When I was hired with Florida Sea Grant, I developed an advisory committee who represented a variety of stakeholder interest in the Pensacola Bay area. I asked the committee to list their top three concerns or issues with the local marine environment so that I could have a start on where I would focus my education programs. I was expecting a variety of answers, but all of them wrote water quality.
Each October I send a survey to those who have read one of my articles, or attended one of my programs to see what behavior changes they may have made to improve the health of the bay and I ask them which topics should be the focus for the upcoming year. Water quality is always on that list and is usually the first. 2024, was no different, water quality remains the number one topic.
Local bayous in the Pensacola Bay area have experienced fish kills due excessive nutrients in the past. The Lakewatch Program trains volunteers to monitor nutrients in these waterways today.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
There are numerous issues that impact our water quality. In a 2016 EPA publication, Dr. Mike Lewis (et.al.) discussed a variety of environmental concerns that had impacted the Pensacola Bay System1. Between pages 23-86 of this 145-page document the topic of water quality is discussed. Topics include what contaminants we discharge into the waterways, ground water quality, surface water quality, sediment quality, bioaccumulation, and the risk these contaminants have on estuarine fish and wildlife, as well as humans. The contaminants reach our waters using a variety of ways including the atmosphere, ground water, tributaries, municipal and industrial wastewater, and stormwater runoff. With a variety of issues at hand, I asked my advisory committee for advice on prioritizing these issues. Surface water quality rose to the top and I began our program here.
Surface waters have issues such as eutrophication (excess nutrients triggering algal blooms which trigger low dissolved oxygen which trigger fish kills), chemical contamination of sediments, water clarity due to increase sediments, fecal bacteria, PAHs, pesticides, PCBs, and others. Many of these have been monitored for decades. Surface water quality in the Pensacola Bay System was reported as fair in 1992, in need of improvement in 1998, and good – 30% good in 2005. Though things are improving there is still much to do.
So… what can YOU do the help?
Historically rainwater fell on the land and water of the Pensacola Bay region. The water that fell on the land either percolated through the sediments to recharge the ground water, or – if it was a form of sediment that reduced percolation rates, formed surface water that recharged the bay (streams, creeks, and rivers). With the increase in development there came an increase in impervious surfaces for water to percolate, and flooding of streets and communities became a problem. Communities began to develop methods of moving this stormwater into our properties and into the area waterways. Early the method was nothing more than discharge pipes directly into these waterways. More recently stormwater ponds, diverting to marshes, and other methods have been used. This has become an increasing problem with the high densities developments we are seeing now.
Stormwater conveyance in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. Photo: Matt Deitch
Solving this problem often falls on the city and county governments to develop ordinances to properly manage stormwater and abide by state and federal mandates. Each year, UF IFAS Extension offers a district wide workshop focused on new methods of handling stormwater. This year Part 1 of the workshop will be held on May 1, Part 2 on May 15. If you are with a city/county municipality and are interested in attending either in-person or virtually, contact your local extension office for more information. But there are things that private homeowners and businesses can do as well.
Everyone who lives in the Florida panhandle can expect rain and a lot of it. Over the last decade Pensacola has averaged around 70 inches annually. What are you going to do with the rainwater that falls on your property? In many cases there are designs for it to run off your property and contribute to the stormwater issue. However, there are ways to hold on to that rainwater and use it for good. If you have gutters you can place rain barrels at the down spouts. This water could then be used to irrigate your landscape using drip irrigation methods. You could create a rain garden. These are low areas on the property where rainwater is directed. You can then landscape these with plants that can tolerate wetter conditions and make it look attractive. You can also use previous materials for your sidewalks, patios, and even your driveway. Pervious materials will allow rainwater to percolate through reaching the ground and avoid running off towards storm drains.
Rain barrels can be used to capture rainwater and avoid run-off. Rain garden at the VA Central Western Massachusetts Health Care System facility.
Photo: US Air Force
You could landscape your yard using the UF IFAS Florida Friendly Landscaping principles. Following the nine principles of this program will help reduce the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and water usage itself. Not only does this reduce irrigation water becoming part of the stormwater, but it also reduces some of the chemical pollutants that contribute to poor water quality as well. It also saves the property owner money.
