Data were historically downloaded from the FL STORET website (DEP 2010f), with recent data downloaded from WIN WAVES (DEP 2022f). Data were filtered based on the stations in the Ortega River WBID 2213P1 (marine) and 2249A (freshwater) (DEP 2023b) shown above. The filtered dataset reflects water column concentrations and was used to generate Table 2.27.

Water quality data for the Ortega River are shown in Table 2.27. Average total phosphorus and dissolved oxygen concentrations were within acceptable limits in the freshwater reach (2249A), but outside of WQC for the marine reach (2213P1). Average chlorophyll-a concentrations have remained lower than the WQC in the freshwater reach of the Ortega River, but chlorophyll-a concentrations in the marine reach exceeded or were near the WQC from 2020-2022. Very few samples were available to assess in 2022. All samples 2020-2022 had metals concentrations lower than the WQC.

Average fecal indicator bacteria measurements were below the WQC in 2020 and 2022, and exceeded it in 2021, while roughly one-quarter to one-third of the individual samples exceeded the WQC. The TMDL reports for fecal coliform (Rhew 2009f) and DO/Nutrients (Magley 2009b) published in 2009 referred to WBID 2213P, of which WBID 2213P1 is a subset as a result of changes to the WBID boundaries.  In 2022, the freshwater reach of the Ortega River was verified as Impaired for elevated levels of fecal coliform (E. coli) based on the number of exceedances for the sample size, and anthropogenic sources of E. coli have been identified (DEP 2020g; DEP 2022).

Data were historically downloaded from the FL STORET website (DEP 2010f), with recent data downloaded from WIN WAVES (DEP 2022f). Data were filtered based on the stations in the Wills Branch WBID 2282 (DEP 2023b) shown above.

Water quality data for Wills Branch are presented in Table 2.34. Historically, average total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll-aconcentrations were within acceptable limits. Fecal coliform levels were historically above the WQC. As a result, a TMDL for total and fecal coliform was published in 2006 (Wainwright 2006c) for Wills Branch, with an 80% reduction in contributing sources. (Note: the data analyses in the TMDL are based on different criteria than those used in this report). Subsequently, a BMAP for Wills Branch was legally adopted in 2010 (DEP 2010a). Average fecal indicator bacteria levels were higher than the WQC 2020-2022. In 2018, FDEP piloted microbial source tracking strategies in selected impaired waterbodies.  They found that the strategies used could be used to narrow down areas suspected of containing sources that actively contribute fecal indicating bacteria to water in order to identify and remediate them, but this work is resource-intensive.  Wills Branch was found to have known sources of untreated human waste present (DEP 2019a).  In 2020, Wills Branch was added to FDEP’s study list to monitor the response in fecal coliform (E. coli) levels to ongoing restoration activities taking place as part of the existing BMAP (DEP 2020f). Additional information about fecal coliform in the tributaries can be found in Section 2.6 and Table 2.3.

Historical water quality data for these parameters in Wills Branch are available in previous versions of the River Report.