Ichetucknee Springs System - Survey

Kathleen A. McKee University of Florida Water Institute

Number of survey respondents in response to desired CHANGES, ACTIONS, things to stay the SAME etc.

Category Research Topic

Algae increase? What is the cause of increased algae

BMPs development of effective ag BMPs.

Clarity How important is water clarity/turbidity to our understanding health or impairment of this system?

Exotic species impacts of exotic species

Fish Fish surveys down the spring run

Flow - Dynamics More detailed isotope, tracer studies to identify residence time and flowpaths of water emerging at spring vents.

Flow - Dynamics evaluate what's happening with spring flow & keep monitoring flow continuously at as many springs as poss

Flow - Dynamics What are the fractions of deep, shallow and recently recharged groundwater in the springs.

Flow - Dynamics Has there been a significant change in the Ichetucknee River discharge during the period of record?

Flow - Dynamics Integrated hydrologic modeling to test hypotheses about residence time and flowpaths of water emerging at spring vents.

Flow - DynamicsRigorous field and modeling studies to test hypotheses that pumping from SE Georgia and NE Florida is decreasing flows at spring systems

Flow - Effects Survey of impacts and changes to the system caused by declining groundwater levels

Flow and Nutrients What is the relationshiop between flow and pollution levels?

Flow Regs Establishment of a legally and scientifically defensible MFL

Human Use impacts of recreation/human use

Inverts invertebrate grazers and algal biomass thresholds

Inverts How does low DO interact with grazer reduction to allow algal accural?

Inverts Monitoring of benthic macroinvertebrate and algal communities

Nutr/Nitr - effects Survey of impacts and changes to the system caused by changes in water quality (nitrate mentioned earlier)

Nutr/Nitr - effects How has the nutrient pollution affected the flora and fauna (i.e., what should the "desired future condition" be?)

Nutr/Nitr - effects Water quality monitoring at headsprings and US 27 d

Nutr/Nitr - effects quantify denitrification

Nutr/Nitr - effects quantify nutrient limitation and algal growth sdfsa

Nutr/Nitr - effects impacts of nutrients

Nutr/Nitr - source What is the nutrient loading in the springshed

Nutr/Nitr - source Fertilizer use in the basin, more accurate

Nutr/Nitr - source Where are the sources that are contributing to the nutrient pollution

Nutr/Nitr - source Need accurate data on nutrient loading to field level

Nutr/Nitr - source impact of non ag activities on system

Nutr/Nitr - source What are the pollution sources?

Nutr/Nitr - source Can we identify a direct connection between different sources of nitrate in the springshed and nitrate in the spring water?

Nutr/Nitr - source update nitrogen budget for springshed

Nutr/Nitr - source 1. identification of the relative nitrate contributions within the Ichetucknee Trace

Plans How to coordinate action plans

Plans How to implement action plans

Plans How to test the success of actions

Restoration How do we reverse impacts

Restoration Do we need physical removal of mats to ulimately reduce the extent of algae

SAV Regular mapping and monitoring of SAV acreage and cover; add index of periphyton abundance/cover on SAV leaves

SAV Why do we see submerged aquatic vegetation die-off's directly at some spring vents and not throughout the system?

SAV What is the cause of loss of SAV diverstiy

Science Communic How do you make research results accessible and understandable to managers and politicians?

Systems understanding entire system interaction - not just specifics

Systems Is there any area of the Ichetucknee River that is more ecologically sensitive than other areas?

Systems 3. identify which biological parameter is best indicator of ecological health in this system

Water Use 2. trends in water use/consumptive use within the springshed

Water Use Complete tracking of all water withdrawal users in north Florida.

Withrawal impacts What loss of discharge has occurred because of groundwater withdrawals (factoring out natural variability).

Withrawal impacts need actual consumptive use

A survey was sent to over 30 invitees to the Ichetucknee Springs Preservation Workshop held Feb 10, 2011, and 16 responded to the survey. The results of Watershed Priorities and River Priorities graphs reflect a reorganizing of the answers but account for just one person each, to show how many people care about each topic.

February 16, 2011