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<p>The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Gulf County Canal were constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) in the early 1900s which resulted in an artificial inland hydrologic connection between the Apalachicola HUC4 watershed boundary (Apalachicola Bay) and the Choctawhatchee HUC4 watershed boundary (St. Andrew Bay and St. Joseph Bay). Historically, it was assumed water did not discharge across the Apalachicola and Choctawhatchee HUC4 boundaries and as a result the bays have largely been managed independently. However, in recent years concerns have been raised regarding the validity of this assumption. This study uses two years’ of tidally filtered discharge and specific conductivity measurements to determine whether these watersheds are hydrologically independent from each other.</p><p>On average, 93 cms of water were measured discharging across the Apalachicola/Choctawhatchee HUC4 watershed boundary between October 2020 and October 2022. Approximately one-third of which (31 cms) bypassed the Gulf County Canal toward St. Andrew Bay and two-thirds (62 cms) were diverted towards St. Joseph Bay. Two general discharge patterns were observed in the system: 1- water discharging from the Apalachicola HUC4 watershed toward both St. Andrew Bay and St. Joseph Bay, and 2- water discharging towards St. Joseph Bay from the direction of both St. Andrew Bay and the Apalachicola HUC4 watershed. Water measured near the confluence of the Gulf County Canal and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway generally displayed mean specific conductivities ranging between 2000 (µS/cm) and 4000 (µS/cm); however, values were extremely variable. The results indicate previous assumptions regarding the hydrology and surface water inputs into Apalachicola Bay, St. Joseph Bay, and St. Andrew Bay were incomplete or inaccurate during the current study period. As a result, the potential for water transport across hydrologically connected watershed boundaries should be investigated to understand the potential sources and transport of water and its constituents into receiving waterbodies. While the applicability of the results of this study to the long-term conditions of the study area require further research, this study highlights the necessity for water resources to be managed cooperatively across hydrologic and political boundaries.</p>

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Trans-watershed boundary discharges facilitated by the gulf intracoastal waterway system in the Florida panhandle

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月18日

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  • Paul E. Thurman

摘要

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Gulf County Canal were constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) in the early 1900s which resulted in an artificial inland hydrologic connection between the Apalachicola HUC4 watershed boundary (Apalachicola Bay) and the Choctawhatchee HUC4 watershed boundary (St. Andrew Bay and St. Joseph Bay). Historically, it was assumed water did not discharge across the Apalachicola and Choctawhatchee HUC4 boundaries and as a result the bays have largely been managed independently. However, in recent years concerns have been raised regarding the validity of this assumption. This study uses two years’ of tidally filtered discharge and specific conductivity measurements to determine whether these watersheds are hydrologically independent from each other.

On average, 93 cms of water were measured discharging across the Apalachicola/Choctawhatchee HUC4 watershed boundary between October 2020 and October 2022. Approximately one-third of which (31 cms) bypassed the Gulf County Canal toward St. Andrew Bay and two-thirds (62 cms) were diverted towards St. Joseph Bay. Two general discharge patterns were observed in the system: 1- water discharging from the Apalachicola HUC4 watershed toward both St. Andrew Bay and St. Joseph Bay, and 2- water discharging towards St. Joseph Bay from the direction of both St. Andrew Bay and the Apalachicola HUC4 watershed. Water measured near the confluence of the Gulf County Canal and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway generally displayed mean specific conductivities ranging between 2000 (µS/cm) and 4000 (µS/cm); however, values were extremely variable. The results indicate previous assumptions regarding the hydrology and surface water inputs into Apalachicola Bay, St. Joseph Bay, and St. Andrew Bay were incomplete or inaccurate during the current study period. As a result, the potential for water transport across hydrologically connected watershed boundaries should be investigated to understand the potential sources and transport of water and its constituents into receiving waterbodies. While the applicability of the results of this study to the long-term conditions of the study area require further research, this study highlights the necessity for water resources to be managed cooperatively across hydrologic and political boundaries.