Scientists install water monitors in Upper St. Johns River Basin

PALM BAY, Fla., Oct. 24, 2016 — St. Johns River Water Management District scientists have installed four water quality monitors in the headwaters of the St. Johns River to help the district best manage the black water systems and marshes of the waterway.

“The monitors will provide data that we need to better understand how elements such as carbon and dissolved oxygen change as they flow downstream,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “If we have the data, we can create a model to manage this very intricate and complicated river system.”

The monitoring stations, installed at four locations in the St. Johns River, will cover an area from south of Lake Hell’n Blazes north to State Road 50. The sensors will collect real-time data on various water quality parameters, such conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and water temperature. Data flows continuously from the monitors to the district’s telemetry network located at the district’s headquarters in Palatka. These data are expected to be publicly available online at www.sjrwmd.com in fall 2016.

The $57,980 project is funded by the district.