Spirit (Polk County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Water Chemistry Summary

Location: Latitude 27°59'53", Longitude 81°46'38"

Period of record: 34 sampling dates; October 27, 1991 to December 26, 1999

Surface area (Shafer et al. 1986): 224 acres / 91 hectacres

Lake Region (Griffith et al. 1997): Winter Haven/Lake Henry Ridges

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 Winter Haven Karst division of the Central Lake District.

 

Supplemental, unpublished water chemistry data, University of Florida.

Numbers reported below are the average for 2 months sampled:

pH

8.0

Sulfate (mg/L)

49.7

Total alkalinity (mg/L as CaCO3)

36.5

Conductance (µS/cm @ 25 °C)

314

Color (Pt-Co units)

9

Chloride (mg/L)

35.0

Long-term Florida LAKEWATCH Data

Numbers reported below are the minimum, average, and maximum value for the 34 months sampled:

 

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Long-term total phosphorus concentrations (µg/L)

15

27

45

Long-term total nitrogen concentrations (µg/L)

500

730

1530

Long-term total chlorophyll concentrations (µg/L)

8.3

21.5

79.3

Long-term Secchi depth (ft)

2.1

5.4

7.5

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-26-99

30

570

15.7

6.8

Feb-25-99

20

540

13.0

6.8

Mar-28-99

27

500

8.3

7.0

Apr-25-99

26

740

17.0

4.1

May-25-99

18

610

8.3

6.3

Jun-21-99

15

570

12.3

6.0

Jul-26-99

17

530

10.7

5.8

Aug-25-99

18

500

9.0

6.2

Sep-26-99

19

650

14.0

6.4

Oct-30-99

25

630

21.3

5.0

Nov-21-99

27

680

17.7

4.8

Dec-26-99

27

660

18.3

7.5

 

 

 

 

 

1999 Average

22

600

13.8

6.1

 

Spirit (Polk County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on May 13, 1993

Percent area covered with aquatic vegetation (PAC, %)

54

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

26

Average emergent plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)

6.7

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

4.9

Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)

0.5

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

59

Average lake depth (m)

4

 

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

Common Name

Plant Species

Frequency (%)

dwarf arrowhead

Sagittaria subulata

70

duck-potato

Sagittaria lancifolia

60

cat-tail

Typha spp.

60

floating water-hyacinth

Eichhornia crassipes

40

water-pennywort

Hydrocotyle umbellata

40

water primrose

Ludwigia octovalvis

40

torpedograss

Panicum repens

30

musk-grass

Chara spp.

30

jointed flat sedge

Cyperus haspan

30

slender spikerush

Eleocharis baldwinii

20

pickerelweed

Pontederia cordata

20

willow

Salix spp.

20

rush fuirena

Fuirena scirpoidea

20

common salvinia

Salvinia rotundifolia

10

smartweed

Polygonum hydropiperoides

10

baby-tears

Micranthemum umbrosum

10

tapegrass

Vallisneria americana

10

sawgrass

Cladium jamaicense

10

maidencane

Panicum hemitomon

10

 

Spirit (Polk County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on August 17, 1994

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)

5.3

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

5.4

Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)

7.4

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

41

Average lake depth (m)

not sampled

 

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

Common Name

Plant Species

Frequency (%)

cat-tail

Typha spp.

90

water primrose

Ludwigia octovalvis

90

tapegrass

Vallisneria americana

80

spatterdock

Nuphar luteum

60

coontail

Ceratophyllum demersum

40

melaleuca

Melaleuca quinquenervia

40

wax myrtle

Myrica cerifera

30

torpedograss

Panicum repens

30

duck-potato

Sagittaria lancifolia

20

pickerelweed

Pontederia cordata

20

hydrilla

Hydrilla verticillata

20

elephant-ear

Colocasia esculenta

20

willow

Salix spp.

20

knot grass

Paspalum distichum

20

floating water-hyacinth

Eichhornia crassipes

10

alligator-weed

Alternanthera philoxeroides

10

cone-spur bladderwort

Utricularia gibba

10

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