boat traffic, and the dredging activities 

 have been directly associated with local 

 destruction of near-shore grassbeds, 

 deterioration of water and sediment 

 guality, and the loss of biological 

 productivity (Livingston 1983b, d). 



Municipal drainages contribute 

 significantly to the pollution burden of 

 the Apalachicola River and Bay area 

 (Livingston 1983d). Scipio Creek 

 (Apalachicola), Eagle (or Indian) Creek 

 (East Point), and runoff from East Point 

 into near-shore areas of St. George Sound 

 have been affected by a combination of 

 high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and 

 chemical oxygen demand (COD), low 

 dissolved oxygen, and heavy-metal 

 contamination of sediments. Areas of 

 northern Apalachicola Bay that receive 

 runoff from the city of Apalachicola also 

 show signs of low water quality. The 

 dredged canals of St. George Island are 

 polluted. The boat basins at St. George 

 Island and Apalachicola have been 

 contaminated with organic input and heavy 

 metals in the sediments. The lowest 

 dissolved oxygen in the entire system 

 occurs at the St. George boat basin (just 

 west of the causeway as it enters the 

 island; Figure 47) during periods of high 

 summer rainfall and overland runoff. 

 There are signs of organic runoff in the 

 vicinity of St. George Sound receiving 

 input from construction sites, although 

 more analysis is necessary to qualify this 

 observation. At all of the above sites, 

 the biological indices (benthic infaunal 

 macroinvertebrates) indicated moderate to 

 high biological stress. 



Other major sources of pollutants are 

 located in areas receiving drainage from 

 agricultural operations (Murphy Creek and 

 Clark's Creek off the Jackson River; West 

 Bayou in East Bay from the Tate's Hell 

 Swamp). Aerial reconnaisance of the study 

 area indicates that forestry interests 

 have drained extensive areas of the Tate's 

 Hell Swamp into East Bayou and West Bayou 

 in eastern portions of East Bay. High 

 organic input and heavy-metal 

 contamination of the sediments have been 

 noted in areas of the drainage system 

 receiving agricultural runoff. Biological 

 indices have indicated severe stress. 



Various stations along the lower 

 Apalachicola River, while having rela- 



tively low levels of pollution in the 

 water and sediments, also appear to be 

 biologically stressed (Livingston 1983d). 

 These sandy areas could be naturally 

 stressed by the heavy currents and the 

 shifting qualities of the sandy substrate. 

 Dredging activities along the Apalachicola 

 River could contribute to the observed 

 paucity of benthic macroinvertebrates 

 noted in these areas, although the exact 

 cause of the observed biological 

 conditions remains unknown. 



Overall, the Apalachicola River and 

 Bay system remains relatively pollution 

 free at this time. Some areas, such as 

 eastern portions of St. Vincent Sound, 

 have been characterized by relatively high 

 levels of heavy metals in the sediments, 

 the source of which is not immediately 

 apparent. These areas could be points of 

 sedimentation (such as the dredged 

 channels in Apalachicola Bay), which 

 naturally concentrate contaminants such as 

 heavy metals as part of the fallout of 

 silt/clay fractions from river input and 

 urban runoff. Such small particles are 

 known to adsorb chemicals such as heavy 

 metals. The dredged channels serve as 

 silt traps within the system. The 

 cumulative effect of municipal and 

 agricultural activities in the region 

 could be especially significant to the 

 rather sensitive oyster industry in 

 Franklin County. It will take imaginative 

 and progressive planning and resource 

 management action if the fisheries 

 potential of the Apalachicola estuary is 

 to be preserved and enhanced. 



7.4. LAND PLANNING AND RESOURCE 

 MANAGEMENT 



Resource management, based on 

 comprehensive scientific data, depends on 

 complex socioeconomic factors and cultural 

 trends. The mere identification of a 

 given natural resource does not 

 necessarily ensure enlightened planning 

 for its perpetuation. There have been a 

 series of reviews of the resource problems 

 in the Apalachicola basin. The history of 

 resource planning and management in the 

 Apalachicola basin has been well 

 documented over the past decade 

 (Livingston 1974b, 1975, 1976a, 1977a-d, 

 1978, i980a-c; 1982a; Livingston and Joyce 

 1977). Overall, there has been a 



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