The health of the St. Johns River is headed in the wrong direction. That’s according to the St. Johns Riverkeeper after it reviewed the findings of the 14th annual State Of The River Report.
Lisa Rinaman said there are improvements but points to the ongoing problem of toxic algae blooms as something that must be a focus for city leaders.
“It’s still a problem. And we are still seeing blue-green algae throughout the St. Johns River watershed,” Rinaman said.
The annual study focuses on the Lower St. Johns River Basin, which runs from Lake George in Putnam County to the river’s mouth in Duval County, where the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport. The Report addresses four main areas of river health: water quality; fisheries; aquatic life; and contaminants.
This year’s findings indicate the need for concern in many aspects of the health of the River:
- Trends in total phosphorus levels are worsening, amid rising phosphorus levels during the 2016-20 period. In June 2021, new rulemaking that takes biosolids into account will come into effect.
- Freshwater harmful algal blooms are an ongoing phenomenon, driven by hard-to-control factors such as nutrient inputs, habitat alterations, and global climate change.
- Submerged aquatic vegetation, in terms of grass bed parameters, has largely declined in several regions in the basin due in part to an anomalous weather pattern over the last four years: severe drought followed by major storms.
- Wetlands continue to be lost due to development pressures, and the use of mitigation banking to compensate for their loss has its own set of inherent problems.
- The number of non-native species in the basin rose from 90 to 92, and studies indicate a lack of public awareness of the impacts of non-native species in Florida.
According to the St. Johns Riverkeeper, the main concern regarding the health of the river is that it’s getting saltier. Even though several recent large storms have passed over the area.
“We have more saltwater replacing freshwater. Not only is that causing problems for our submerged grasses and wetlands, we lose all of the ecological services they provide. For example, they provide flood control, like sponges,” Rinaman said.
Some developments offer both positive and negative aspects:
- Dissolved oxygen levels in the mainstem are satisfactory, but seasonal and intermittent lows in the tributaries indicate conditions that can negatively affect aquatic life.
- While total nitrogen in the mainstem is satisfactory and shows an improving trend during the 2016-20 period, total nitrogen in the tributaries remains unsatisfactory.
- Fecal indicator bacteria, specifically E. coli and Enterococci, continue to be present at high levels in numerous tributaries; a new biennial assessment plan adopted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will enable a faster process of identifying impairments and implementing restoration plans.
You can participate in a virtual forum that will highlight details and insights on the health of the St. Johns River.
WJCT hosted a panel discussion that focused on the big-picture of the 14th annual State of the St. Johns River report on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Brendan Rivers of WJCT moderated a panel with City of Jacksonville Chief Resiliency Officer Anne Coglianese and three other guests: St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman, Jacksonville University’s Dr. Quinton White Jr. and Charles Garrison, a member of Jacksonville’s Environmental Protection Board. You can watch that discussion here.
The talks will showcase the improvements made in this year’s report along with several areas which need attention in the river.