Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Spring BMAP Story Map

An image of Wakulla Springs.

Background

The Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Spring are located in in the Big Bend area of Florida in Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, and Wakulla Counties. The Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Spring Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) focuses on the portion of the springshed located in Florida, referred to as the BMAP area. The BMAP area is approximately 848,445 acres, or 1,325 square miles. Wakulla Spring is the main source of water to Wakulla River, which flows southward and joins the St. Marks River before discharging into Apalachee Bay. The BMAP area extent of Upper Wakulla River ends at the Highway 98 Bridge. Major centers of population in the basin include the cities of Tallahassee, Woodville, and Crawfordville.

*The StoryMap will display differently depending on the screen size and resolution being used. StoryMaps are best viewed in Chrome or Firefox browsers.

Springs Priority Focus Areas

There are two PFAs in the Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Spring Basin that are subareas within the BMAP boundary. These PFAs represent the areas in the basin where the aquifer is most vulnerable to inputs and where there are the most connections between groundwater and Wakulla Spring.

Nitrogen Sources

The table lists the estimated nitrogen loads to groundwater by source based on the Nitrogen Source Inventory Loading Tool (NSILT) estimates. The pie chart provides a visual representation of the estimated percentage of nitrogen loading to groundwater by source in the springshed. Septic systems represent 34% of the nitrogen sources, Farm Fertilizer 21%, and Urban Turfgrass Fertilizer 10%. Stormwater loading to groundwater is incorporated into the various source categories.

A table with total nitrogen load to groundwater for each source. The total nitrogen load for Wakulla basin is 795,386 pounds per year. A pie chart shows percent contribution of each nitrogen source to groundwater load.

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An image of Wakulla Springs boat tour.
An image of Wakulla Springs boat tour.

Policies

Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System (OSTDS) Remediation Policy

  • Installation of New OSTDS
    • This OSTDS remediation plan prohibits new conventional systems on lots of one acre or less within the BMAP, unless the OSTDS includes enhanced treatment of nitrogen or unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connections will be available within 5 years.
  • Modification or Repair of Existing OSTDS –
    • The remediation policy for existing systems applies to all existing OSTDS within the BMAP on lots of all sizes.
    • Upon the need for repair or replacement, an existing OSTDS must include at least one of the following nitrogen reducing enhancements listed in the BMAP document, unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connections will be available within 5 years.
    • All conventional OSTDS in areas subject to the remediation policy for existing systems are required to adopt enhanced treatment of nitrogen or connect to sewer no later than 20 years after BMAP adoption.

Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) Effluent Standards

  • The Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act prohibits new domestic wastewater disposal facilities in the BMAP, including Rapid Infiltration Basins (RIBs), with permitted capacities of 100,000 gpd or more, except for those facilities that provide AWT that reduces total nitrogen in the effluent to 3 mg/L or lower, on an annual permitted basis. DEP requires the nitrogen effluent limits listed below in any new or existing wastewater permit issued to a facility that discharges within BMAP, unless the utility/entity can demonstrate reasonable assurance that the reuse or land application of effluent would not cause or contribute to an exceedance of the nitrate concentrations established by the TMDL.
  • The nitrogen effluent limits listed the table will be applied as an annual average to all new and existing WWTFs with a DEP-permitted discharge. New effluent standards will take effect at the time of permit issuance or renewal or no later than five years after BMAP adoption, whichever is sooner.
A table with nitrogen concentration limits for wastewater treatment facilities based on permitted capacity and disposal method.

Agriculture

  • Subsection 403.067, F.S., requires agricultural nonpoint sources in a BMAP area either to implement the applicable Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)-adopted Best Management Practices (BMPs), which provides a presumption of compliance with water quality standards, or conduct water quality monitoring prescribed by DEP or Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) that demonstrates compliance with water quality standards.
  • Based on the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, Subsection 373.811(5), F.S., prohibits any new agricultural operations within the priority focus areas that do not implement applicable FDACS BMPs, measures necessary to achieve pollution reduction levels established by DEP, or groundwater monitoring plans approved by a Water Management District (WMD) or DEP.
  • FDACS will work with applicable producers within the BMAP area to implement BMPs.
  • Further reductions may be achieved through implementing additional agricultural projects or practices, including land acquisition and conservation easements.

