Leon County's Water Resources Program
The growing awareness and concern for development impacts on local lakes motivated the initial Ecology of the Lakes sampling in 1991. The initial focus on water chemistry within major lakes provided a “snapshot” of a lake. The monitoring program now includes biological conditions that help reflect long term influences, and stream sampling to identify stream water quality conditions as well as determine loadings to lakes and rivers.
For an in-depth history of Leon County's Water Resource Monitoring Program, click here.
The objectives of our water resource monitoring program are:
- Assess the long term health of our waters
- Identify lakes, streams and rivers with potential water quality problems
- Meet our National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements
- Monitor the effects of management programs
Water Chemistry
The current program collects quarterly data on 39 water chemistry parameters at each of the stations. The annual lake sediment analysis involves six laboratory parameters. More information regarding individual parameters can be found here. More information on other factors that can influence water chemistry, including algal blooms, rainfall, and land use, as well as information regarding fish consumption advisories can be found here.
Staff collecting water chemistry samples.
Lake Vegetation Index
The Lake Vegetation Index (LVI) is a multi-metric index that evaluates how closely a lake’s plant community resembles one which would be expected in a condition of minimal human disturbance. It is based on a rapid field assessment of aquatic and wetland plants as indicators of various effects of human disturbance over time. Plants respond to physical disturbances such as introduction of exotic species or lakeshore alterations, and chemical disturbance such as introduction of excess nutrients, particulates, or herbicides from the surrounding land uses. More information regarding the LVI can be found here. Results for LVIs conducted in 2016 are available below.
Staff conducting an LVI.
Stream Condition Index
The Stream Condition Index (SCI) is a multi-metric index that assesses the biological health of stream ecosystems by the evaluation of the population and diversity of macroinvertebrates that are found in a 100 meter stream reach. Several anthropogenic factors, including sedimentation, nutrient enrichment, habitat loss, hydrologic stream channel alteration, and riparian zone alteration, adversely influence the biological health of stream ecosystem. The bioassessment procedures, along with standardized habitat assessments provide evidence to determine the ecological health of a stream. For more detailed information on the SCI, click here. To learn more about macroinvertebrates, click here.
Water Quality Reports