Melrose Bay (Alachua County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Water Chemistry Summary

Location: Latitude 29°42'54", Longitude 82°3'11"

Period of record: 157 sampling dates; August 16, 1986 to December 12, 1999

Surface area (LAKEWATCH): 58 acres / 24 hectacres     Bathymetric Map

Lake Region (Griffith et al. 1997): Upper Santa Fe Flatwoods

Geologic formation (Brooks 1981):

The geology is dominated by deeply weathered clayey sand and granular sand of the Hawthorne Formation.

Physiographic region (Brooks 1981):

The water body lies in the Perched Lake and Prairies division of the Central Lake District.
 

Supplemental, unpublished water chemistry data, University of Florida.

Numbers reported below are the average for 4 months sampled:
 
pH
6.0
 Sulfate (mg/L)
8.8
Total alkalinity (mg/L as CaCO3)
1.1
 Calcium (mg/L)
3.0
Conductance (µS/cm @ 25 °C)
68
 Magnesium (mg/L)
1.0
Color (Pt-Co units)
17
 Sodium (mg/L)
8.0
Chloride (mg/L)
14.3
 Potassium (mg/L)
1.0
Silicon (mg/L)
0.3
    

Long-term Florida LAKEWATCH Data

Numbers reported below are the minimum, average, and maximum value for the 157 months sampled:

 
Minimum
Average
Maximum
Long-term total phosphorus concentrations (µg/L)
3
11
77
Long-term total nitrogen concentrations (µg/L)
280
430
720
Long-term total chlorophyll concentrations (µg/L)
1.3
6.8
32.3
Long-term Secchi depth (ft)
4.0
7.8
14.8

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-28-99
12
470
8.0
6.2
Mar-23-99
17
450
11.7
5.5
Apr-12-99
16
470
9.7
6.0
May-16-99
10
420
8.3
6.5
Jun-20-99
14
410
8.0
7.0
Jul-25-99
12
480
10.7
7.0
Aug-22-99
12
400
10.3
7.8
Sep-26-99
16
500
14.7
6.2
Oct-24-99
11
470
11.3
7.5
Nov-21-99
11
490
7.0
8.4
Dec-12-99
10
520
7.3
9.5
         
1999 Average
13
460
9.7
7.0

Melrose Bay (Alachua County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on May 12, 1993

Percent area covered with aquatic vegetation (PAC, %)
18
Percent of lake's volume filled with vegetation (PVI, %)
5
Average emergent plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
4.0
Average floating-leaved plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
4.9
Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
1.1
Average width of emergent and floating-leaved zone (ft.)
35
Average lake depth (m)
5

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

Common Name Plant Species
Frequency (%)
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata
90
maidencane Panicum hemitomon
80
buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
70
banana-lily Nymphoides aquatica
60
bog-moss Mayaca fluviatilis
60
floating water-hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
50
common salvinia Salvinia rotundifolia
50
water-pennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
50
bald cypress Taxodium distichum
50
duck-potato Sagittaria lancifolia
40
slender spikerush Eleocharis baldwinii
40
red ludwigia Ludwigia repens
40
tapegrass Vallisneria americana
40
para grass Brachiaria mutica
40
elephant-ear Colocasia esculenta
20
sawgrass Cladium jamaicense
20
knot grass Paspalum distichum
20
alligator-weed Alternanthera philoxeroides
10
spatterdock Nuphar luteum
10
dwarf arrowhead Sagittaria subulata
10
purple bladderwort Utricularia purpurea
10
southern naiad Najas guadalupensis
10
willow Salix spp.
10
rush fuirena Fuirena scirpoidea
10
southern cutgrass Leersia hexandra
10
pipewort Eriocaulon spp.
10
water spikerush Eleocharis elongata
10
bladderwort Utricularia foliosa
10
. .
10

Melrose Bay (Alachua County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on May 16, 1996

Percent area covered with aquatic vegetation (PAC, %)
not sampled
Percent of lake's volume filled with vegetation (PVI, %)
not sampled
Average emergent plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
3.0
Average floating-leaved plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
3.0
Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
0.8
Average width of emergent and floating-leaved zone (ft.)
38
Average lake depth (m)
not sampled

Frequency that plant species occur in 5 evenly spaced transects around the lake.

Common Name Plant Species
Frequency (%)
floating water-hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
100
bog-moss Mayaca fluviatilis
100
buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
100
maidencane Panicum hemitomon
100
banana-lily Nymphoides aquatica
60
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata
60
sawgrass Cladium jamaicense
60
common salvinia Salvinia rotundifolia
40
duck-potato Sagittaria lancifolia
40
slender spikerush Eleocharis baldwinii
40
spatterdock Nuphar luteum
40
red ludwigia Ludwigia repens
40
water-pennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
40
cone-spur bladderwort Utricularia gibba
40
elephant-ear Colocasia esculenta
40
para grass Brachiaria mutica
40
rush fuirena Fuirena scirpoidea
40
bald cypress Taxodium distichum
40
alligator-weed Alternanthera philoxeroides
20
baby-tears Micranthemum umbrosum
20
tapegrass Vallisneria americana
20
stonewort Nitella spp.
20

Melrose Bay (Alachua County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on May 19, 1998

Percent area covered with aquatic vegetation (PAC, %)
18
Percent of lake's volume filled with vegetation (PVI, %)
3
Average emergent plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
12.1
Average floating-leaved plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
13.2
Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
0.5
Average width of emergent and floating-leaved zone (ft.)
24
Average lake depth (m)
5

Frequency that plant species occur in 5 evenly spaced transects around the lake.

Common Name Plant Species
Frequency (%)
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata
100
maidencane Panicum hemitomon
100
bald cypress Taxodium distichum
100
floating water-hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
80
common salvinia Salvinia rotundifolia
80
slender spikerush Eleocharis baldwinii
80
bog-moss Mayaca fluviatilis
80
buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
80
banana-lily Nymphoides aquatica
60
coontail Ceratophyllum demersum
60
wax myrtle Myrica cerifera
60
sawgrass Cladium jamaicense
60
duck-potato Sagittaria lancifolia
40
alligator-weed Alternanthera philoxeroides
40
water-pennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
40
tapegrass Vallisneria americana
40
hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata
20
elephant-ear Colocasia esculenta
20
flat-sedge Cyperus odoratus
20
stonewort Nitella spp.
20
umbrella sedge Cyperus alternifolius
20
red maple Acer rubrum
20
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua
20

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