Strategic Monitoring Plans
The Department announces the availability of the 2013 Strategic
Monitoring plans. These plans represent the monitoring being done by
FDEP in preparation for Groups 3 and 4 in 2013.
The Watershed Assessment, Strategic Monitoring Plans are developed to
assist in assessing the health of surface waters by conducting
hydrological and biological watershed-based monitoring activities. These
activities are carried out by the six FDEP District offices, often in
cooperation with water management districts or local governments. The
primary objective of the Strategic Monitoring Plan is to assure that all
waters on the 1998 TMDL Consent Decree or on the Planning List have
sufficient data to be assessed using the Impaired Waters Rule (Chapter
62-303, F.A.C.) methodology. This data is used to assess water body
health and to develop and implement TMDLs. These plans are constructed
in the fall prior to the year of sampling, relying on data extracted
from Florida STORET and input from DEP district staff. This information
is assembled and specific waterbodies are targeted for sample
collection. Sampling is based upon specific parameters for each
particular waterbody (WBID).
Strategic Monitoring Plans
(Note: The Strategic monitoring plans are approximately 300 KB in size and available in Adobe PDF format.)
Below is the strategic monitoring basin rotation
schedule for water quality assessment purposes. This schedule is set
such that each of the five basin groups situated throughout Florida is
addressed on a 5-year cycle, similar to how the assessment and TMDL
development rotations works. Rotational monitoring focuses on collecting
data shortfalls and critical ongoing sampling needed for assessment.
Schedules for sampling of each Basin Group are listed below. By
implementing the strategic monitoring in the year prior to assessment,
this allows sufficient time for all analyses to be done, data to be
processed and uploaded to FL STORET making the data available for
assessments at the end of the verified period on June 30th.
| Group |
Basin Rotation Groups |
Cycle |
Begin
Strategic
Monitoring |
End
Strategic
Monitoring |
Verified
Period
Ends |
| 1 |
Everglades West Coast;
Lake Okeechobee; Ochlockonee - St. Marks; Ocklawaha;
Suwannee; Tampa Bay |
1 |
1-Jan-01 |
31-Dec-01 |
30-Jun-02 |
| 1 |
Everglades West Coast;
Lake Okeechobee; Ochlockonee - St. Marks; Ocklawaha;
Suwannee; Tampa Bay |
2 |
1-Jan-06 |
31-Dec-06 |
30-Jun-07 |
| 2 |
Apalachicola - Chipola;
Charlotte Harbor; Lower St. Johns; Middle St. Johns; St.
Lucie - Loxahatchee; Tampa Bay Tributaries; |
1 |
1-Jan-02 |
31-Dec-02 |
30-Jun-03 |
| 2 |
Apalachicola - Chipola;
Charlotte Harbor; Lower St. Johns; Middle St. Johns; St.
Lucie - Loxahatchee; Tampa Bay Tributaries; |
2 |
1-Jan-07 |
31-Dec-07 |
30-Jun-08 |
| 3 |
Caloosahatchee;
Choctawhatchee - St. Andrews; Lake Worth Lagoon - Palm Beach
Coast; Sarasota - Peace - Myakka; Upper St. Johns; ** |
1 |
1-Jan-03 |
31-Dec-03 |
30-Jun-04 |
| 3 |
Caloosahatchee;
Choctawhatchee - St. Andrews; Lake Worth Lagoon - Palm Beach
Coast; Sarasota - Peace - Myakka; Upper St. Johns; ** |
2 |
1-Jan-08 |
31-Dec-08 |
30-Jun-09 |
| 4 |
Fisheating Creek;
Kissimmee River; Nassau - St. Marys; Pensacola; Southeast
Coast - Biscayne Bay; Withlacoochee |
1 |
1-Jan-04 |
31-Dec-04 |
30-Jun-05 |
| 4 |
Fisheating Creek;
Kissimmee River; Nassau - St. Marys; Pensacola; Southeast
Coast - Biscayne Bay; Withlacoochee |
2 |
1-Jan-09 |
31-Dec-09 |
30-Jun-10 |
| 5 |
Everglades; Florida
Keys; Indian River Lagoon; Perdido; Springs Coast; Upper
East Coast |
1 |
1-Jan-05 |
31-Dec-05 |
30-Jun-06 |
| 5 |
Everglades; Florida
Keys; Indian River Lagoon; Perdido; Springs Coast; Upper
East Coast |
2 |
1-Jan-10 |
31-Dec-10 |
30-Jun-11 |
| Group |
Basins |
Strategic
Monitoring
Period |
Assessment
Period |
TMDL
Development
Period |
| 3 |
Caloosahatchee;
Choctawhatchee-St. Andrews; Lake Worth Lagoon-Palm Beach
Coast; Sarasota-Peace-Myakka; Upper St. Johns** |
January 1, 2008 –
December 31, 2008 |
July 1, 2009 - November
2009 |
December 2009 –
September 2010 |
| 4 |
Fisheating Creek;
Kissimmee River; Nassau-St. Marys; Pensacola; Southeast
Coast-Biscayne Bay; Withlacoochee |
January 1, 2009 –
December 31, 2009 |
July 1, 2010 - November
2010 |
December 2010 –
September 2011 |
| 5 |
Everglades; Florida
Keys; Indian River Lagoon; Perdido; Springs Coast; Upper
East Coast |
January 1, 2010 –
December 31, 2010 |
July 1, 2011 - November
2011 |
December 2011 –
September 2012 |
** Only five group-3 basins, group-3 basin non-existent in
Northeast District
For
more information regarding the Department's rotating Basin plan, please
visit our "Basin 411" pages.
For
more information, send e-mail to
Julie
Espy (Julie.Espy@dep.state.fl.us)
Watershed Assessment Program
2600 Blair Stone Road - Mail Station 3560
Tallahassee, FL, 32399-2400
Phone: (850) 245-8346
2012 State of Florida