared to other SOFL sites because of natural conditions and human activities. The availability of these essential nutrients, combined with an unmodified habitat and more shallow-water areas, may contribute to a more diverse algal community.

The Tamiami Canal is unique among the SOFL canal sites because land within its basin is mostly undeveloped, limiting the input of contaminants. However, the environmental conditions are stressful because the shallow canal has almost no flow, the water is warm, and dissolved- oxygen concentrations typically are very low. Nutrient concentrations were among the lowest of the SOFL sites. The insect community was dominated by Diptera, although some Trichoptera that are adapted to still or slow-flowing conditions were collected. Bluegreen algae were relatively abundant. The fish community showed little similarity to any of the other sites and was characterized by an abundance of minnows and Florida gar. The Tamiami Canal had the smallest proportion (5 percent) of fish with external anomalies. External anomalies, such as eroded fins, lesions, ulcers, tumors, and external parasites, can be an indication that fish are stressed by environmental conditions or contaminants. The highest percentages of fish with external anomalies were from the Hillsboro (32 percent) and C-111 Canals (22 percent). Anomalies at these two sites were primarily external parasites, eroded fins, and anatomical deformities. These two sites were in the top 25 percent of 144 NAWQA sites sampled nationwide.

Exotic species are a threat to native biota.

Figure 15. Exotic fish species were collected at all SOFL sites, 1996-98. [larger image]

Exotic or non-native species of fish, as well as other animals and plants, represent a major threat to native biota in southern Florida. Exotic fish compete with native species for food and habitat. Exotic plants crowd out native species and can form dense monocultures that alter habitat for birds, fish, and other native biota. Ten exotic fish species were collected at the SOFL sites during 1996–98 (fig. 15). Cichlids were the most numerous and widespread exotic species, including the black acara, Mayan cichlid, peacock cichlid, blue tilapia, spotted tilapia, and the oscar. The other exotic species collected (pike killifish, grass carp, walking catfish, and sailfin catfish) were all rare and found at only one or two sites each. Fifty-four exotic fish species have been recorded in southern Florida, and the total statewide exceeded 125 species by 1998 (Fuller and others, 1999). Nearly all the exotic fish species were originally imported for the aquarium trade and either escaped from fish farms or were released by individuals with home aquariums. Exotic fish usually are most abundant in streams that have been altered by human activity (Moyle, 1986). Generally, the canal sites in southern Florida had more exotic species than the major rivers. The number of species of exotic fish at SOFL sites ranked in the top onethird of NAWQA sites nationwide.

The swamp eel (Monopterus albus), recently introduced from Southeast Asia, is a potentially dangerous invader. The swamp eel can breathe air for extended periods of time, enabling it to inhabit stagnant water and even live out of water. This characteristic also enhances its ability to disperse widely. It is a voracious general predator, making it a threat to native fishes, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates. The swamp eel was not collected at any of the SOFL sites during 1996–98. However, this species has affected regional water-management practices. Selected water-control structures in the vicinity of established populations are not being opened to prevent or at least retard dispersal, particularly into waters of ENP.

In addition to fish, other exotic species are of great concern in Florida. At least 25 percent of all plant species in the State are exotic (Langeland, 1998). Melaleuca, a wetland tree, covers almost 400,000 acres in the State and is particularly troublesome in the Water Conservation Areas (Laroche, 1994). Brazilian pepper, a wetland shrub, has infested more than 100,000 acres in the ENP (Ferriter, 1997). Hydrilla, water hyacinth, water milfoil, and water lettuce are the most abundant exotic aquatic plant species infesting canals throughout southern Florida. Efforts to control or eradicate exotic plant species involve the use of mechanical, chemical, and biological control methods. Numerous herbicides are applied, including 2,4-D, copper sulfate, diquat, endothall, fluridone, glyphosate, imazapyr, triclopyr, and others. At least two of these compounds (2,4-D and triclopyr) have been detected in surface water at the SOFL sites.