Water Quality

Monitoring

Monitoring is required by all BMAPs. The purpose of the Outstanding Florida Spring (OFS) monitoring network is to support the evaluation of progress made toward achieving the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) target nitrate concentration for the impaired OFS. 

BMAP implementation involves an iterative process, therefore, the monitoring efforts are related to primary and secondary objectives. The primary objectives focus on achieving water quality targets, while the secondary objectives focus on water quality parameters that can be used to provide information for future refinements of the BMAP. The monitoring strategy may be updated as necessary.  

Documenting water quality improvements for the OFS will require periodic surface water sampling at the spring vent, groundwater monitoring, and biological monitoring. Surface water quality data are collected to determine if TMDL nitrate targets are being achieved. Flow data are collected in support of the secondary objective of calculating total nitrogen (TN) loading and tracking changes in TN loading in the basin. Groundwater well data are collected because the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) well network is expected to respond to changes in nitrate concentration before the spring vents and rivers and will help identify the response of the UFA nitrate levels to different land uses and recharge rates. 

At a minimum, the core parameters will be tracked to determine the progress that has been made towards meeting the TMDL and/or achieving the numeric nutrient criteria (NNC). For this BMAP, nitrate is considered to be the key core parameter measured to track progress in decreasing nitrogen concentrations in groundwater and the water surfacing at the spring vent. The other parameters are considered supplementary parameters for the BMAP, as they build information about water quality in the groundwater and at the spring vent but are not direct measurements of impairment. 

List of core and supplemental water quality indicators and field parameters for this basin. Core parameters include Total Nitrogen, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, and Nitrate as Nitrogen.

Biological responses to BMAP implementation may also be tracked. A significant amount of time may be needed for changes to be observed. 

DEP uses several monitoring tools designed to measure direct biological response to the water quality improvement or decline in springs. Rapid periphyton surveys (RPS) are conducted to assess the extent and abundance of attached algae (periphyton) and evaluate the autecological information associated with the dominant algae. Linear vegetation surveys (LVS) are conducted to assess the types and density of vegetation present and to identify the native versus non-native species. The LVS was designed to evaluate the ecological condition by determining how closely a site’s flora resembles that of an undisturbed system. Stream Condition Index (SCI) will be conducted to measure the number of different organisms present in the river and/or springs. In addition, habitat assessments (HAs) are conducted to assess the conditions and habitat present to support the SCI evaluation. Water quality samples should also be collected with the biological monitoring. 

List of biological response measures for spring runs, including chlorophyll a, Stream Condition Index score, Linear Vegetation Survey score, Rapid Periphyton Survey score, and key fish populations.

DEP continuously monitors the effectiveness of the monitoring network to fulfill the objectives stated in the BMAP and will continue to coordinate within and across jurisdictions to achieve water quality targets. 

Water Quality Analysis

The Protecting Florida Together water quality map delivers statewide water quality information. On this site, you can explore the Florida regions that are of interest to you. Individual waterbodies are color-coded based on the assessment status of nutrients and whether they are meeting standards. 

The water quality map has information on impairments under the “Water Impairment” tab based on the DEP watershed assessment process, in accordance with the Impaired Waters Rule. When sufficient data is available, you can click the button called “View Waterbody Trends” to see a graph of annual geometric mean concentrations (AGMs) for each parameter over the last 10 years. Additionally, the “Get More Data” button below the graphs allows users to search for additional monitoring data from the statewide database,  Watershed Information Network 

The Protecting Florida Together water quality maps and graphs can be accessed at the following link. 

Graph showing nitrate annual geometric mean concentration in milligrams per liter over time and the target threshold for Wakulla basin. Nitrate levels have decreased and are above target concentrations.

Annual Geometric Mean of Nitrate and the Recommended Ecological Threshold

*The Watershed Information Network (WIN) is a state database, not all stations found in this database are BMAP monitoring stations. In addition, some sampling entities have their own database and choose not to load their data to WIN; therefore, some of the listed monitoring stations may not be found when data are retrieved from WIN. 

