Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III

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... And just now the DOH has added in a more recent water test from March 27th. Bacterial counts are back in the green zone. Yay.

I'm now wondering if it'll take two days for yesterday's report to get filtered to the DOH's main advisory page and then get picked up by the local news.

Update: the local news just updated the health notice. So in less than 12 hours, we go from a health alert based on 3-day old data, to a retraction of the health alert based on 1-day old data. I feel that the person in charge of this was working from home or not working at all for the first half of this week.
 
@archman, we have had discussions about the water testing here before. When the sample is taken, how often etc. It was all speculation so 18 months ago I emailed the source. See the response at the end of this post after the images. FWIW the volume of tidal exchange at the park is enormous. The test is only a single data point in time, not very helpful. Also seems that they do not take tide into effect, not sure if the same person is still at FDOH. I have been diving there the last three days, no ill effects as far as I can tell.

Went to the bridge yesterday and today for diving. High tide was at 10:23 yesterday, and 10:52 today. Yesterday I arrived later than what would be normal for me, so I was entering the water only a half an hour before high tide. I was a little shocked at how crowded it was for a 10:23 high tide on a Wednesday. On the west side, just south of the bridge stanchions there were at least a dozen flags, all within 25 yards of each other. Today I arrived early at about 0905, snorkeled the trail first, and then did scuba afterward. It was the opposite of yesterday, I had the whole west side to myself. It was somewhat more sunny yesterday, but warmer today. I have no understanding of why there were so many divers yesterday and hardly any today. Visibility was the same both days about 15-20ft range, hazy blue. Sea temp was 76f. A big improvement from Tuesday.

Yesterday seeing all the flags on the westside just south to the bridge, upon entering immediately did a u turn around the seawall and headed to an area north of the pier. This area is somewhat similar to areas off the beach in front of the lifeguard stands. More algae, and sand as opposed gravel and bryozoan south of the bridge. Did a REEF survey of 59 species in 65 minutes.

Today did a REEF survey on snorkel of 49 species in 45 minutes, and 57 species in 65 minutes on scuba. Of note was a congregation of Apple Murex, at least twenty of them. Yellowhead Wrasse, though common on the reefs not so common at the bridge and had not seen one for a while. And nudibranchs of the genus Doto, but I am unsure of the species. Respectively, Yellowhead Wrasse, Apple Murex Congregation, Find the Decorator Crab, Blue-eye Hermit Crab, and Doto torrelavego (I think)
03-27-24 Yellowhead Wrasse.JPG
03-27-2024 Apple Murex.jpg
03-27-2024 Hydroid Decorator.JPG
03-28-2024 Blue Eye Hermit Crab-1130070.jpg
03-28-2024 Doto2-1130032.jpg


Hello,
I am trying to determine at what time of day water samples are taken for Phil Foster Park. The last one, ID 1110 taken on 10/24/22 resulted in an advisory. Only the date of the sample is recorded not the time. What time was that sample taken? What determines the time of the day the sample is taken? If the sample quality is found to be poor, resulting in an advisory are more samples taken more frequently until the advisory is clear? Thank you for your kind consideration in this matter.

Best Regards,
Peter Leahy

Peter,
Samples are normally collected in the morning in Palm Beach County. Phil Foster Park was sampled Monday, 10/24/2022, at 10:35 AM and Wednesday, 10/26/2022, at 9:55 AM. The Wednesday sample was a resample in response to the poor result from Monday’s sample. Samples are collected in the morning due to the time needed to complete the sample run and then have the laboratory process the samples.

If samples show poor results then an advisory will be issued and normally a resample will be conducted for the beach in question. Depending on circumstances more than one resample may collected but most resamples show water quality will have improved. Before an advisory is lifted testing will have to show improved water quality.

