Below the Water Line

Crystal River’s Invasive Aquatic Plants

Invasive species come in many forms and can be native or nonnative. Florida is known for its beautiful waterways and marshlands, so invasive aquatic plants are particularly threatening to Florida’s environment. In Crystal River, there are four main invasive aquatic plants: water hyacinth, water lettuce, hydrilla, and lyngbya.

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Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce

Both water hyacinth (left) and water lettuce (right) are nonnative to Florida and originated from South America. When cargo ships travel between South America and Florida, they can carry invasive plants in their ballast water. When the ship reaches its destination and releases its ballast water, any foreign plants trapped inside gets released into a new ecosystem. (Cargo ships take water in their ballast tank to enhance maneuverability and stability on the water. When ships reach their destination, they pump out the foreign water, which contains foreign substances. For more information, visit here.)

When Crystal River had fewer manatee, water hyacinth and water lettuce dominated waterways because the plants could thrive in the warm climate and had few predators. By rapidly reproducing, water hyacinth and water lettuce form dense greenery at the surface of the water and prevent light from reaching the plants below. Light is a critical ingredient for photosynthesis and without it, plants die. This process results in a monoculture of invasive plants that outcompete native plants.

Thankfully, manatee love water hyacinth and water lettuce, and as manatee populations have risen in Crystal River, likely a product of increased food sources (eelgrass) and conservation efforts, water hyacinth and water lettuce levels have greatly reduced. Also, water hyacinth and water lettuce are relatively easy to remove since they float on the surface of the water and can easily be scooped out. Sadly, hydrilla and lyngbya aren’t as easy to control.

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Hydrilla

While manatee eat hydrilla (above), hydrilla is much more invasive than water hyacinth and water lettuce. Hydrilla is native to Asia and was spread worldwide in the aquarium trade. If you look at the image at the top of this article, you can see why people wanted hydrilla in their freshwater fish tanks – it’s symmetrical and pretty when it flows in the water. Also, just like water hyacinth and water lettuce, hydrilla travels in cargo ships and can spread into new regions as a result of trade.

Hydrilla is extremely invasive because even small fragments of the plant can grow into full sized plants. Anyone who carelessly dumps out their fish tank into open waterways can easily introduce hydrilla into a new ecosystem.

Another aspect that makes hydrilla so invasive is the fact it can live in a variety of water qualities. If you’ll recall from a past blog linked here, pH, salinity, turbidity, etc. determine water quality. Hydrilla is one of the most invasive species in the world, and it is found on every continent except Antarctica.

Hydrilla, like water hyacinth and water lettuce, forms monocultures by rapidly reproducing and outcompeting native plants. Once hydrilla grows large enough, it will stretch from the riverbed to the water’s surface. At the surface, hydrilla forms dense greenery, which blocks the sun from reaching plants below (see image below).

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What Have We Done About Hydrilla?

Removing hydrilla is extraordinarily difficult and costly. Hydrilla grows faster than manatee can eat it, and whenever a manatee breaks a hydrilla plant, the broken plant fragments can form new plants.

The name “hydrilla” originates from the Latin word “hydra,” which has two different meanings. The first definition of hydra refers to the many-headed beast in Greek mythology. When one head of the hydra is cut off, two grow back. More modernly, Hydra means an evil that can’t be overcome by a single effort. I’d say hydrilla fits both of these definitions.

Hydrilla is known to completely take over waterways and to prevent any navigation by manatee or human. The fact that hydrilla is present throughout King’s Bay is worrisome because if left unregulated, King’s Bay could eventually look like the image above.

In the past, people tried to eliminate hydrilla by poisoning it, which was costly and risky. In King’s Bay, poisoning worked and the hydrilla died, but it made the overall situation worse. As hydrilla died, it sunk to the riverbed and contributed to the thick layer of muck. This muck created an anaerobic environment where rooted plants, like eelgrass, could not effectively survive.

Poisoning, combined with the massive amounts of saltwater that flooded into Crystal River from the No Name Storm on March 13, 1993, led to the death of tons of hydrilla and added to the mucky, anaerobic riverbed.

How To Combat Hydrilla

There are only a few effective ways to prevent devastating levels of hydrilla.

1: Catch hydrilla early. If we notice hydrilla growth early enough, we can prevent if from getting out of control.

2: Manatee eat hydrilla, so if the hydrilla isn’t overwhelming, manatee will be able to graze and reduce hydrilla density.

3: Plant eelgrass properly. Mature and properly planted eelgrass outcompetes hydrilla. If you swim in Kings Bay, you rarely see hydrilla in the main cluster of established eelgrass. You see it around patches of eelgrass, but well established eelgrass outgrows nascent hydrilla.

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Lyngbya

The fourth and final invasive aquatic plant is lyngbya. Lyngbya, unlike the other plants discussed, is native to Florida. It had been the worst invasive aquatic plant in Crystal River for years, but it can’t tolerate saltwater. As saltwater intrusion increased from hurricanes and the lowering of the freshwater aquifer, lyngbya levels decreased. (For more on saltwater intrusion click here.) Lyngbya is now mainly found in Hunter’s Spring.