Health advisories issued due to high levels of fecal bacteria are problems in many local waterways. Poorly maintained septic and sewer systems are a major cause of this. If you own a septic system, you need to develop a maintenance plan and follow it. If you are not sure how to do this, contact your county extension office for assistance.
A conventional septic system is composed of a septic tank and a drainfield, where most of the wastewater treatment takes place. Image: US EPA
Though less maintenance is needed if you are on sewer system, there are still things you need to do to help reduce sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs). One is to watch what you pour down the drain. Fats, oils, grease, and even milk can solidify and block the flow of your sewage, and lead to SSOs. In Escambia County the Emerald Coast Utility Authority (ECUA) offers a program they call FOG. This program provides free containers where you pour your fats, oils, and grease. When full, they can be exchanged for a new container, this reduces the frequency of SSOs and ECUA will use these oils as a biofuel at their reclamation center. There may be a similar program in your community. Another practice you could adopt is to check the lateral sewer lines connecting your house to the main sewer line under the street. These lateral lines are the responsibility of the homeowner and can become clogged or cracked releasing untreated sewage into the environment.
1-gallon container provided free to dispose of your oil and grease.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
If you are a waterfront property owner, you might consider planting a living shoreline. These natural shorelines not only reduce the erosion of your property, but they also provide habitat that enhances fisheries, and the marsh plants are good at absorbing/trapping sediments and pollutants that may runoff your property. If you would like to learn more about how to have a living shoreline planted, contact your county extension office.
FDEP planting a living shoreline on Bayou Texar in Pensacola.
Photo: FDEP
Keep in mind that the suggestions mentioned above work as well for businesses as they do for homeowners.
It is understood that water quality is a large concern for many in the Florida panhandle. Though things are improving in some areas, there is more that can be done. There are things YOU can do to help reduce this problem. Hopefully some of you will adopt some of the practices in 2024 and let us know if you do. If you have questions about any of them, contact your local county extension office.
Reference
1 Lewis, Michael, J. Taylor Kirschenfeld, and Traci Goodhart. Environmental Quality of the Pensacola Bay System: Retrospective Review for Future Resource Management and Rehabilitation. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, Florida, EPA/600/R-16/169, 2016.
Health advisories issued by the Department of Health (DOH) due to high levels of fecal bacteria have been a problem for some parts of the Pensacola Bay system for decades. Though most of the samples collected near our beaches rarely require them (usually between 0-5%) the bayous near downtown have been at, or above, 30% of the samples. Bayou Chico is often between 50-60% of the samples. Fecal bacteria have been such a problem in Bayou Chico that it was required to adopt a state Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) to rectify the problem.
Closed due to bacteria.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
I began following the health advisory reports provided by DOH’s Healthy Beaches Program in 2012. As mentioned above, swimming beaches near our islands rarely have health advisories issued. The problem was with the three bayous near downtown. In 2012 all three consistently reported 30%, or more, of their samples required an advisory to be issued.
To rectify the problem the city and county have been doing a lot of work replacing old infrastructure that allowed sewage to leak from pipes or reach surface waters through sanitary sewage overflows. Many communities around these bayous are converting from old septic systems to sewer, the communities around Bayou Texar are now all on sewer. These same efforts are occurring along the north shore of Bayou Grande, and in neighborhoods around Bayou Chico. Between 2012 and the present, I have seen the frequency of health advisories decline some. Bayou Texar hovers around 30%, some years they are below, others above the mark. In recent years Bayou Grande has consistently been between 25-30%. Bayou Chico has declined some but is usually at or above 30%.
In 2023, for the first time since I began following this, all 13 sites monitored in Escambia County were below 30%.
2023
Body of Water
Number of samples taken
Percent of samples requiring an advisory
Bayou Texar
45
22
Bayou Grande
18
22
Bayou Chico
19
21
Bruce Beach
46
9
Big Lagoon State Park
19
5
Sanders Beach
46
4
Casino Beach
18
0
Park East
18
0
Park West
18
0
Quietwater Beach
18
0
Ft. Pickens
7
0
Johnson’s Beach
7
0
Opal Beach
7
0
It is worth noting that our rainfall was low this year as well. Historically, Pensacola received 60-61 inches of rain a year. Over the last decade this has increased to 70-71 inches. The current rainfall total for 2023 is 58 inches. Many studies show a strong correlation between rainfall and the number of advisories issued. It may very well be that the reduction in rainfall played a large part in the reduction of health advisories. Despite a lot of progress repairing infrastructure, and this effort needs to continue, there are still some issues.
