Water Quality Monitoring

Overview

Water quality monitoring within Collier County is completed by multiple Divisions. See below for an overview of water quality monitoring programs and available data.

Left to right: Geoffery Rosenaw, MiKayla Vargas, Amanda Sinn, Natja Melendez, Angie Ruiz, Danny Berger

Pollution Control

Pollution Control is responsible for monitoring and assessing Collier County’s non-tidal water resources through the collection and analysis of surface and ground water samples. Monitoring programs include non-tidal surface water, ground water and sediment quality. Project goals include tracking long-term water quality trends, identifying chronic pollution inputs, providing data to support the Total Maximum Daily Load Program, provide support for water resources management decisions and meeting the mandates of the County’s Growth Management and Watershed Management Plans.

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Coastal Zone Management

Cocohatchee River Estuary: The Coastal Zone Management is charged with protecting the County’s estuarine ecosystems. The purpose of this program is to be able to assess any positive or negative trends in the health of the Cocohatchee Estuarine system. The information obtained will be used as baseline water quality data for this estuary.

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Pelican Bay Services District

Clam Bay Estuary: Pelican Bay Services District is responsible for monitoring water quality in the Clam Bay Watershed. For more information, please click here.

Water Quality Monitoring Map

Pollution Control Water Resources Monitoring

    

Goal:

Monitor and assess Collier County’s water quality through the collection and analysis of surface and groundwater samples. Samples are collected using standard operating procedures that are scientifically reproducible and legally defensible.

Mandates:

Comply with Collier County’s Water Pollution Control Program Ordinance 89-20, the Growth Management Plan’s (GMP) Conservation and Coastal Management Element (CCME), and the Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge Sub-Element (NGAR).

Benefits:

This program identifies water quality degradation in both surface and groundwater. Early detection allows the County to take the necessary steps to identify and eliminate pollutant sources, eliminating long term effects on the environment and the community’s health. Collier County Watershed Management Plans were developed to ensure future growth has minimal impact on the surrounding environment. Data from these monitoring programs were used to formulate portions of these management plans and will be used to track effectiveness of the plans. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has identified impaired water bodies in Collier County using data collected under these monitoring programs. Through the Total Maximum Daily Load program, State and Federal legislation has been executed to ensure corrective management plans are implemented

Monitoring Programs

Surface Water Quality Monitoring

Trend Monitoring Network: Project monitors the ambient conditions of canals and provides data for long-term trend analysis. Current surface water quality monitoring is done at fifty-four (54) fixed locations. Samples are analyzed monthly for general water quality parameters, bacteriological, nutrients and metals.

Lake Trafford: Project is used to monitor long term trends and effectiveness of ongoing restoration activities. Three fixed sites are currently sampled monthly and analyzed for general water quality parameters and nutrients.

LASIP (Lely Area Stormwater Improvement Project): Monitoring is done to satisfy the construction permit requirements. Eleven fixed sites are sampled monthly for general water quality parameters, bacteriological, nutrients and metals.

Groundwater Quality Monitoring

 Trend Monitoring Network: Trend groundwater quality monitoring includes 51 groundwater sites that are monitored semiannually for general water quality parameters, nutrients, and metals. Pesticides are monitored every five years as funding allows.  

Status/Background Monitoring: A private potable well survey is conducted every five years to determine if there is any degradation of groundwater quality in the rural residential areas in the County. Most, if not all, of the residents are serviced by septic tank systems and rely on private potable water wells as their primary drinking water source. The last large survey was done in FY12 at 22 private potable wells throughout the County. Samples were analyzed for all the Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards (Florida Administrative Code 62- 550).

We also monitor 3 randomly selected private potable wells every year for the same parameters we monitor in our Trend Monitoring Network. This gives us another snapshot of water quality in our shallow drinking water aquifers. Participants must have a spigot located directly on their wellhead (like in the picture above) so samples can be collected before going through any type of treatment systems that can filter out some constituents.

Sediment Quality 

A sediment study is conducted once every five years to determine the chronic anthropogenic impacts of urban and agricultural land-uses on the canals, and flow ways that discharge into the estuaries or percolate into the County’s groundwater. Sampling for this project last occurred in 2014.

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