Lyngbya grows by attaching to other seagrasses and rocks on the riverbed. When mature, trapped gas in the lyngbya mats forces the invasive plant to the surface (see image above). Once on the surface, lyngbya blocks the sun from reaching the native eelgrass on the riverbed. Like the other invasive plants, lyngbya can also be spread in the ballast of a boat.

How To Combat Lyngbya

The most effective way to counter lyngbya is by planting eelgrass. This is exactly what Save Crystal River hopes to accomplish by planting eelgrass. Once the eelgrass matures, it outcompetes lyngbya. This forces lyngbya to the surface prematurely and forces the invasive plant out of the springs. The more eelgrass we have, the less lyngbya we have.

Unlike hydrilla, water hyacinth, and water lettuce, Manatee won’t eat lyngbya because it is slightly toxic. This means it’s up to us to make sure our waterways are clear.

While there’s not much we can individually do to eliminate these invasive aquatic plants, be careful not to transfer them to a new waterway. Clean kayaks, boats, paddleboards and any other mode of water transportation before traveling to a new location.

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

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Photo Credits:

Hydrilla Underwater: My Canyon Lake

Water Hyacinth: The Tehran Times

Water Lettuce: Gardening Know How

Hydrilla in Hand: Noble Research Institute

Hydrilla Invasion: Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers

Lyngbya: Naturalake Biosciences

Venomous Snakes in Crystal River

Crystal River is known for its unique wildlife and picturesque sawgrass prairies. Some wildlife, like manatee, can be safely observed up close, but other wildlife, like gators or snakes, should be observed from a safe distance. Many snakes inhabit the sawgrasses and can swim through water. Some are harmless, but some are deadly. In this post I’ll give you a rundown of the most common venomous snakes in Crystal River and how to avoid getting bitten.

According to the Florida State Fish and Wildlife Conservation, only six of Florida’s forty-four species of snakes are venomous: the pigmy rattlesnake, the cottonmouth, the diamondback rattlesnake, the eastern coral snake, the timber rattlesnake, and the southern copperhead. The timber rattlesnake and the southern copperhead are rare in Crystal River and are typically found in northern Florida, but if you’ve spent time outdoors in the Crystal River area, you’ve probably seen at least one of the four other venomous snakes.

Pygmy Rattlesnakes

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Of the four, the pigmy rattlesnake is by far the most dangerous. They are small, aggressive, and unlike the diamondback rattlesnake, their rattle is quiet and almost unidentifiable. Due to their small size (about 1-2ft.) and excellent camouflage, many people enter the snake’s “strike zone” without even realizing it. (See image above.) Plus, their rattle is quiet, so when the snake attempts to warn an approaching person, it’s almost impossible to hear the rattle. Pigmy rattlesnakes normally have grey bodies with dark grey-black blotches. Sometimes, you’ll be able to see a reddish orange stripe running along a pigmy rattlesnake’s backbone.

Diamondback Rattlesnake

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A relative to the pigmy rattlesnake is the diamondback rattlesnake. Diamondbacks are much larger (about 3-6ft.) and less common. Back in the 20th century, people hunted diamondbacks in Florida for their skin to make belts or purses. Scientists would also purchase the snakes to make anti-venom. According to Tom Palmer, an environmental writer, some estimate that only 3% of the original population of rattlesnakes remain in Florida.

Diamondbacks are very easy to spot due to the diamond shaped patterning down their backs (hence the name “diamondback”). Unlike the pigmy rattlesnake, the diamondback has a loud and distinctive sounding rattle (Click here to listen to the rattle). Another feature to notice about the diamondback is that it has a triangular head. Triangular heads often indicate a snake as venomous. While this is not always the case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Cottonmouth

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The most common venomous snake in Crystal River is the cottonmouth, which gets its name from the white color inside the snake’s mouth (it exposes its mouth when it bares its fangs). Another name for the cottonmouth is the water moccasin. Many believe the nick-name came from the way the snake silently glides through bushes and grasses, like someone who is wearing moccasins.

Cottonmouths grow to about 4 feet and are identifiable by their triangular head and their thick bodies of black or brown coloration (they have little patterning). Cottonmouths can swim extremely well and are often confused with black racers or water snakes, which might bite but are non-venomous. The reason cottonmouths have an ominous reputation is because they are known to hold their ground when confronted. Other snakes, like water snakes or black racers, typically flee from a larger animal.

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Coral Snake

The last common venomous snake in the Crystal River area is the Coral Snake. These snakes are easily identifiable by their distinct red and yellow bars. Coral Snakes are often confused with the nonvenomous King Snake due their similar color patterning (see images above). To avoid making a dangerous mistake, learn this simple rhyme: “Red on black, safe for Jack. Red on yellow, kill a fellow.”

