Blue (Highlands County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Water Chemistry Summary

Location: Latitude 27°26'7", Longitude 81°30'42"

Period of record: 25 sampling dates; September 13, 1995 to January 30, 1999

Surface area (LAKEWATCH): 26 acres / 11 hectacres (Bathymetric Map)

Lake Region (Griffith et al. 1997): Southern Lake Wales Ridge

Geologic formation (Brooks 1981):

The geology is dominated by deeply weathered beach and dune sand with some clay lenses of the preglacial Pleistocene.

Physiographic region (Brooks 1981):

The water body lies in the Eastern Complex of the Central Ridge subdivision of the Lake Wales Ridge division of the Central Lake District.

Supplemental, unpublished water chemistry data, University of Florida.

Numbers reported below are the average for 1 month sampled:

pH

7.0

Sulfate (mg/L)

17.0

Total alkalinity (mg/L as CaCO3)

8.7

Calcium (mg/L)

11.0

Conductance (µS/cm @ 25 °C)

182

Magnesium (mg/L)

3.5

Color (Pt-Co units)

7

Sodium (mg/L)

13.0

Chloride (mg/L)

25.2

Potassium (mg/L)

4.4

Silicon (mg/L)

1.0

 

 

Long-term Florida LAKEWATCH Data

Numbers reported below are the minimum, average, and maximum value for the 25 months sampled:

 

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Long-term total phosphorus concentrations (µg/L)

5

10

14

Long-term total nitrogen concentrations (µg/L)

250

520

810

Long-term total chlorophyll concentrations (µg/L)

2.0

4.4

9.3

Long-term Secchi depth (ft)

6.3

11.8

17.6

1999 Florida LAKEWATCH Data

Numbers reported below are monthly averages calculated from 3 stations for total phosphorus (TP, µg/L), total nitrogen (TN, µg/L), chlorophyll (CHL, µg/L) and Secchi depth (SECCHI, ft) during 1999:

Date

TP (µg/L)

TN (µg/L)

CHL (µg/L)

SECCHI (ft

Jan-30-99

11

540

3.7

12.3

 

 

 

 

 

1999 Average

11

540

3.7

12.3

Blue (Highlands County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on August 6, 1996

Percent area covered with aquatic vegetation (PAC, %)

8

Percent of lake's volume filled with vegetation (PVI, %)

1

Average emergent plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)

2.5

Average floating-leaved plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)

0.1

Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)

0.4

Average width of emergent and floating-leaved zone (ft.)

15

Average lake depth (m)

5

Frequency that plant species occur in 10 evenly spaced transects around the lake.

Common Name

Plant Species

Frequency (%)

water spinach

Ipomoea aquatica

80

water primrose

Ludwigia octovalvis

80

maidencane

Panicum hemitomon

70

slender spikerush

Eleocharis baldwinii

50

red ludwigia

Ludwigia repens

40

water-pennywort

Hydrocotyle umbellata

40

melaleuca

Melaleuca quinquenervia

40

buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

40

torpedograss

Panicum repens

40

pickerelweed

Pontederia cordata

30

rush fuirena

Fuirena scirpoidea

30

flat sedge

Cyperus polystachyos

30

bulrush spp.

Juncus spp.

30

dwarf arrowhead

Sagittaria subulata

20

wax myrtle

Myrica cerifera

20

cat-tail

Typha spp.

10

elephant-ear

Colocasia esculenta

10

salt-bush

Baccharis spp.

10

willow

Salix spp.

10

sawgrass

Cladium jamaicense

10

sedge spp.

Cyperus spp.

10

 

 

 

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