Ichetucknee Springs System - Survey Kathleen A. McKee University of Florida Water Institute Number of survey respondents in response to desired CHANGES, ACTIONS, things to stay the SAME etc. CategoryResearch Topic Algae increase?What is the cause of increased algae BMPsdevelopment of effective ag BMPs. ClarityHow important is water clarity/turbidity to our understanding health or impairment of this system? Exotic speciesimpacts of exotic species FishFish surveys down the spring run Flow - DynamicsMore detailed isotope, tracer studies to identify residence time and flowpaths of water emerging at spring vents. Flow - Dynamicsevaluate what's happening with spring flow & keep monitoring flow continuously at as many springs as poss Flow - DynamicsWhat are the fractions of deep, shallow and recently recharged groundwater in the springs. Flow - DynamicsHas there been a significant change in the Ichetucknee River discharge during the period of record? Flow - DynamicsIntegrated hydrologic modeling to test hypotheses about residence time and flowpaths of water emerging at spring vents. Flow - Dynamics Rigorous field and modeling studies to test hypotheses that pumping from SE Georgia and NE Florida is decreasing flows at spring systems Flow - EffectsSurvey of impacts and changes to the system caused by declining groundwater levels Flow and Nutrients What is the relationshiop between flow and pollution levels? Flow RegsEstablishment of a legally and scientifically defensible MFL Human Useimpacts of recreation/human use Invertsinvertebrate grazers and algal biomass thresholds InvertsHow does low DO interact with grazer reduction to allow algal accural? InvertsMonitoring of benthic macroinvertebrate and algal communities Nutr/Nitr - effectsSurvey of impacts and changes to the system caused by changes in water quality (nitrate mentioned earlier) Nutr/Nitr - effectsHow has the nutrient pollution affected the flora and fauna (i.e., what should the "desired future condition" be?) Nutr/Nitr - effectsWater quality monitoring at headsprings and US 27 d Nutr/Nitr - effectsquantify denitrification Nutr/Nitr - effectsquantify nutrient limitation and algal growth sdfsa Nutr/Nitr - effects impacts of nutrients Nutr/Nitr - sourceWhat is the nutrient loading in the springshed Nutr/Nitr - sourceFertilizer use in the basin, more accurate Nutr/Nitr - sourceWhere are the sources that are contributing to the nutrient pollution Nutr/Nitr - sourceNeed accurate data on nutrient loading to field level Nutr/Nitr - sourceimpact of non ag activities on system Nutr/Nitr - sourceWhat are the pollution sources? Nutr/Nitr - sourceCan we identify a direct connection between different sources of nitrate in the springshed and nitrate in the spring water? Nutr/Nitr - sourceupdate nitrogen budget for springshed Nutr/Nitr - source1. identification of the relative nitrate contributions within the Ichetucknee Trace PlansHow to coordinate action plans PlansHow to implement action plans PlansHow to test the success of actions RestorationHow do we reverse impacts RestorationDo we need physical removal of mats to ulimately reduce the extent of algae SAVRegular mapping and monitoring of SAV acreage and cover; add index of periphyton abundance/cover on SAV leaves SAVWhy do we see submerged aquatic vegetation die-off's directly at some spring vents and not throughout the system? SAVWhat is the cause of loss of SAV diverstiy Science CommunicHow do you make research results accessible and understandable to managers and politicians? Systemsunderstanding entire system interaction - not just specifics SystemsIs there any area of the Ichetucknee River that is more ecologically sensitive than other areas? Systems3. identify which biological parameter is best indicator of ecological health in this system Water Use2. trends in water use/consumptive use within the springshed Water Use Complete tracking of all water withdrawal users in north Florida. Withrawal impactsWhat loss of discharge has occurred because of groundwater withdrawals (factoring out natural variability). Withrawal impactsneed actual consumptive use A survey was sent to over 30 invitees to the Ichetucknee Springs Preservation Workshop held Feb 10, 2011, and 16 responded to the survey. The results of Watershed Priorities and River Priorities graphs reflect a reorganizing of the answers but account for just one person each, to show how many people care about each topic. February 16, 2011