Coral snakes have the second most potent venom in the world, only topped by the Black Mamba. That said, coral snakes cannot effectively transfer venom into their prey, so they are less dangerous than rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes’ large, retractable fangs easily penetrate flesh and release lethal amounts of venom more effectively than the oral snakes’ smaller, stationary fangs. Coral snakes’ small mouths hinder them from effectively piercing human skin, and their small fangs contain smaller amounts of venom compared to Rattlers. Live Science Contributor, Jessie Szalay, writes that the last Coral Snake fatality occurred in the late 1960s.

While snakes can be intimidating, they help the ecosystem by maintaining a balanced food web. If a snake become a dangerous nuisance, it’s best to call snake removal services who will relocate the snake. Killing snakes only hurts the ecosystem and allows rodent populations to flourish, which can cause more problems than the snakes themselves.

How to avoid snakes?

All in all, it’s best to avoid snakes by staying on cleared paths with high visibility and to never handle snakes without training. Most of the time, snakes feel vibrations in the ground of a much larger approaching human and retreat. If you’re worried though, I always carry a walking stick to probe dense bushes or keep a snake at bay. Strikes mainly occur when people walk off the trail and accidentally enter the snake’s strike zone.

If wild snakes interest you, learn how to determine the dangerous from the harmless. Also when in the woods, carry a cell phone, so if you’re bitten you can call 911 or poison control. While waiting for help, remain as calm as possible and keep you heart above the bite location. Thankfully, herpetologist developed anti-venoms for many snake bites and a quick phone call can be a lifesaver. If bitten make that urgent care call even if you are unsure about the toxicity of the bite.

Snake Myth

One final note: If you are bit by a snake, DO NOT attempt to suck out the venom. Adventure movies contributed to this common misconception, but attempting to suck out venom is ineffective. If it does slightly work, the venom enters another person’s system, causing more harm than good. Venom ingestion allows venom to rapidly travel to vital organs and heightens the chance of cardiac arrest. For more information on how to treat a snakebite, check out the John Hopkins Website.

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

Photo Credits:

Sawgrass Prairies: Walker A. Willis

Pygmy Rattlesnake: Florida Hikes

Diamondback Rattlesnake: Wildlife Control

Cottonmouth: Pintrest

Coral Snake vs. Scarlet King Snake: Vimeo

Restoration Work Resumes April, 2021

We are excited to announce that work will be resuming as Manatee Season comes to an end on April 1st, 2021!

What’s in store?

Work will begin by running black HDPE pipe down 2A2 all the way to Three Sisters Spring. From there, we will run lay-flat hoses to the end of canal 6. One crew will begin cage and vacuum maintenance in Canal 6. Meanwhile, another crew will begin vacuum cleaning in 2B1.

Both crews will be dewatering to Shatz Island.

We are excited to get back in the water! (See the referenced areas below in purple)

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What is vacuum cleaning?

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Vacuum cleaning is when our contractors at Sea & Shoreline move into a previously unrestored area and begin removing layers of muck and debris from years of decay. This is the beginning of our proven three-step process to remove, restore, and maintain.

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filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”3399|medium” max_width=”” style_type=”” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”none” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ 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What is maintenance work?

There are two types of maintenance work we may refer to. One is cage maintenance the other is vacuum maintenance.

Cage Maintenance

When we refer to cage maintenance we are genuinely talking about a Good ‘Ole Fashioned scrubbing!! For a year after cages are installed to protect newly planted eelgrass the cages are maintained and cleaned periodically to ensure they are doing their job!

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Vacuum Maintenance

Vacuum maintenance refers to returning to previously cleaned areas for a year after the initial clean to remove any algae that has drifted back in. This helps keep the area clean until the planted eelgrass has established well enough to perform its “natural” cleaning cycle.

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Why did restoration work pause?

With the annual migration of manatees to Crystal River each year, certain limitations are put in place to ensure there is no disturbance to their behavioral patterns.

While our workers are careful year-round to ensure the safety of not only the manatees but all aquatic and human life on the waterways, during “Manatee Season” the main corridors are designated for migratory purposes and much of our restoration work is put on hold until we receive the “all clear” from the necessary agencies.

Save Crystal River Blogs

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Images in this article provided by:

Save Crystal River

Sea & Shoreline

Explorida Adventure Center

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Why has Crystal River Become Saltier?

There’s one main reason Crystal River has become saltier: saltwater intrusion. If saltwater intrusion is what’s happening, the next logical question is why is it happening? The “why” comes down to one simple factor: overuse and abuse of the Floridan aquifer.

The Aquifer

Before continuing, there are some key ideas to understand about Florida’s groundwater. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Floridan Aquifer spans approximately 100,000 square miles. That means it covers the entire state of Florida and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina (see image above). Our aquifer is one of the most productive aquifers in the world. According to National Geographic, “of the seven billion gallons of freshwater used daily across Florida, . . . most is taken from the Floridan aquifer.” (For more information click here.)

Even though the aquifer is abundant, just under the freshwater aquifer, there is a saltwater aquifer constantly pushing up against the freshwater aquifer (See image below). As developments pump freshwater out of the aquifer, the saltwater aquifer seeps into the freshwater laterally and vertically, which contaminates the freshwater.