Along with the city and county retrofitting old infrastructure, there are things area residents can do as well.
Many of these are related to poorly maintained septic systems throughout the area. If you are a septic system owner and would like to learn more on how to properly maintain your septic system, contact your county extension office.
If you are a septic system owner and are interested in converting to sewer to reduce the need for maintenance, contact our county extension office. For some communities in the Pensacola area, there is a cost share program with DOH to help make this conversion.
If you are on a sewer system in one of the older parts of town, the pipe leaving your house and connecting to the line under the street is your responsibility and may need repairing or replacing. Many plumbing companies have a television scope that can examine this line and provide you feedback.
For everyone, be careful what your pour down the drain. Fats, Oils, Grease, and even milk can clog the pipes and cause sanitary sewage overflows or backups in the system. Heavy rains only make this worse. In the Pensacola area the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) provides free plastic gallon jugs to place your cooking oil and grease in and, when full, can be swapped for another at several locations around town. To find the closest disposal site to you visit https://ecua.fl.gov/live-green/fats-oils-grease.
The FOG gallon containers are found in these metal cabinets placed around the county.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
Despite low rainfall this year, it is still good that all 13 sites were below 30% this year. With the help of the local governments, agencies, and residents, hopefully it will remain so.
The information provided here can be used by communities all along the Florida panhandle. High fecal bacteria count, and health advisories are not limited to the Pensacola Bay System. Contact your county extension office for more information on how you can help to reduce health advisories in your area.
I began this project in 2022 wanting to know which of the 40 species of snakes known to inhabit the Pensacola Bay area were encountered by people. I also wanted to know where they were encountering them and what time of year. This information would be used in my Living with Snakes program and provide better information than field guides and publications that covered a broader area. The 40 local species were divided into six categories: small snakes (<12”), mid-sized snakes (12-24”), large snakes (> 24”), water snakes, venomous snakes, and non-native snakes.
The red rat snake, or corn snake.
Photo: Molly O’Connor
Which snakes did people encounter?
In 2023 there were 215 snake encounters between Jan 1 and Dec 10. This is a 136% increase over 2022. This is probably not because of more snakes but rather more residents participating in the project.
Of the 40 species possible, 24 (60%) were encountered. This is a 13% increase over 2022. Again, I feel this is due more to increasing participation.
The most frequently encountered species were:
Cottonmouth – 49 records (23%)
Southern Black Racer – 35 records (16%)
Banded Water Snake – 26 records (12%)
Eastern Garter Snake – 17 records (8%)
Eastern Coachwhip – 11 records (5%)
The Southern Black Racer was the most frequently encountered snake in 2022 (23%), followed by the cottonmouth (16%). As you can see, the frequency of encounters remained the same this year, but the species flipped. The Eastern Ribbon Snake, which was third at (14%) in 2022 did not make the top five this year.
The rarest snakes – those encountered only once or not at all – included:
Encountered once:
Rough Green Snake
Eastern Kingsnake
Eastern Coral Snake
NOT Encountered at all:
Smooth Earth Snake
Marsh Brown Snake
Southern Hognose Snake
Mole Kingsnake
Scarlet Kingsnake
Eastern Indigo Snake
Black Swamp Snake
Glossy Crayfish Snake
Queen Snake
Midland Watersnake
Yellow Bellied Water Snake
Diamondback Water Snake
Western Green Water Snake
Western/Eastern Mud Snake
Rainbow Snake
Of the four species only encountered once, each is considered quite rare for encounters. The Eastern Kingsnake was once common but has declined over the years. The Eastern Coral Snake is quite common, but its behavior and activity make it rare to encounter. Some snake experts have never seen one in the wild.
Of the 16 species not encountered at all, three are small snakes whose size and habits make them difficult to detect. Two are mid-sized but their habits also make them hard to detect. Nine are water snakes who live in swampy environments along our rivers. You would have to be out there to encounter them, and few people are. Two species, the Southern Hognose and the Eastern Indigo Snake, are state and federal listed and are extremely rare.