Projects

Stakeholders submitted these management strategies to the department with the understanding that the strategies would be included in the BMAP, thus requiring each entity to implement the proposed strategies in a timely way and achieve the assigned load reduction estimates. While the 20-year planning period for this BMAP is 2018 to 2038, projects completed since January 1, 2013, count toward the overall nitrogen reduction goals. The management strategies are ranked with a priority of high, medium, or low. Projects used in this BMAP that could have a significant impact in reducing nitrogen loads to the springs include extensive septic to sewer projects, wastewater treatment facility upgrades, fertilizer ordinances and implementation of farm fertilizer, livestock waste, and urban stormwater BMPs. For a full list of projects please visit the  Statewide Annual Report .

Examples of stakeholder projects for the Wakulla Spring BMAP to reduce nitrogen sources

  • Community outreach and education on water resources and nutrient pollution.
  • Agricultural BMP implementation and verification.
  • Structural and non-structural BMPs, including street sweeping, regional stormwater treatment to prevent or reduce environmental degradation and water pollution.
  • Upgrade of wastewater treatment plants for better nitrogen removal.
  • Maintenance of sanitary sewer and wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF).
  • Phase out and enhancement of OSTDS.

The BMAP implementation process uses adaptive management to adjust when circumstances change, or monitoring indicates the need for additional or more effective restoration strategies. Adaptive management measures may include recommending additional restoration projects, updating the information in the water quality model, updating the model itself, adjusting allocations, or including new statutory requirements.

Information on progress in the Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Spring BMAP can be found in the latest  Statewide Annual Report 

Progress

Annually, DEP works with stakeholders to track BMAP project implementation and to review progress. The updated project list for the prior calendar year is presented by July 1 in the  Statewide Annual Report . A complete project list can be downloaded from this site, for those interested in detailed project information.  To promote progress and implementation, BMAP stakeholders meet annually to follow up on plan implementation, share new information, and continue to coordinate TMDL restoration–related issues. 

In this BMAP, the following statements summarize the progress of the overall reductions and provide an indication of the challenges related to reducing pollutants from different sources.

Overall

  • Total nitrogen reductions are not on track to meet the next milestone. 

Urban Stormwater/Urban Turfgrass Fertilizer (UTF)/Sports Turfgrass Fertilizer (STF) 

  • After an initial period of identifying and quantifying projects, local entities have struggled to identify and fund additional urban stormwater projects to achieve the necessary reductions.  
  • Additional programs are needed to track and implement BMPs specifically for golf courses and other sports turfgrass. 

Farm Fertilizer/Livestock Waste

  • Some agricultural producers are not compliant in their requirements to enroll in applicable BMPs or conduct water quality monitoring.  
  • Since owner-implemented BMPs are also cost effective, these BMPs may have been implemented prior to enrollment and are, therefore, not a new reduction in loading. 
  • Agricultural cost-share implementation may be needed to address these sources.  
  • More information is needed on agricultural practices that improve loads to groundwater for springs protection.

Wastewater 

  • The wastewater provisions in the BMAP have not yet been fully implemented but will be added as permits are renewed. 
  • Some important infrastructure projects are underway but may not result in immediate reductions because of the time it takes to design, permit, and build these projects. Only WWTF projects that are completed and have post-project water quality data are included in the reduction totals. 

OSTDS

  • This BMAP has additional requirements for OSTDS enhancement or septic-to-sewer conversions that have recently gone into effect and have not been fully implemented. 
  • Some important septic-to-sewer conversion projects are underway but may not result in immediate reductions because of the time it takes to design, permit, and build these projects. Only septic-to-sewer conversion projects that are completed are included in the reduction totals. 

 

Contacts & More Information

For more information on the Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Springs BMAP, please contact:

Sam Hankinson Voice: 850-245-8086 e-mail  Samuel.Hankinson@FloridaDEP.gov 

 Data Downloads

 For more information on the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration's BMAP program, click  https://floridadep.gov/bmaps .

 

For more information on all of the restoration plans developed with specific provisions for the protection and restoration of the state’s Outstanding Florida Springs, click  here .

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Annual Geometric Mean of Nitrate and the Recommended Ecological Threshold