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Salts in Nature

For clarification, whenever I refer to “salinity,” “salt,” or “saltiness” in this post, I am referring to the compound NaCl, or table salt. While NaCl is not normally lethal to humans, it can ruin drinking water, kill freshwater aquatic life, and devastate freshwater ecosystems. There are chemical salts found in nature, but they are more likely to be considered pollutants than salts. Some chemical salts are even beneficial to ecosystems. For example, the salt calcium carbonate is the main component in pearls and the shells of marine organisms.

Initially, one might think aquifer depletion is a natural phenomenon, but in reality people cause the depletion problem. The aquifer, if unused for irrigation or drinking water, would replenish itself naturally and remain fresh. While it might be environmentally beneficial to leave the aquifer alone, the aquifer has become an integral part of our everyday lives. In fact, studies estimate that Floridians use 158 gallons of water a day per person. According to Craig Pittman, water pumped from the aquifer from 1970 to 1995 increased by more than fifty percent. By 2005, almost 4.2 billion gallons of water were pumped out of the aquifer per day.

Sinkholes

A major problem caused by draining the aquifers are sinkholes. You’ve probably seen news segments where whole houses or cars are swallowed by sinkholes. While these are some of the more extreme examples of what can happen, they are a reality directly caused from draining the aquifer.

A sinkhole occurs when the land above an underground cavity collapses. When humans drain the aquifer, it leaves open space underground where the water drained from. Typically, groundwater supports the earth above it, but without the water the land weakens and is susceptible to collapse. The correlation between sinkholes and draining the aquifer is why we see so many sinkholes in areas that require heavy irrigation, like farms, ranches, large grassy sports fields, and residential areas. A study back in 1982 conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that there was a direct relationship between the number of sinkholes and the draining of the aquifer, specifically in the Tampa Bay, FL area. While this study was almost forty years ago, it’s discoveries hold true today. Few actions have been made to course-correct overusing the aquifer, and today Florida still favors development over environmental health.

As groundwater lowers, it not only leads to sinkholes, but it also slows spring outputs. With less groundwater, there is less pressure forcing the water to the surface. If the groundwater gets too low, springs will stop releasing freshwater entirely. This is why we have seen springs disappearing all across Florida, especially in heavily populated areas.

How does draining the aquifer affect Springs?

In an earlier post, I wrote about how springs form. You can check that post out here. The simple summary is that a spring is a crack in the earth that allows water from the aquifer to seep up to the surface level. The only reason groundwater comes to the surface is because the water has nowhere else to go. As the aquifer fills, there is less and less space for the water, so the pressure grows. Eventually, the pressure forces the water towards the surface where it can escape in bubbling springs.

While Crystal River is still full of gushing spring vents, it is a trickle compared to the water production just 50 years ago. That’s why my father, as a boy, remembers Crystal River as a clear, cold river, teeming with freshwater fish. Hundreds of springs stopped venting groundwater, and there is less freshwater to push out the salty Gulf water that comes into Crystal River with each tide.

Save Crystal River has done a great job in opening covered spring vents. Even though this helps clear the salt water out of the river, the Florida Geological Survey concluded that Florida Springs have begun to release saltier water due to saltwater intrusion in the freshwater aquifer itself. Since people continue to drain our freshwater aquifer, the deeper saltwater aquifers are seeping up and contaminating the remaining freshwater.

What can we do to correct saltwater intrusion?

Currently, there is no easy solution for correcting saltwater intrusion once it takes place. The only real solution is to restore the freshwater aquifer. Restoration of the Floridan aquifer means people would have reduce the amount of water they use and allow rainwater to seep through the ground and reenter the aquifer. Groundwater replenishment is a much more difficult process than many think. Here is a source if you’d like to learn more: Groundwater Replenishment. It’s much easier to properly manage water usage in the first place than to correct water misuse.

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

Riverbed Scars

Over the summer my brother and I paddled around Kings Bay, visiting different springs like Hunters’ Spring and Three Sisters Springs. On the way to the main spring vents, there were odd sandy patches in the river bottom, forming straight lines and craters that looked like scars on a manatee’s back except on the riverbed.

https://fl.audubon.org/news/recent-report-documents-prop-scarring-florida-bay

You’ve probably seen those sandy lines along the river floor, running through the eelgrass (see picture above). These scars are caused by boat propellers. Scars can also be formed by using hooked anchors that uproot native eelgrass and leave sandy patches in the riverbed. While many boaters believe scraping the bottom is no problem, it takes time for eelgrass to grow back. Often, Save Crystal River will intervene and patch the scars before they fill with gunk and detritus.

One way Save Crystal River patches scars is by organizing workers to purchase and lay biodegradable bags in the scars. Small eelgrass plants are planted in the bags to help encourage regrowth. While Save Crystal River has contractors skilled at this healing technique, it is expensive and laborious to repair this thoughtless damage. Thankfully, boaters can easily avoid damaging eelgrass.

Props, Anchors or Manatees?

