Biological Monitoring

The Surface Water Quality Section is responsible for monitoring the health of the lakes, rivers, and streams within Seminole County. This is accomplished by collecting surface water samples for chemical analysis and benthic macroinvertebrates for biological assessments. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit demands that these levels of monitoring be carried out.

Water chemistry samples are collected quarterly at approximately 70 different locations. These samples are analyzed for several parameters and potential pollutants. The resulting data assists in determining the cause of impairments within the water body. These results can be found and explained on the Seminole County Watershed Atlas: www.seminole.wateratlas.org.

Biological monitoring is performed by implementing assessment methodology that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has developed and the EPA has approved. Stream and lake assessments take into account such features as habitat quality, human disturbance, flow, the juvenile insect communities, and the overall diversities of the macroinvertebrate and/or plant populations. Annually, about 45 water bodies within Seminole County are biologically assessed. These results provide scientists with a long term, time table of the health of the water body. To provide sound sampling technique, the scientists at Seminole County have been trained, tested, and have successfully passed the necessary audits.

*For further information about our Surface Water Quality or Biological Monitoring please call Michelle Shelton at 407-665-5269 or email mshelton@seminolecountyfl.gov.