Water Atlas Program In Florida: Understanding And Recommendations

Discussion

The Water Atlas Program gives a way to interface numerous partners in water asset administration. It contains an abundance of water asset data that incorporate intuitively. Debilitating water assets are a shortage, abuse, and contamination. As individuals are innately reliant upon water assets, securing and keeping up usable water supplies are basic to maintaining the biological, social, social, and financial prosperity.

The paper discusses the various tools of the chosen Atlas and how the tools have been utilized for a better decision making in the different countries of Florida to serve several communities with respect to water resource planning and management (Sharma, Molden & Cook, 2015). Using the analysis tool of the water Atlas the chosen lake is Anglers Lake and the chosen river/stream is Able Canal.

Anglers lake or Sunshine lake, situated in the state of Florida at the location of Peace River watershed has a surface area about 31.37 acres.

Figure 1:

Source: (“Metadata Summary: STORET_21FLGW”, 2018)

Its latitude is 28° 01′ 47″ and Longitude is 81° 53′ 05″ and The United States Geological Survey (USGS) quarter quad system is LAKELAND (SE) (USF Water Institute, 2018). The general, also scientific information about development, biology and chemistry of zone surface water environments, are as follows:

Quality of Water- The Trophic State Index (TSI) that estimates the amount of nitrogen, chlorophyll and phosphorus, that are nutrients for the plant life is 64(fair).The limiting nutrient of the lake is nitrogen. Anglers Lake falls under the category of a mesotrophic water body due to its moderate level of biological productivity. Altering nutrients are generally the major causes of degradation of Florida water resource. According to FDEP, Aquatic Quality Standards and Special Projects (Florida), Total nitrogen level is 1,2740 ug/I and that of total phosphorus is 450.0 ug/L. The level of chlorophyll is 28.8 ug/L. Water lucidity contains suspended particles, for example, green growth is one marker of a water body’s capacity to maintain plants and untamed life. The latest value for the turbidity is around 4.7 NTU (USF Water Institute, 2018). The current bacterial indicators for aquatic recreation incorporate aggregate coliform, fecal coliform, and Enterococcus. Wellsprings of debasement consolidate whirlwind water overflow, sewage surges, and defecation from wild and nearby animals. The broke down oxygen sum is 7.6 mg/I (Wang et al., 2014).

Water levels & flows: It demonstrates how quick water is moving and how profound the water is in the aquatic asset. Water levels ordinarily take after precipitation designs amid times of wet climate and dry season (Haddeland et al., 2014). The Lake Region Classification System is an apparatus utilized for gathering lakes in view of likenesses in physiography, geography, soils, hydrology, water science, atmosphere and vegetation.

Information

Habitats: It investigates general and also logical data about the development, science, and science of territory surface water situations. Vegetation examining is an apparatus utilized as a part of natural appraisals and can educate a horde of evaluation objectives including accessibility of biomass, concerns relating to water quality, administration benchmarks, and deciding the presentation and foundation of intrusive species.

Able Canal headquarters at the End of Wellington Ave, Lee County, and mouths at the end of N Rita Ave, Lee County. The length of the river is 9 miles.

Figure 1:

Source: (“Metadata Summary: LEE_WQ”, 2018)

Able Canal is located within the Caloosahatchee Watershed. Watersheds are made out of gatherings of streams that flow to a solitary bay or gathering of bayous. Drainage Basins are subunits of watersheds and are characterized by the principle brook that moves through them.

Water Quality- Total nitrogen level in the water of the canal is about 710.0 ug/L, Total Phosphorus level is 60.0 ug/L, Chlorophyll level is 6.3 ug/L. Water clarity level as measured by the database highlights that the average turbidity is higher than it has been historically. Bacteria level is moderate with fecal coliform at 41 CFU/100ml and enterococcus at 64 CFU/100ml respectively. Dissolved oxygen level in the canal is 7.1 mg/I. This water body is not an impaired water body according to Impaired Water Rule(IWR) hence, waters here are of recreational usage (“Metadata Summary: STORET_21FLWQSP”, 2018). This canal falls in the class III category of water body specifying the usage of the canal for swimming and fishing purposes.

Water levels and flows: Level of water is moderate in the canal ranging from 0.0-4.2 ft from the last 10 years.

Ecology: The water of the canal consists of Macro invertebrates. These are aquatic animals serving as important biological indicators of the aquatic resources heath. Besides vegetation sampling is also common in the canal. These are an identification of plant communities and analyzing the availability of biomass, quality of water in the lake and existence of any invasive species.