Simply by looking at the different types of floating eelgrass, one can easily identify what damaged the eelgrass. Prop damage chops the eelgrass into small 1-2″ sections. It almost looks as if the grass was put through a food processor. You can see an example below left.

When manatees graze, they rip the grass with their flippers and mouths. This causes portions of the grass to float to the surface, leaving about 6”-12” segments (see image above right). Manatees do not uproot most plants, so the eelgrass floating on the surface typically has no roots.

Unlike manatee damage, anchor damage pulls large clumps of eelgrass up from its roots (see above). Grazing manatees leave eelgrass roots intact, so the grass has a chance to regrow. Anchor damage, on the other hand, uproots entire plants and prevents eelgrass from regrowing.

Two Types of Scarring: Prop and Anchor

As mentioned earlier, there are two main types of scarring. Prop scarring occurs from a boat operating in shallow water either accidentally or intentionally. A prop scraping through the riverbed leaves those sandy straight scars. Sometimes, boaters will tilt their prop and accelerate in reverse to free their boat when grounded. In doing so, the prop blows away large amounts of plants and sand. This results in even more root damage to aquatic plants.

https://www.globalfishingreports.com/boat-anchor-types/

In terms of anchors, no matter how good of a boater you are, using a hooked anchor will harm the riverbed. Hooked anchors look like the anchors displayed above. As the boat strains the anchor line, the hooked anchor digs into the substrate. When it is later pulled loose, it often uproots entire eelgrass plants. Sometimes people will use an anchor to stop their boat, and there have also been times where people have forgotten to remove their anchor before taking off. Both actions cause serious riverbed damage and leave sandy patches throughout the river.

How to Prevent Scarring

Prop Scar Prevention

Preventing prop scars is easy: simply be aware of the river depth and raise your prop when in shallow waters. Crystal River has tides that fluctuate 5’ a day. In the morning, an area might be plenty deep to boat over, but in the afternoon that same area could be only a foot or so deep. By simply knowing the tides and looking over the side of the boat, you will not only save the riverbed but also your prop and hull. Having a depth finder is also a great way to be aware of the river depth.

Anchor Scar Prevention

There are multiple ways to prevent anchor scarring. Boaters can invest in shallow water anchors like power poles or mud anchors (spud poles). Both the power poles and mud anchors securely hold your boat in place. Wang’s Shallow Water Anchor is an example of a spud pole. It’s similar to a PVC pipe, with a spike on the end, that mounts to your boat. You can check out Wang’s Shallow Water Anchor here. Yak Gear and Power Pole also make effective mud anchors.

Instead of shredding the riverbed, shallow water anchors pierce the sandy river bottom and stabilize your boat. Power poles are a little more expensive than mud anchors, but they are also more effective. See this video for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HbD4lj1tjE

If you don’t want to invest in a shallow water anchor, there are other options. On a calm day, using a weight-type anchor can be effective. Unlike a traditional anchor, the weight-type anchor is a heavy object that relies on weight to hold the boat in place rather than digging into the ground. Perfect examples of this could be a cinder block or a chunk of concrete. While these types of anchors can still harm the riverbed, it doesn’t uproot eelgrass or scar the bottom nearly as badly as hooked anchors.

Why Aren’t Shallow Water Anchors More Prevalent?

Currently, there are only a few tour boat operators who use shallow water anchors. Both Explorida’s and one of the Plantation’s tour boats have power poles, and Manatees in Paradise uses a mud anchor. If I’ve missed anyone else who uses a shallow water anchor, please let me know because we really do appreciate your efforts to protect the riverbed.

People tend to favor traditional hooked anchors, and Save Crystal River is experiencing resistance trying to convert people to responsible shallow water anchoring systems. Since the law doesn’t require shallow water anchors, there is little incentive for people to change their ways, even if it would be incredibly helpful to the river.

Save Crystal River is doing everything they can to help reduce riverbed scarring. Not only have they raffled off shallow water anchors, but also they have initiated a program where qualified tour boat companies can receive money to purchase and install a spud pole anchoring system on their boat. For now, this program is only for tour boat operators, but as Save Crystal River gets more funding, the project will expand to the general public.

Save Crystal River takes riverbed scarring very seriously. Next time you’re running over a shallow patch, please raise your prop to save money, time, and the riverbed, and please consider investing in a shallow water anchor to ensure you are part of preserving the Crystal River we love.

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

Growing and Planting Eelgrass

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The ability to transform an algae-based aquatic ecosystem into a plant-based system is the key to making Crystal River crystal clear.

Eelgrass is vital to the health of our river. It cleans the water, cycles nutrients, adds oxygen, stabilizes sediment, sequesters carbon, and provides food, habitat and protection for fish and animals.

Cultivating Sucess: Where our eelgrass grows.

With nearly 50 acres of seagrass planted and restored in Crystal River, have you ever wondered where all of that seagrass comes from?

Our Contractor, Sea & Shoreline, operates the largest upland seagrass nursery in the world! Located in Ruskin, FL, their licensed aquaculture facility houses over 250,000 plants in a variety of different species and genotypes.