The gray rat snake, also known as the oak snake.
Photo: Nick Baldwin
Where did people encounter these snakes?
I divided the bay area into four regions: North Escambia, South Escambia, North Santa Rosa, and South Santa Rosa.
North Escambia – 13 species (54% of the total 24 species found this year).
South Escambia – 16 species (67% of the total).
North Santa Rosa – 17 species (71% of the total).
South Santa Rosa – 11 species (46% of the total).
There is not much difference between these. In Escambia County more encounters occurred in the southern portion of the county. For Santa Rosa County it was the opposite. Whether this is because there are more snakes in these locations, or more participants in the project cannot be said. We will pay more attention to this next year.
Species that were found in ALL four regions included:
Eastern Garter Snake
Gray Rat Snake
Corn Snake
Southern Black Racer
Coachwhip
Cottonmouth
Species only found on one of the four regions included:
Eastern Kingsnake
Florida Pine Snake
Brahminy Blind Snake
Rough Earth Snake
Pinewoods Snake
Eastern Coral Snake
What time of year were these snakes encountered?
Winter – 57 encounters; 13 species
Spring – 80 encounters; 20 species
Summer – 52 encounters; 18 species
Fall – 17 encounters; 10 species
There was an obvious decline in encounters in the fall. Many species are beginning to settle in for the winter this time of year, but many others breed, and thus should be moving (at least the males). I know some volunteers ceased looking, but others I know who search weekly, or daily, did not encounter as many snakes.
Only one species was encountered every month of the year. This was the cottonmouth.
The Eastern Garter Snake was seen every month except June and October; it seems to be active year-round.
The Southern Black Racer was missing in January, November, and December – suggesting a dislike for the cold.
NOTE: many of these hibernating snakes will emerge on warmer sunny days during winter and can be encountered.
SPRING was the time of year with the highest encounter rate and species encountered. This would make sense in two parts; (1) they are emerging seeking food after non-feeding during winter, (2) they are emerging looking for mates because it is breeding season for many. Five species were only encountered in the early part of the year. Two species were only found in winter and one species was only found in the spring.
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake crawling near Ft. Pickens Campground.
Photo: Shelley Johnson
What about the venomous snakes?
As expected, most are concerned more about the encounters with venomous snakes. There are six venomous species listed in the state of Florida, four inhabit the Pensacola Bay area. All four were encountered in 2023.
Cottonmouth – was encountered in all regions, each month of the year, it was the most commonly encountered snake in our area this year.
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake – was encountered seven times, only during the spring and summer, and in three of the four regions in our area. This snake is pretty common but not commonly encountered where people most often reside and play. Though encounters do occur in residential neighborhoods, they are rare.
Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake – was encountered six times, during spring, summer, and fall, and two of the four regions in the bay area.
Eastern Coral Snake – was encountered once, during the spring, and in only one of the four regions in the bay area. Again, this snake is actually quite common, but its behavior makes it difficult to encounter. So, encounters with this species are rare.
Summary
In 2023 60% of the known species of snakes that inhabit the Pensacola Bay area were encountered by residents at some time during the year. Most encounters occurred in the spring and summer and encounters occurred throughout the entire region. The cottonmouth was the most frequently encountered species this year but rare species, such as the Eastern hognose, Eastern kingsnake, and the Florida pine snake were seen – and that is pretty exciting. The snake diversity in the Pensacola Bay area seems good. There is concern that a non-native parasite decreasing the populations of some species in central and south Florida may make its way to the panhandle. We are participating in a project entitled Snake Lungworm Alliance Monitoring (SLAM) that collects deceased snakes for examination by researchers. If you find a deceased snake in good enough condition to be dissected, place it in a plastic Ziplock bag, label with the date, location (GPS preferred), and your contact information. You can then bring it to the Escambia County Extension office or freeze it and call me – (850-475-5230) or email roc1@ufl.edu and we will arrange pick up.
We plan to continue the Snake Watch Project in 2024 and encourage all who see snakes to contact me at the above email address. We will also be offering the Living with Snakes presentation. If your community group is interested in this talk, contact me.
