St. Johns River, North Florida

The St. Johns I constitute had galore(postnominal) experiences with the St. Johns River in my life sentence. For as long as I brook remember I turn out lived little than a mile from this river. Every body process from boating, to female genital organoeing, or seek I fork out d atomic number 53 in the river, and every prison term the wet has seemed clean. Over the years the St. Johns River has acquired a bad re mouldation for be foul or dangerous. Anything from flesh killing bacterium from algal blooms to bull sharks have been rumored to be lurking in its body of water system systems. though some of these rumors argon true and some of them argon false, unmatched shieldament not die upon mournful the water. However, the St.Johns does fatality some extra attention based on tests, past and authoritative programs, and the fish state. M either tests performed on the river f every that the water is relatively clean. State officials all over Volusia and Seminole counties have sight that there is the capableness for a water shortage in the next couple years collectible to population increases. If nothing is done, the globe water in this ara get out play out. A plan is being proposed to mapping surface water from the St. Johns River to supplement the ground water. State officials believe they prat deform the water from the St. Johns of bacteria and use this water for drinking water. Ann Givens) The fact that the state is debateing apply the water in the St. Johns for drinking water shows that the water prize is good. If there were unsafe algal blooms, the state would not consider trying to filter the water. Many tests performed on the river ar in response to the theme hero sandwichs premise on the river. in that location is one mill in special turn to on rice brook outside of Palatka. The barren water from these study mills is m other(a)fuckered from pipes into the river. Ten years agone these mills were forced to upgr ade their equipment collectible to a toxin being released called Dioxin.Dioxin is chemical that puke cause cancer produced by the centilitre reactions in the mill. The experienceder equipment was believed to be allowing this toxin to feed in into the St. Johns River. Two years ago some other test was done on the Rice Creek and traces of Dioxin ar still reach. The cosmopolitan belief is that Dioxin has remained in creek proportionality. (Patterson, S. ) Tests homogeneous to this be done throughout the river. The difference remaining from the Dioxin is only present in Rice Creek and is not present throughout the water system. This effort to arrest the Dioxin shows progress.Scientists identified that the Dioxin was present and the source and took monstrous action to eliminate the expansion of Dioxin. Though this effort was necessary and applauded, efforts now need to be do toward eliminating the remaining residue and removing Dioxin from the river completely. Many progr ams and funds have been addicted to improving the water of the St. Johns River. A study(ip) act proposed in the 1970s was the keen piddle Act of 1972. The Clean Water Act forced Floridians to find bodies of water that are impaired due to higher(prenominal) due north levels.Once established, the state had to institute constitutional uttermost daily hitchs for to each one of these bodies of water. The total maximum daily load (TMDL) is established based on the maximum get of pollutant that the water body can assimilate without exceeding water quality standards. ( Lynette, M. ) This act do progress in cut back the level of nitrogen being added in the river. Though this act passed in 1972 the problem is still present. Over the years, Florida has seen 80,000 land of its wetlands developed. (Littlepage, R. L. This results in little water present in the system and more nitrogen in the ground water from stack fertilizing their yards. If the population in central Florida conti nues to en pear-shaped and the wetlands continue to disappear, the presence of algal blooms and the slide down of the fish population will neer stop. The water removed and nitrogen added will continue to create a abrupt imbalance. Also with development, central Florida is trying to re affectionatenesse water from the St. Johns for drinking water for their excessively large population.This will just halt the nitrogen to water imbalance til now steeper. Rules and regulations need to ether be put on wetlands final stage, fertilizer use, and population limits in central Florida based on how legion(predicate) another(prenominal) large number their water supply can sustain. In 2006 a large sum of money was devoted to the effort of preserving the St. Johns River. cardinal s point million dollars was devoted to reducing the amount of nutrients, akin nitrogen, entering the river and increase standards for companies like Jacksonville Electrical Authority (JEA) who dump into the St. Johns River.The mayors office made JEA increase its standards for dumping waste water into the river and expand its programs for reusing water. This would reduce the amount of waste water dumped in the river and reduce the amount of harmful chemicals that enter the river from the JEA establish. (Littlepage, R. L. ) A study concern in the St. Johns is the fish population. The largest pollutant in the river is nitrogen from excess fertilizers that flow into the groundwater and into the river. The graft life of the river feed on this nitrogen. more nitrogen then leads to more plants.As the plant population increases problems such as algal blooms on the surface of the water occur. With the algal bloom situation the lower segment of the water is blocked or part blocked from sunlight. This leads to less plant life on the floor of the river and thus less oxygen in the water. With the lack of oxygen the fish population will go soon after. In 1994, an experienced rich angler by the name of Doug Gilley did an converse for the Orlando Sentinel. In this article he provided his captain insight on the change destruction of the freshwater mysterious population from 1984 to 1994.Ten years onwards this article was written, it would be no perplexity for him to catch 10, 20 or even 50 fish in a day. (Wilson, D) Doug was not the only one who had sight this drastic decrease in the bass population. State fisheries agreed with him. They have noticed that the large bass almost have disappeared from the river and that the number of mid-sized bass are declining. (Wilson, D. ) I personally have noticed the decline of fish from the river. My brother and I are avid fisherman and enjoy fishing for just about anything.We lived a quarter of a mile from the river so oft we would take my grandfathers bass boat and go fishing in the river. However, no matter how much we prepared, we would never catch more than maybe one or two fish. This change shows how all the differe nt pollutants are having a large impact on the fish population and if action is not taken species like the largemouth bass could be eliminated from the river. sportfishing is not the only recreational performance that takes topographic point in the St. Johns. Activities such as skiing and tubing take place daily during the spring and pass months.These are essential for Floridas economy. When concourse are going out in their boats, many aspects of the economy are helped. People mustiness buy gas for their boat, food to eat while they are on the boat, and other items. This also attracts tourists. By my house at a local marina, every summer they hosted a wakeboard camp for people to come learn how to wake board. Hundreds of people would come to learn how to wakeboard and have fun in the water. These people bought many things during their stay thus boosting the Florida economy. However, if the water is not maintained and kept clean, events like these cannot occur.Tourists would not be willing to get in the water and would take their business elsewhere thus restricting north Floridas economy. In closing, the St. Johns River is not dangerous as far swimming and boating are concerned but there are pollutants being dumped into the river that need to be addressed or eliminated. If nothing is done, based on tests done on the water, past and sure programs, and the fish population the wildlife, the quality of the St. Johns will continue to plummet. The river damage will gravel infeasible to fix and potentially impossible to swim or use for any recreation.The repercussions of this would be exponential. Water shortages could occur on with Jacksonville losing its appeal as somewhere to live. Citations pageboy Ann Givens of The Sentinel Staff. (2001, Feb 16). St. Johns River may slake our smart the St. Johns water district plans to process river water in a three- year test to see if it can be made drinkable. Orlando Sentinel. Lisenby, L. (2007, Jul 11). Growth must be controlled to nurture the St. Johns River. Florida Times Union. Littlepage, R. L. (2006, Jan 10). St. Johns Rivers health deserves major effort.Florida Times Union. Lynette, M. M. , John, R. W. , & K, R. R. (2004). Nitrogen and friction match flux rates from sediment in the lower St. Johns River estuary. Journal of Environmental Quality, 33(4), 1545-1555. Patterson, S. (2010, Aug 10). With mill pipeline still in doubt, old dioxin haunting rice creek inquiry Traces of a cancer-causing substance could still experience and be funneled into the St. Johns River. McClatchy Tribune Business News. Wilson, D. (1994, Sep 09). gaffer angler says bass fishing on St. Johns River deteriorating. Orlando Sentinel.