The two seagrass genotypes planted in Crystal River are affectionately called “Rock Star” and “Salty Dog”. They belong to the Vallisneria Americana species commonly known as eelgrass. This species is the most common freshwater seagrass found in Florida. The Rockstar and Salty Dog varieties were specifically chosen for Crystal River. Rockstar is a fast grower, while Salty Dog can withstand some saltwater influx making it less likely to die off in the event of a hurricane.

Grown in long raceways underwater, the seagrass at Sea & Shoreline’s facility are all grown from other plants (not seeds since they are not available in a quantity large enough for a restoration project) and slowly and carefully acclimated to match the conditions of each area into which they are going to plant. They consider variables such as depth, light, salinity, and temperature, and adjust conditions as needed. Sometimes this process can take months or even years.

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Building a Garden: The Planting Process.

When the pre-rooted grasses are ready to plant, they are packaged in small mechanical planting units or four-inch peat pots, kept damp, and transported to Crystal River in large coolers and enclosed trailers that keep the plants out of direct sunlight and wind to prevent them from drying out.

The pre-rooted plants are then planted by Sea & Shoreline’s biologists into clean substrate or sand on the river’s bottom where they are protected with GrowSAV™ Herbivory Exclusion Devices (cages) until the plants can take root and grow without the risk of fish or animals disturbing or eating them.

Monthly, these devices are inspected and cleaned to remove any biofouling materials so that light from the surface can penetrate the devices and help the plants to grow.

Part of this maintenance also includes injecting the sediment with organic and proprietary sediment amending growth hormone (SAGE) that promotes plant growth. SAGE is not a fertilizer and contains no nitrogen or phosphorous. It is a mixture of macronutrients and plant growth hormones that is completely eco-friendly.

In addition to maintaining the seagrass in our river, our eelgrass and surrounding areas are also monitored monthly to provide detailed scientific reports and photos of all planted areas for a three-year period. To address any Lyngbya that attempts to creep back into the river, maintenance is also conducted in planted areas to keep the bottom and the water crystal clear.

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Photography Provided by

Sea & Shoreline

Explorida Adventure Center

Informatuon Reference

Sea & Shoreline

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Scalloping in Crystal River

During the summer, tourists flood to Crystal River to spend their days scalloping in the Gulf of Mexico. There are many different types of scallops, but the ones you catch just out the mouth of Crystal River are bay scallops. Typically, the shell of a mature bay scallop is about three inches wide and the meat is only about a half-inch wide. Bay scallops live in the warm, shallow waters of the Florida Coast and are usually found hidden in seagrass beds. You can easily distinguish a bay scallop from other mollusks by its electric blue eyes (see image below and to the left). Also, about one in every several hundred scallop shells is orange. If you’re lucky you might be able to find one like the scallop shown below on the right.

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Bay Scallops vs. Sea Scallops

Bay scallops are different from the sea scallops sold in restaurants, as the sea scallops live in deeper and colder Gulf water. While sea scallops have more meat, bay scallops are known for being sweeter.

On Crystal River, nothing beats getting up at sunrise, boating down the river, and hopping into the refreshing water to catch your next meal. Sadly, though, the number of bay scallops has been decreasing each year.

Where are the Bay Scallops Going?

For those annual scallopers, you’ve probably noticed how each year you’re forced into deeper waters to catch the same amount of scallops you caught last year. Researchers at the Florida Maritime Museum analyzed a study concerning bay scallop population, and they concluded that degradation of water quality and over catching leads to bay scallop population decline. The scallops that do survive are the ones that live in deeper waters better protected from predators, like humans.

To learn more about the research conducted on bay scallops and the conclusions reached, check out this website: https://www.floridamaritimemuseum.org/post/bay-scallops-on-florida-s-gulf-coast. Also, it you need a reminder about what determines water quality, you can check out my previous posts here.

Scalloping

Currently, the limit on scallops is two full gallons per person (shell and all), with a maximum of ten gallons per boat. One gallon is about 20 scallops, which means around 40 scallops per person and possibly 200 scallops per boat.

While scalloping is an incredible experience, it is important to remember that bay scallop numbers are depleting. We can’t keep consuming them at our current rate. Don’t overdo your catch. Take only what you’ll eat and leave some to propagate next year’s spawn.

Catching scallops is only the first part to a long day of scalloping. The second part is cleaning the scallops, which often takes longer than catching them! The best way to open a scallop is to put them on ice, so their shells pop open a little. It’s much easier to visually see how to clean a scallop than to explain it, so I’ve attached an instructional video here.

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Also, you’ve probably seen signs telling you to not dump your scallops in the river (see above). Covering an area of the river floor with scallop shells prevents sunlight from reaching the riverbed. This stops native grass from growing and therefore lowers the overall oxygen output of the aquatic vegetation. If you’ll recall from the dissolved oxygen post (linked here), fish need an abundance of dissolved oxygen in the water to survive.

