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Request to Discontinue Project HGOS

Request to Discontinue Project HGOS. Prepared for the Technical Oversight Committee 6/30/09 Mark Gabriel, Ph.D. South Florida Water Management District. Project Background and History.

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Request to Discontinue Project HGOS

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  1. Request to DiscontinueProject HGOS Prepared for the Technical Oversight Committee 6/30/09 Mark Gabriel, Ph.D. South Florida Water Management District

  2. Project Background and History • Project HGOS involves the quarterly collection of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in surface water • Collections have occurred at multiple stations (~20) throughout the Everglades Protection Area (EPA) since 2000 • HGOS was established in 2000 as a modification to existing monitoring programs • The intent of establishing HGOS was to incorporate improvements in sampling methodologies and analytical capabilities for surface water mercury monitoring

  3. Current HGOS Monitoring Stations *S12A *Station S12A is under project PIN (Project Inflow North)

  4. Justification for Discontinuing Project HGOS • There has been no exceedance of the Florida Water Quality Standard of 12 ng/L for THg (Chapter 62-302, F.A.C.); There is no WQS for MeHg WQS WQS WQS WQS

  5. Justification for Discontinuing Project HGOS (Cont.) 2. HGOS data is not applicable to area loading calculations 3. The research-related value of the HGOS data is limited An attempt was made to use HGOS THg/MeHg data to predict the spatial concentrations in fish throughout the EPA but there is only one HGOS station that overlaps a fish collection station (P33 [HGOS surface water], L67 [HGFS fish]) 4. The main focal point with regard to evaluating ecosystem mercury contamination is observing levels in fish tissue, feathers, etc.

  6. Current fish THg monitoring stations

  7. Justification for Discontinuing Project HGOS (Cont.) 5. Percent MeHg* levels for all HGOS stations are similar to stations collected throughout the EPA indicating no cause for concern: From 2000 to present mean percentage of MeHg was 14.5% for HGOS project and 16% for all other projects 6. The HGOS project is not mandated or used by any other project 7. All District Everglades (ECP, CERP) projects have surface water THg and MeHg monitoring * (MeHg/THg)*100

  8. S390, S392 Current surface water THg and MeHg monitoring stations

  9. Justification for Discontinuing Project HGOS (Cont.) 8. Overall, the HGOS program cost outweighs the benefits (~$30K/year [includes FTE time, sample analysis, and transportation])

  10. Recommendation Stop sampling for project HGOS, effective immediately, and start the process for discontinuing the project

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