![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Charlotte Harbor
Coastal and Estuary Quick Finder |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEP Profiles | NEP Study Areas | NEP Watersheds | NEP Home Pages | NEP Contacts |
On this page
Summary Information
| Year Established: | 1995 |
| Location: | Florida |
| Area of Watershed: | 12,653 square kilometers |
Priority Management Issues: |
|
|
nutrients conventional pollutants human population growth habitat loss/alteration species loss/decline |
introduced/pest species problems with the quantity of freshwater inflow red/brown tides insufficient /polluted/saline drinking water hydrologic alteration |
Major Habitat Types: |
|
|
submerged aquatic vegetation (sea grass) reefs (artificial) barrier islands/sand bars lagoon/shallow open water shellfish growing areas beach/dune (vegetated) sand/mud/salt flats tidal pools salt/brackish marsh freshwater marsh (non-tidal) mangrove |
forested wetland seasonal wetland freshwater lakes/ponds grass/open field scrub/shrub non-wetland forest riparian/riverine (forested, tidal, & floodplain) abandoned agricultural ranching land reclaimed mining land |
Federally Endangered or Threatened Species: |
|
|
fish: Gulf sturgeon birds: Audubon's crested caracara Bachman's warbler bald eagle Everglade snail kite Florida grasshopper sparrow Forida scrub jay ivory billed woodpecker (probably extinct) piping plover red-cockaded woodpecker wood stork reptiles: American alligator American crocodile Atlantic green sea turtle Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle Atlantic loggerhead turlte blue-tailed mole skink eastern indigo snake Kemp's (Atlantic) ridley sea turtle leatherback sea turtle sand skink |
mammals: Florida panther panther West Indian manatee plants: Avon Park harebells beautiful pawpaw Britton's beargrass Carter's mustard clasping warea Florida bonamia Florida golder aster Florida perforate cladonia (deer moss) Florida ziziphus highlands scrub hypericum Lewton's polygala papery whitlow-wort pigeon wing Pigmay fringe tree sandlace scrub blazing star scrub buckwheat scrub lupine scrub plum wireweed |
Overviews and Highlights
Located on the west coast of peninsular Florida, Charlotte Harbor is the second largest open water estuary in the state. The basins of the Peace, Myakka, and Caloosahatchee Rivers (almost 4,500 square miles) feed freshwater into the coastal area. In southwest Florida, barrier islands and coastal waters such as Lemon Bay, Matlacha Pass, Pine Island Sound, Charlotte Harbor, and Estero Bay are supplied with freshwater from those three rivers and nearby areas. The Charlotte Harbor estuary and contiguous coastal waters serve as a home, feeding ground and/or nursery area for more then 270 species of of resident, migrant, and commercial fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Manatees, sea turtles, wood storks, and dolphins are also found in the estuary and its watershed. This estuarine system and its watershed are both directly and indirectly a vitally important economic asset to the Florida suncoast. This NEP's addition to the program was announced on July 6, 1995.
The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program challenges local communities to address water quality, wildlife habitat loss, land use changes, and human-induced changes to river flows to protect uses of the estuary. The population within the watershed is projected to reach 1.7 million by the year 2010, a 337 percent increase over the 1970 census. This rapid growth has already radically changed the character and ecology of river mouth and coastal waters. Mangroves have been removed or cut back, red tide events cause public health warnings, seagrass areas have declined or been damaged, and groundwater pumping has reached its maximum limit. Despite these impacts, the main body of Charlotte Harbor and its adjacent estuarine systems are in comparatively good condition.
To maintain this quality, these pressures must be addressed to prevent further threats to natural systems and to protect current uses of resources. The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program is building on current efforts to maintain and enhance the estuary system. Emphasis is on taking immediate actions where the problems are known, while filling in gaps in the knowledge of emerging problems. The Charlotte Harbor NEP is committed to developing a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) in three years based on the completion of previous problem identification and characterization work, and successful consensus-building activites within the region.
Maps
Select a map.
- Local Maps
Charlotte Harbor Study Area
(area where the program is concentrating its efforts)
Charlotte Harbor Watershed
(estuarine and fluvial drainage areas for the estuary)
- Regional Maps- Gulf of
Mexico
Locations of Estuaries in the NEP
Watersheds of Estuaries in the NEP
Study Areas of Estuaries in the NEP