I am going to end 2023 with an article on a project I hope to conduct in 2024. It will focus on insular cottonmouths and will focus on the western panhandle, though those in the eastern panhandle might be interested and could help. For obvious reasons, conducting this project as a citizen science one is not the best idea. Cottonmouths are venomous snakes and can be dangerous, but there could be opportunities where citizens could be of help (a road killed snake for example).
The cottonmouth is one of the more commonly encountered snakes in the western panhandle.
Photo: Bob Jackson
The story is quite interesting. Most books and articles on cottonmouths indicate they inhabit freshwater habitats where water flow is slower. Though found in the back waters of rivers, they are not as common within the rivers themselves. Golf courses, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs are other places they frequent. There are records of them on coastal barrier islands and in the upper Florida Keys. Swimming across saltwater is not surprising but existing on a xeric, sandy barrier island would not fit the typical habitat of this snake. Most of the accounts on barrier islands are in the Big Bend region and many know that there are freshwater habitats on some of these islands. If a cottonmouth could reach the island, there could be a suitable habitat for them. But you could argue that these habitats are not large enough to support a large population. The carry capacity of a population is determined by the amount of space and resources available. Cottonmouths are opportunistic feeders – so, finding food would not be a big issue – but with limited acreage of needed freshwater the carrying capacity would be lower, and populations of cottonmouths lower as well. Then there is Seahorse Key.
Seahorse Key
Photo: Courtesy of flicker
Seahorse Key is 3 miles southwest of Cedar Key and can only be accessed by boat. It is said that the density of cottonmouths is higher there than anywhere in the state. Dr. Coleman Sheehy (University of Florida) stated they typically encountered 30 snakes while conducting beach walk surveys and they estimated about 600 cottonmouths on the island. The fact that cottonmouths were there was not surprising, but the high density – in a habitat not really suitable for such – was.
Depending on which source you use, there are up to three subspecies of cottonmouths found in the U.S. The Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti) is the one found on Seahorse Key, the rest of peninsula Florida, and in the panhandle as far west as Gulf County. The eastern cottonmouth (A.p. piscivorous) is found from Bay County west to Escambia County on the Florida/Alabama line, and north into the coastal plains of Alabama and Georgia. The western cottonmouth (A.p. leucostoma) is found from the Alabama/Florida line west to Texas and north to Arkansas. Dr. Harvey Lillywhite (University of Florida), and others, were curious as to whether the Florida cottonmouth was adapting to saltwater. An interesting question and, again, how these snakes are surviving and thriving on Seahorse Key is a part of understanding this story. In recent years there has been a push to declare the Florida cottonmouth its own species – Agkistrodon conanti. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s history article1 on cottonmouths list as such. Dr. Steve Johnson’s article2 lists the snake as Agkistrodon piscivorous and leaves it there, not dividing into subspecies. Many current researchers agree with the identification of A. conanti for the Florida cottonmouth – the one found on the islands of the Big Bend – and the one of interest in whether it is adapting to saltwater environments. That brings me back to the project we are planning to begin in 2024 in the western panhandle.
Cottonmouths definitely exist on the barrier islands in Escambia County. We have two islands – Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key. There are freshwater sources on both islands and suitable habitat for cottonmouths. The swim from the mainland to reach these islands is much shorter than for those at Seahorse Key. At Perdido Key a swim of 600 feet would allow a snake to reach the island – easy. The swim from Perdido Key to Santa Rosa Island is less than a mile (about 4000 feet) but the currents in Pensacola Pass are strong and the likelihood of a cottonmouth accessing Santa Rosa Island this way would be low. However, there are many locations along Santa Rosa Island where the swim would be no more than a mile from the mainland and some, in Okaloosa County, the trip could be made in about 800 feet. Island access is easy.
As the Escambia County Extension Agent, I handle the snake calls that come to our office – and there are a lot of them. In recent years there has been concern from some Perdido Key residents with the number of cottonmouths they are encountering. One of their questions was whether this was an unusually high encounter rate – Seahorse Key all over. Conducting surveys in their neighborhood in 2019 I encountered cottonmouths 70% of the time – all of them were juveniles or subadults. I recommended some landscape changes to deter the snakes from their yards and in 2020 the encounter rate dropped to about 40% of the surveys. However, it did not rain as much in 2020 and this could have affected the snakes as much, if not more, than the landscaping changes. The freshwater ponds in the neighborhood used by the snakes were small and ephemeral – they did not have water unless rainfall was present. So, we did another survey in 2021, it rained more, and encounters increased to 50% of the surveys. The landscaping may have helped some. In 2021 I also conducted surveys in the nearby state park and found no significant difference in snake encounters (50%) but the time of day for encounters was different and I did find adult snakes in the state park.
