More than 1.8 million systems are estimated to be in use statewide. However, failing systems can cause serious health and environmental problems. There are no requirements for inspection and repair to assure septic tanks function properly. The Lemon Bay seagrass monitoring is part of a larger scale monitoring effort extending from Lemon Bay south to San Carlos Bay in Fort Myers. Aquatic Preserve field surveys include seagrass sampling, epiphyte characterization, and water quality.
Seagrasses provide a primary productive food source for estuarine systems.
They offer shelter, spawning, and nursery habitat to many aquatic organisms. They also reduce turbidity, facilitate sediment stability, and aid in nutrient cycling. Because of the critical habitat and water quality benefits provided by seagrasses, they are often identified as both keystone and indicator species. Long term monitoring of fixed transects is a useful tool in detecting site-specific changes over time by determining and documenting declines or improvements in seagrass health. Changes in seagrass health over time may be determined based on changes in water quality and by detecting changes in depth distribution and species composition.