RMA Baywatch Program Water Quality Monitoring in the St. Andrew Bay Watershed, Bay County, FL
Established in 1990, the St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association (RMA) Baywatch Program is a volunteer sampling program that monitors long-term trends in water quality and aquatic resources in the St. Andrew Bay watershed. Teams of volunteers collect water samples monthly at 74 sample stations throughout the St. Andrew Bay estuarine system, Lake Powell, and other lakes in the watershed. Seagrass coverage and composition in West Bay and near Shell Island is monitored.
BAYWATCH ACTIVITIES
Monthly Water Sampling and Data Collection Water samples are collected monthly at 74 sample stations throughout the St. Andrew Bay watershed. There are nine study areas including Lake Powell, Powell Creek East, West Bay, North Bay, East Bay, Grand Lagoon, St. Andrew Bay, Lake Marin, and Johnson Bayou. Sample sites are divided into two categories: 1) Baywatch & Lakewatch Water Quality Stations (N=55) 2) Seagrass Water Quality Stations (N=19)
Baywatch/Lakewatch Water Quality Stations (in coordination with University of Florida LAKEWATCH) Baywatch monitors 40 stations each month in partnership with the University of Florida's LAKEWATCH program. Data collected at each station includes temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, secchi depth, weather conditions, and sea state. Samples are collected at each station and evaluated for turbidity, nutrients, and chlorophyll.
Seagrass Water Quality Stations (in coordination with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Northwest District Office, Pensacola) Monitoring of water quality at seagrass habitat is performed monthly in cooperation with the DEP, Northwest District Office. DEP staff collect water samples from 19 seagrass stations in West Bay and St. Andrew Bay. Data collected includes temperature, pH, DO, salinity, conductivity, secchi depth, weather conditions, and sea state. Nutrients and bacteria are monitored quarterly. Samples are returned to DEP's central lab in Tallahassee for evaluation of turbidity, color, BOD 5-day total, residue non-filtered, and chlorophyll a. Results are available in STORET under organization code 21FLPNS. PROJECT PARTNERS Activities of the RMA Baywatch Program are accomplished in cooperation with the following Partners: Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) University of Florida, LAKEWATCH Friends of St. Andrew Bay/Bay Environmental Study Team (BEST) Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Florida State University (FSU) Gulf Coast Community College (GCCC) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Panama City Marine Institute (PCMI) US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Sampling Crooked Creek
Sampling Powell Creek East
St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association Baywatch water quality monitoring stations designated for University of Florida (UF – Red Squares), general Baywatch (BW – Blue Circles), and SeaGrass (SG- Yellow Triangles) site monitoring.
Baywatch Sample Results and Presentations Documents below are in Adobe acrobat (.pdf) format. To download the free software, click here.
