Introduction to Sampling Water Quality Monitoring

The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) of Northwest Florida State College works with the University of Florida LAKEWATCH program to conduct monthly water quality monitoring of 90 stations in Choctawhatchee Bay, 55 stations throughout all 15 rare coastal dune lakes in South Walton County, and two stations along the Choctawhatchee River. This collaboration allows us to establish baseline water quality data for our local water resources, which can then be used to help identify areas of poor water quality, determine the causes of water quality degradation, and identify solutions to improve water quality throughout the basin. CBA’s data are uploaded to the State’s STOrage and RETrival data base (STORET) and are available to the public. The data are used by local municipalities as well as state and federal agencies to manage and regulate our waters. Our water quality monitoring program is conducted almost wholly by a large group of dedicated volunteers. They take surface- and bottom-level readings of the following parameters at each station: temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, oxygen saturation, and water clarity. They also collect water samples which are analyzed by the Florida LAKEWATCH program for nutrient concentration (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) and algae content (chlorophyll).