Baywatch Program

THE RMA BAYWATCH PROGRAM  

      

THE RMA BAYWATCH PROGRAM

             BAYWATCH  is a citizen volunteer water quality monitoring program that was designed and initiated in January, 1990 by Dr. Jack Taylor, a biological consultant who managed the program through 1992..  It is designed to periodically and systematically test and evaluate aquatic conditions throughout the St. Andrew Bay estuarine system, Lake Powell, and other lakes in the watershed.

The impetus to create BAY WATCH came from the St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association (RMA).  This non-profit organization conducts the monitoring program, and is responsible for sampling station selections, water collections and analyses, data management and distribution, and program coordination with other agencies and environmental groups.  The  Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service furnishes technical and consultant services.  The Northwest Florida Water Management District assists in funding the operations.  The National Marine Fisheries Service furnishes a boat for sampling and restoration projects  The RMA BAYWATCH laboratory is located adjacent to the Panama City Marine Institute (PCMI) offices on PCMI property.  PCMI assists with the water sampling and analyses, and furnishes boats and personnel when possible.

The primary purpose of the BAYWATCH Program is to determine long-term trends in water quality in the St. Andrew Bay system and other selected waters of Bay County.

             Ms. Julie Terrell of  the University of Florida’s LAKEWATCH water quality monitoring program  furnishes ongoing technical assistance, equipment, and analyses of nutrients and chlorophyll.  DEP, Pensacola analyzes the West Bay seagrass station nutrients and chlorophyll. 

            Initial funding for the program came from RMA reserves and corporate contributions.  Citizen volunteers donate their time, vehicles, boats, and fuel in the collection of water samples. 

A recent addition is the seagrass monitoring program, which is described in a separate link.  BAYWATCH is responsible for monthly water quality sampling at each of the seagrass monitoring sites.

 

 PROJECT DESIGN AND OPERATIONS: 

            The network of monthly sample stations for BAYWATCH consists of 73 permanently designated stations; 31 in open water and 24 near the mouths of creeks or bayous, and 18 seagrass stations that are sampled monthly.  More than half are original stations that have been sampled since 1990

The eighteen seagrass stations are monitored for seagrass health each year and are also sampled for water quality. each month.

Nine teams of volunteers conduct the sampling. with a total of 28 water sampling volunteers.  There are also four laboratory volunteers and five members of the BAYWATCH Coordinating Committee  

All stations are sampled  for parameters listed below:

Temperature (C^o)

pH

Secchi

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l)

Turbidity (NTU)

Salinity (ppt)

Open-water and seagrass stations are also sampled for:

Chlorophyll a (ug/l)

Nitrogen (ug/l)

Phosphorus (ug/l)                                                                       

PROJECT COORDINATION: 

            A committee of five RMA members furnish general direction and provide  quality control for the project.  The Committee coordinates the water sampling, volunteer assignments, equipment, and laboratory.

Technically trained State and Federal chemists and biologists provide recommendations and assistance in the management of the project.

BAYWATCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE

Charles McLendon

Bob Farsky

Murt Lyon, Data Manager

Also, Linda Fitzhugh is the Seagrass Program Coordinator

BAYWATCH PRODUCTS

Baywatch has published four reports during its twelve years of operations describing water quality in St. Andrew Bay, Deer Point Lake, and Lake Powell.  RMA also furnishes the raw data to Florida State agencies, EPA, Military, and local agencies and companies in the form of reports, electronic transfers, and computer discs.  This data is made available to anyone who requests it.  There is no charge for the data, only for cost of publication, computer discs, or copying charges.

Earlier BAYWATCH data can be downloaded from the Environmental Protection Agency’s STORET water quality database. 

 If you are interested in becoming a BAYWATCH volunteer, please call Connie Rew at 215-2025.

BAYWATCH COMPLETES MARSH PLANTING

The unfortunate grounding of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission vessel J.J. Brown turned out to be positive for RMA=s West Bay shoreline restoration project. RMA was able to salvage sufficient Spartina sp. (marsh grass) from the site to be excavated around the vessel to complete a shoreline restoration project in lower West Bay.
Stephen and Rhonda Hoeckley had given us permission to plant the Spartina along their eroding shoreline. RMA had a permit application pending for the restoration project and this availability of Spartina greatly accelerated the completion of the Project. The volunteers were able to plant 450 plugs of Spartina in seven rows along the 106' shoreline.
Thanks to Mike Brim, Neil Lamb, Jon Hemming, Brian Martin, Summer Waters, and Charlie Yautz for all the hard labor in digging and planting the Spartina. Also thanks to Rhonda Hoeckley for providing refreshments.
The plantings will be monitored for at least a year to determine if such shoreline marsh planting can be successful under those conditions. Should this effort be successful, we will try to apply these techniques to other areas. (Submitted by J. Barkuloo)
 

 

Baywatch Coordinating Committee:

Murt Lyon 265-2539 nepaug@bellsouth.net

Butch McLendon 233-0994 vmcb@comcast.net

Bob Farsky 874-2891 bobmiki@mac.com

Seagrass Coordinator:

Linda Fitzhugh 872-3488 fitzhugh@knology.net
 

West Bay Coordinator

Jim Barkuloo 763-1820  jbarkuloo@knology.net

Baywatch Staff:

Lab Manager: Hope Lyon 265-2539 nepaug@bellsouth

Lab Assistant: Connie Rew 215-2025 crew@knology.net