Scallop shells are not naturally found in freshwater, so it is harmful to dump them in Crystal River. Since scallops are native to the Gulf, their shells can be safely dumped in the Gulf of Mexico. You can also use the shells in your garden as mulch or as an artistic border. If you don’t want to dispose of shells in the Gulf, or save them, the next best option is to dispose of them in a trash can.

Good luck on your future scalloping adventures, and make sure to take lots of pictures!

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

Photo Credit:

Scallops in Snorklers Hand: Taylor Florida

Bay Scallop’s Blue Eyes: Costal Angler

Orange Bay Scallop: Pintrest

No Scallop Shell Dumping Sign: Citrus County Chronicle

Why are Springs Blue?

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Springs

Springs… Not the season, but those bright blue bodies of water we all flock to on a hot summer day. Crystal River is famous for this natural phenomenon that attracts thousands of tourists to Crystal River each year. Remember that age-old question? “Why is the sky blue?” Well, what about springs? Why is Three Sisters Springs blue? To answer this question, we must dive into some chemistry and geology.

To start, a spring is a point in the ground where water flows from the underground aquifer to the surface. When it rains, water naturally seeps into the ground. In order to reach the aquifer, the water passes through pores in rock and sediment. Different layers of sediment have different sized pores which means different solutes, or components dissolved in the water, filter out in different sediment layers. Each layer acts as a filter, so when the water finally reaches the aquifer, it is filtered and fresh. While the water is underground, it cools and remains insulated. This is why Three Sisters stays much cooler than the rest of Crystal River during the summer.

In some parts of the world, the aquifer is naturally closer to the Earth’s surface. When groundwater from the aquifer breaks through the surface, a spring forms. Florida naturally has a low elevation and the aquifers are closer to the surface. This makes Florida the perfect location for springs to appear. For more information about the aquifer and groundwater, click here.

Recently, Save Crystal River has been working in the area around Three Sisters. Not only are they cleaning the riverbed and planting eelgrass, but they also search for clogged springs to clear and reopen. Clearing more spring vents means more freshwater flows into the River, therefore, lowering the salinity of the river. On July 1st, 2020, Save Crystal River’s contractor, Sea and Shoreline, opened three large spring vents just west of the water entrance to Three Sisters.

So where does the blue come from?

When I paddled out to see how the Save Crystal River work was coming along, I couldn’t help but stop at the springs and hop into the refreshing water. While I was drifting through the springs, it brought me to the question at hand. Why are springs blue?

The Visible Light Spectrum

https://www.bluelightblockingglasses.com.au/what-is-blue-light/

To answer this question, we must first address how any object gets its color. Why do apples look red and why does grass look green? While not diving too far into the chemistry, objects get their colors through wavelengths. The visible light spectrum is shown above, and it shows all the colors humans can see with the naked eye. These visible light waves are present all around us bouncing off objects and all around through the atmosphere.

One might think the reason an apple is red is because the red light waves are absorbed by the apple and therefore we see red, but this is not the case; in fact, it is the exact opposite. The apple is red because it absorbs all the colored wavelengths except the red which is reflected. This reflected light is what we see. Take another example – grass. Grass is absorbing all colored light waves except the green waves that we see reflected.

Water in springs is made up of billions of individual water molecules. Each water molecule has a tendency to absorb redder colored light waves and reflect the bluer end of the visible light spectrum. Since the water reflects blue light waves, pure water normally has a bluish tint. In Three Sisters, water molecules are the main contributor to water color. Other bodies of water get different colored tints based on particles in the water. For example, the ocean might look more green because of an abundance of chlorophyll (a green pigment found in plants and algae), or a river might look more brown from high levels of turbid dirt in the water column.

Next time you’re out at Three Sisters, think about how the water you’re swimming through, or paddling on, is rainwater filtered and cooled through rock and colored by individual water molecules. You’re not only swimming through the water we drink and wash our hands with, but also one of nature’s miracles. No wonder the manatees love it!

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

Photo Credit:

Three Sisters Springs Above Water: Judy Wanamaker

Three Sisters Springs Below Water: Explorida

Visible Light Spectrum: The Blue Light Company

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Turbidity and Salinity in Water Quality

Have you ever been on Crystal River and not been able to see the bottom? Well, there are two possible reasons for this: water depth and suspended solids. The Gulf of Mexico can be very clear, but due to its depth, light can’t penetrate to the seafloor and reveal its sandy bottom. At its deepest point, the Gulf is 14,383 feet (more information here), and light can only penetrate 1,000 meters (~3280 feet). Therefore, it is impossible to see the Gulf floor without artificial lights.

Turbidity:

Crystal River is not nearly this deep, but due to high levels of turbidity, or suspended solids, sunlight doesn’t efficiently penetrate through the silt and organic matter suspended in the water. This is why even in the shallow water of Crystal River’s banks, you can only see shapes and outlines of the riverbed.

Every body of water naturally has suspended solids. For example, a flowing river stirs particles up from the river floor and these bits of sediment collect throughout the water column. Have you ever done the stingray shuffle and looked at the plume of sand you made? The water becomes cloudy, and your feet almost disappear. This shuffle momentarily increases the turbidity of the water and provides a perfect example of why disturbed sediment makes the bottom of Crystal River hard to see.

