These recommendations are based on scientific and professional judgment. 

 These standards protect the life of all Floridians and visitors and maintain 

 the propagation of aquatic and other life forms dependent upon aquatic envi- 

 ronments. These are, therefore, tied to the health, welfare, and well-being 

 of all citizens of the State. 



Each classification has its particular level of compliance. For 

 Class III, freshwater standards dominate the majority of interior wetlands 

 including creeks, rivers, lakes, swamps and other interconnected aquatic 

 environments. Substantial differences can be expected among the wetlands in 

 Class III because of the diversity of climate, geology, habitat, and land use. 

 Although this classification covers a large surface area, the discussion is 

 limited to those areas where ongoing water quality analysis data are avail- 

 able. A description of the major water courses in Northwest Florida and the 

 significant water quality violations within each designated major Class III 

 system is given in the following paragraphs. 



Major Rivers 



The major river basins in Northwest Florida are the Apalachicola River, 

 the Choctawatchee River, the Pedro River which includes the Yellow River, the 

 Blackwater River, the Escambia River, and Perdido River. Most of the data in 

 this section are taken from the Florida State Department of Environmental 

 Regulation 1979a, 1979b. 



Streams in Northwest Florida generally are characterized by high dis- 

 solved oxygen concentrations, low to medium concentrations of nutrients, high 

 coliform counts, low conductivity, high suspended solids, and medium 

 chlorophyll-a^ values. The waters at Permanent Network Stations (PNS) in 

 Northwest Florida have high levels of dissolved oxygen. Seven of the streams 

 rank in the top ten of the 50 Florida streams examined. Biological Oxygen 

 Demand (BOD) and nutrient concentrations are low and the BOD means rarely 

 exceed 1.5 mg/1. Total phosphorus concentrations also are low { 0.1 mg/1). 



Coliform counts generally are high in most streams in Northwest Florida. 

 The upper Choctawhatchee River has the second highest fecal coliform concen- 

 trations in the State, averaging 1,115/100 ml, but most streams average about 

 125/100 ml. Average count in the upper Escambia River was about 5,200/100 ml. 



All streams except the Blackwater and Perdido Rivers had pH values above 

 6.0. The Apalachicola, Perdido, and Chipola Rivers generally exhibited the 

 lowest coliform count and highest total organic carbon. 



Turbidity and suspended solids are similar in most rivers and are highest 

 in the upper Escambia, middle Choctawhatchee and Apalachicola Rivers. 

 Chlorophyl 1-a^ concentrations average 3 to 6 ug/1 throughout the area. The 

 lower Apalachicola River had the highest concentrations. 



With the exception of coliform concentrations, overall water quality in 

 the streams of Northwest Florida is good. The Perdido, Blackwater, Apalachi- 

 cola, Yellow, and Chipola Rivers exhibit the best water quality. If it were 

 not for the high coliform counts and high concentration of suspended solids, 

 these stream would be some of the State's cleanest. The high readings appar- 

 ently are natural and are not caused by municipal or industrial wastes. 



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