If you have any further questions feel free to contact me. I can be reached by email at David.polk@flhealth.gov or by phone at 850-901-6510.
W. David Polk, R.E.H.S.
Florida Department of Health
Division of Disease Control and Health Protection
Bureau of Environmental Health - Water Programs
Phone: 850-901-6510
Fax: (850) 487-0864
4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin A-08
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1710
 
In the past, they posted the time that the sample was taken, as well as the date. It was then possible to look back at the tide tables & figure out if the sample was taken closer to high tide or low tide. I only dive BHB at or near high tide. since the water quality is normally MUCH worse at lower tides, I didn't take the results of low tide samples as seriously.

Unfortunately, I no longer see the times being recorded, just the dates -


...but if the samples are normally taken in the morning, around 10:00ish, then that would at least give a bit of a clue.

3/27/24 high tide was at 10:27. The result that day was good. 2 days prior, high tide would have been around 9:16. That result was poor. A poor result 2 hours or less off of high tide is enough to make me pay attention. An isolated poor result 4-8 hours off of high tide is less of a concern for me.
 
... A poor result 2 hours or less off of high tide is enough to make me pay attention.
There is a 3rd factor that contributes heavily.
In the operational planning of Lake Okee flood gate releases, they specifically try to time the S155 (WPB) release to be at high tide. Why you might ask?? So the dirty water release is carried most efficiently out to ocean open water for maximum dilution and ejection from inland waterways. In some cases where the total draw down cubic feet exceeds the time limits of high tide(rare), it's not possible. But the goal is ejection at high tide when possible. We jokingly say it's the Navy that scuba dives, but it's the Army CoE that controls the flood gates and they don't dive.
They are still doing small releasing this morning. Link for S155 gate WPB releases = https://apps.sfwmd.gov/sitestatus/#/east-coast
 
That could well explain it. We did a 5 minute dive today and just gave up. Green and 5ft at most. Froth around the west side looked ominous too. Kinda saw the bottom looking over the fishing pier so we thought we’d try but once in we didn’t see the point (didn’t see much of anything).

1711745927794.jpeg
 
Went to the bridge for diving today. Given that it was a Friday and high tide was at 11:31 I had expectations of the park being crowded. Arrived at 0950, while there was still plenty of parking, but the place filled up pretty fast. Checked the seawall immediately for visibility, and though the water was brown green I could see the bottom, so I went back to truck and suited up.

By the time I entered the water 20 minutes later, color had went from brown green to white green, never a good sign. But I went ahead with the dive anyway. Visibility was five feet, so not completely undoable. Sea temp was 75f. Three minutes into the dive I was on a rarely seen nudibranch (only four observations on inaturalist.org), Tanna Cerberilla a common name derived from the scientific name Cerberilla tanna. Not sure I have ever come across a species named in that fashion. Proceeded to the west end of the snorkel trail so I could get at least a few species of fish for a REEF survey, 39 species in 65 minutes. Yes, visibility and species count are definitely correlated. So concentrating on close range macro found one of my favorite species, Phoronopsis californica. As I start taking an exposure a Shortfin Pipefish swims into the frame, as if to say, hey "take my picture too". Moving along I stumble upon a Lined Seahorse adorned with magnificent fleshy appendages. I recognize this Seahorse, and therefore know my exact location. I head south and find the most beautiful little box crab of a coloring I have ever observed at BHB. It does not match anything in Inaturalist or anywhere else I can find. Lastly, I have to add find the Decorator Crab image, because well Decorator Crabs are cool. I exited the water at 1230, despite the amount of divers I saw prior to entering there were few flags left in the water. For sure I would expect the visibility to be worse tomorrow given the wind conditions. But I am sure it will not the stop the park from being a zoo tomorrow. I think I will skip it. Respectively, Tanna Cerberilla, Shortfin Pipefish and Phoronopsis Califonrica, Lined Seahorse, Box Crab (species unknown), and Find the Decorator Crab.
03-29-2024 Tanna Cerberilla.jpg
03-29-2024 Shortfin Pipe.jpg
03-29-2024 Seahorse.jpg
03-29-2024 Box Crab.jpg
03-29-2024 Decorator Crab.jpg
 
Nice find on the nudi. Surely a sweet one, and I would be happy to find. Haven't seen one in a long time..
 
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