Note here… I get very few calls on cottonmouths from Santa Rosa Island. Rather their calls are about eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, which are not encountered as much on Perdido Key. The question we have on the table now is whether the cottonmouths found on Perdido Key are the Florida cottonmouth (A. conanti) – the one some believe may be adapting to saltwater conditions. According to Whit Gibbons and Mike Dorcas’s Snakes of the Southeast3 Escambia County Florida is the border between the eastern and the western cottonmouth. This same guide suggests that the Florida cottonmouth does not exist here.
So here is the project… which species/subspecies of cottonmouths exist on our barrier islands in the western Florida panhandle?
How do you tell them apart?
The difference between the Florida cottonmouth and the eastern/western are very minor. This makes identification in the field hard and dangerous. The Florida cottonmouth will have two distinct stripes running vertically across the front of its snout. The eastern/western cottonmouth will not have these. To determine whether these stripes exist requires getting much closer to the snake than is recommended. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SNAKE AND CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED. However, a road killed snake can be examined using a stick at least 12” long. NOTE: SNAKES, EVEN RECENTLY KILLED, HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BITE. DO NOT HANDLE A DEAD SNAKE UNLESS YOU ARE SURE IT IS DEAD. You may have a camera that can get a good photo of the snout FROM A SAFE DISTANCE (cottonmouths like to rest with their head tilted upwards at a good angle for such a photo).
You can see the light vertical bands on the snout of this snake indicating it is the Florida cottonmouth.
Photo: University of Florida. Notice the light bands across the snout of this Florida Cottonmouth.
Photo: Kristen Grace. This cottonmouth has a uniform coloration across the snout – indicating that it is an eastern cottonmouth.
Photo: Ricky Stackhouse.
We are planning a program on this project in early April for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. If you are in Okaloosa, Walton, or Bay counties and would like the program presented there – let me know.
Based on an annual evaluation recent competed, and feedback from my advisory committee, water quality issues are the number one natural resource concern for those who follow my extension programs. It makes sense. Poor water quality can negatively impact businesses who depend on clean water, waterfront property values, tourism, and the untold numbers of Florida panhandle residents who recreate in our estuaries and bays. The water quality issues I provided education on in 2023 are focused on the Pensacola Bay system, but these issues are probably similar across the Florida panhandle. Those issues include excessive nutrients, fecal bacteria (and other microbes), and salinity. We also wrote one article on the increasing water temperatures occurring in the summer.
Let’s begin with the fecal bacteria issue. In the Pensacola Bay area, it may be our number one concern. The Florida Department of Health posts local health advisories each week and some bodies of water are issued advisories for over 30% of the samples that are taken. Frequently Bayou Chico (in Pensacola Bay) is issued an advisory over 50% of the samples taken. However, in 2023 (in the Pensacola area) the number of advisories never exceeded 30% for any body of water. Seven of the 13 swimming beaches monitored did not post an advisory at all. This is one of the best years we have had since I began monitoring them.
Closed due to bacteria.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
In 2023 eight of the 13 water quality articles I wrote were on this subject. Three additional articles were posted by other extension agents on our panhandle e-newsletter team. But my annual follow up survey showed very few adopted best management practices (BMPs) they could adopt to help reduce fecal bacteria in area waterways. The reduction was more likely due to the effort by our local city and county to improve sewage infrastructure and the fact that we were in a drought for much of the year – there is a positive correlation between rainfall and the number of advisories issued for local waterways. Despite the fact that few readers adopted BMPs this year, and advisories declined – at least in Pensacola – we still believe adopting these practices would help reduce this issue. We will be developing a fact sheet in 2024 to help homeowners better understand these practices and help reduce health advisories.