Three Sisters Springs has less turbidity than the water in the main river because the springs actively provide clear, filtered water from the aquifer (this is why the springs are so clear). The only solids suspended in a spring originate from around the vent where the water comes out. Sometimes, tourist can temporarily increase turbidity when they disturb the nearby sands too.

Suspended solids can quantify the “dirtiness” of the water. An excess of suspended solids indicate an unhealthy amount of dirt and organic matter in water. Turbidity is dangerous in large quantities and changes from erosion along riverbanks or runoff caused by heavy rains. When suspended solids thicken, they block light from penetrating through the water. This prevents aquatic plants from photosynthesizing efficiently and harms every animal up the food chain. (I will write about the food chain in a future post.)

Salinity:

Along with suspended solids, salinity also helps determine water quality. Salinity measurements determine how much salt, in parts per thousand (ppt), is in a given volume of water. Most marine plants and animals either thrive in freshwater (less than 1,000 parts per million) or saltwater (~35 ppt). Some animals like bass, stingrays, and crabs can live in a range of salinities, but most marine animals cannot. If salinity were to increase or decrease drastically in any given body of water, it would alter the composition of the marine ecosystem.

Importantly, higher salinity water cannot hold as much dissolved oxygen as freshwater. Animals or plants that require high concentrations of dissolved oxygen to live will struggle to survive in a lower dissolved oxygen concentration. During the “No Name Storm” of 1993, the Gulf of Mexico flooded into Crystal River. This disturbed the riverbed and inundated the freshwater river with salty, Gulf Water. Almost thirty years later, Crystal River’s ecosystem has been struggling to recover from this salt water intrusion.

While Save Crystal River’s efforts to plant eelgrass does not reduce salinity, the grasses themselves have the capacity to thrive in both saltwater and freshwater. Along with this survival ability, eelgrass helps hold sediment at the bottom of the river floor, which reduces overall turbidity of the water. These traits make eelgrass perfect for restoring Crystal River’s clarity and providing a stable environment for indigenous wildlife.

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

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Photo Credit:

Turbidity Chart: The Marine Research Council

Nitrates and pH in Water Quality

Nitrates:

Nitrates are organic compounds that consist of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms. We consume nitrates everyday in meats and vegetables. Groundwater, our drinking water, typically has a nitrate concentration less than 2mg/L, which is safe for consumption. If nitrate levels rise above 2mg/L, the water is considered harmful to humans and wildlife because it can cause nitrate poisoning.

Often caused by fertilizer runoff, excessive nitrates seep into our drinking water. Because Florida has extensive waterfront property, it is common for rain to wash landscape fertilizer from yards directly into waterways. Nitrates are not only tied to fertilizer, however, as they also increase in concentration due to leakage from wastewater, landfills, and septic systems.

Increased nitrate levels can cause methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby” syndrome (BBS). In BBS, high nitrate levels (from contaminated water) decrease the amount of hemoglobin transporting oxygen throughout the body. Without sufficient oxygen, the baby turns blue. Due to frequent water quality monitoring, this syndrome is not common, but it given enough reason to constantly regulate nitrate levels in drinking water. When nitrate levels increase in nearby waterways, it signals the presence of contaminants and the overall decrease in water quality.

pH:

While regulating nitrates, scientists also seek to regulate pH because the two go hand in hand. Scientists use pH to determine if solutions, like water, are acidic, basic, or neutral. Higher nitrate concentrations can lower the pH, making the water more acidic.

Most aquatic life can only tolerate a pH from 6-9, but if pH fluctuates out of this range, it could signal either a change in nitrate concentration or a change in dissolved carbon dioxide concentration. (See the chart above to see where household objects fall on the pH scale.) Even a slight change in pH can be devastating for marine life.

Strong acids have the potential to burn or melt through metals. Imagine what would happen to an ocean if it became too acidic. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight (and would probably feel even worse to the fish!). Even if a larger fish could survive a change in pH, the microorganisms wouldn’t be able to adapt to the changes. Without these microorganisms, a domino effect takes place where animals all along the food chain begin to suffer the consequences. pH can fluctuate from acid rain; the more acid rain, the more dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2), and the lower the pH becomes. (Acid rain is precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid.)

Both pH and nitrate levels are critical for determining water quality. Constant measuring and record keeping reveals trends in values and the effects of human actions. Generally speaking, a healthier body of water is one where pH and nitrate levels are close to its natural state. Save Crystal River works tirelessly each week to restore the Crystal River water quality, but they can’t do it alone. It is also up to us to be good stewards and to practice safe fertilizing. Crystal River, like all waterways near populated areas, needs our help to restore and maintain its natural state.

I’ll see you on the water,

Walker A. Willis

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Photo Credits:

Nitrate Chart: Beta Analytic Inc.

pH Scale: Science News for Students

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Bay Scallops vs. Sea Scallops

Where are the Bay Scallops Going?

Scalloping

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Springs

So where does the blue come from?

The Visible Light Spectrum

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