Atlas is a new software analysis platform. Atlas decouples the area particular examination objective from its basic component by a part investigation into two unmistakable stages. In the main stage, polynomial-time static analyzers record the product AST, building a rich chart database. In the second stage, clients can investigate the chart specifically or run custom examination contents composed utilizing an advantageous API. These highlights make Atlas perfect for both connection and automation.

Using the site as a Decision-Making Tool (D.M.S)

Mapping services are an integral part of the Atlas. This includes advanced mapping application which let the user view certain mapped information about the water body, it’s planning, infrastructure, habitats and image of its aerial. Besides, there is real-time data mapper tool. This tool gives access to current data and user can download the data via this tool for personal usage specifying any particular water body. Another versatile tool, Contour mapping assists in evoking spatial differences in the quality of coastal water, mapping color to values of sample (USF Water Institute, 2018). Tidal stream assessments create a hydrologic link between estuaries and their watersheds highlighting vegetation, bathymetry.

Data and analysis tools help the user to find, acquire and ease the understanding of various data related to water resources. Tools like real-time data mapper, water resource search, short line survey, CH Flatwoods initiative, tidal stream assessments, and metadata are essential to locate and download information regarding any water body on any water Atlas (USF Water Institute, 2018).

Learning and education tools like a stormwater education, digital library, spatial library, coastal watershed wiki, news and aquatic preserves helps the user to analyze and find out about various environmental recreations, opportunities. They provide direct access to the online library for further studies.

Participation is the socializing tool which provides the user with volunteer opportunities, monitoring of water quality, managing storm waters and restoration of oyster habitat.

Water Resource Atlas shows information about particular water bodies streams, lakes or ocean. The Water Resource Search tool provides snappy access, and the Advanced Search box empowers users for examining aquatic resources on various guidebooks immediately.

The Intuitive Mapping-The interface for mapping enables a user to go through numerous surfaces, for example, FEMA surge zones, arrive utilize and elevated photography.

Finding Data- In aquatic resource level of the individual, the information has been allocated into regions, making it simple for individual to search for any data of their requirement (Wang et al., 2014).

Progressed Graphing- This Advanced Graphing Tool enables the user to choose and pick up any particular water assets, datasets, and test regions to make changed diagrams.

Tools for Online Communication – By using online structures; user can talk with the designers and the scientists behind the data of the Water Atlas.

Some of the recommended measures for the improvement of the Atlas would be the inclusion of real-time qualitative data so that university faculty and researcher can use them in their works. Usage of Atlas is very limited globally since license needs to be purchased for accessing certain databases inside the Atlas. Advancement in technology and technical support in accessing Atlas required (Milbrandt et al., 2016). More vivid clarification and discussion regarding the water clarity, state wise classification of water bodies and their category of water usage, the level of nutrients and pollutants present in those needs more clear analysis and results.

Conclusion

It merits having learning and abilities to get to an ATLAS, particularly in light of the fact that this upgrades acknowledgment and expert development. Chartbook is intended for the advantage of the populace and data for the administration with the goal that fast activities and measures can be taken or the change of the water bodies.

References

Haddeland, I., Heinke, J., Biemans, H., Eisner, S., Flörke, M., Hanasaki, N., … & Stacke, T. (2014). Global water resources affected by human interventions and climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(9), 3251-3256.

Metadata Summary: LEE_WQ. (2018). Wateratlas.usf.edu. Retrieved 25 January 2018, from https://www.wateratlas.usf.edu/shared/metadata.asp?id=LEE_WQ

Metadata Summary: STORET_21FLGW. (2018). Wateratlas.usf.edu. Retrieved 25 January 2018, from https://www.wateratlas.usf.edu/shared/metadata.asp?id=STORET_21FLGW

Metadata Summary: STORET_21FLWQSP. (2018). Wateratlas.usf.edu. Retrieved 25 January 2018, from https://www.wateratlas.usf.edu/shared/metadata.asp?id=STORET_21FLWQSP

Milbrandt, E. C., Bartleson, R. D., Martignette, A. J., Siwicke, J., & Thompson, M. (2016). Evaluating light attenuation and low salinity in the lower Caloosahatchee Estuary with the River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON). Florida Scientist, 79(2/3), 109.

Sharma, B., Molden, D., & Cook, S. (2015). Water use efficiency in agriculture: Measurement, current situation and trends. Managing water and fertilizer for sustainable agricultural intensification, 39.

USF Water Institute, U. (2018). Welcome – CHNEP.WaterAtlas.org. Chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu. Retrieved 25 January 2018, from https://chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu/

Wang, W. C., Xu, D. M., Chau, K. W., & Lei, G. J. (2014). Assessment of river water quality based on theory of variable fuzzy sets and fuzzy binary comparison method. Water resources management, 28(12), 4183-4200.