Another local water quality issue that is high on everyone’s mind is excessive nutrients. This is actually one of the largest concerns nationwide. Excessive nutrients can lead to algal blooms, which can lead to harmful algal blooms or low dissolved oxygen, which can lead to fish kills. In the Pensacola Bay area large fish kills have not occurred in decades, but nutrient monitoring continues. The UF IFAS Lakewatch program trains local volunteers how to collect water samples and measure water clarity. The samples are analyzed in the Lakewatch lab on campus in Gainesville and the results sent back to the community. In the Pensacola Bay area, we are currently monitoring six bodies of water (three stations in each). Nutrients values are stable, or improving, in four of the six locations. They are slightly elevated in Bayou Chico and one station in Bayou Texar is quite high in total nitrogen. Despite the values at those stations, no algal blooms or fish kills occurred in either Bayou Chico or Bayou Texar (or anywhere else in the Pensacola Bay area) in 2023. There are numerous sources for nutrients in local waterways and many behavior practices businesses and residents can adopt to help reduce nutrient pollution. In 2023 I wrote only one article on this topic but plan to provide more education in 2024.
A body of water receiving excess nutrients can turn green and unhealthy from too much algae growth. Photo Credit: UF IFAS FFL program
A third topic that caught attention this year was the warm water that occurred this past summer. Extreme water temperatures can decrease dissolved oxygen below levels where most estuarine creatures can survive. Many creatures have a thermal tolerance that could have been exceeded this year. Industries like oyster farming are negatively impacted. Many varieties of harmful algae thrive in warm conditions. My extension program does not conduct any citizen science project that monitors water temperatures within the bay. Working with our local oyster farmers, the local estuary program is beginning to monitor such, and more folks are taking notice of the issue. Extension agents posted four articles on the subject this year. Whether the summers of high-water temperatures will become more common is unknown. The first thought on cause is climate, and management practices on how to reduce climate change are well documented. It is also understood that adopting such practices will not reduce intense warm summers immediately but should still be adopted for the long term. It is also possible that the current extreme heat summers are cyclic, and things will cool down (relatively) in coming seasons. 2023 was an El Nino year. Monitoring and time will tell how this issue will play out. That said, it would be smart to consider behavior changing practices for the future. Extension will post more information on this topic in 2024.
The Gulf of Mexico at sunrise. Photo: Rick O’Connor
One issue of concern personally was the impact of increased rain on the salinity of our bay. There has been a noticeable (and measured) increase in rainfall in recent years. For Pensacola, we historically received about 60 inches of rain each year – one of the wetter locations in the southeast. But over the last decade this has increased to 70 inches per year. Along with the increase in rainfall, there has been a noticeable increase in development. This increase in development reduces the surface area of land that would naturally absorb this rainwater and recharge the much-needed aquifer. Instead, this rainwater is diverted from the new developments to stormwater management projects – some that work well, others that do not. The question I have on the table is whether this increase in stormwater run-off is decreasing the salinity of area waterways? And, if so, is it to a level where local marine species (and those we are trying to restore) will be negatively affected? To answer this question, I have trained volunteers to monitor salinity at locations around the bay area. They are monitoring once a week, at the surface, near the shoreline. Though the sampling location is not ideal, it is what our volunteers are able to do. I had determined that the data would be collected until each volunteer reached 100 readings (about two years). As of the end of 2023, five of the 13 monitoring locations (38%) have reached that 100-reading mark. We know that the turtle grass and bay scallops, both species we would like to see increase in our bay, require salinity be at (or above) 20 parts per thousand. Though there are many more weeks of monitoring needed to reach our mark, current data suggests that salinities have not altered from data posted decades ago and are high enough for these species to return in areas where they historically existed.
I will finish this review with a comment that articles were posted in 2023 on issues I am not directly involved with, but know they are a concern in many areas of the panhandle. Private drinking wells being one. There were several articles posted by Dr. Andrea Albertin addressing this issue in 2023 and for those interested in this topic I recommend they read these, and/or reach out to her directly (albertin@ufl.edu.). There was also an article that focused on water quality improvement BMPs in general posted by Khadejah Scott (Wakulla County) that may be of interest. https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/2023/10/05/simple-steps-to-improve-local-water-quality/.
With this being a large issue with many in the Florida panhandle, extension will continue to publish articles and have programs on this topic. Reach out to your local county extension office for more information.
