Potential relationships between urban development and the trophic status of Tampa Bay and fresh-water lakes in the Tampa Bay watershed, and further the potential effect of this relationship on public health

Background: Lake Thonotosassa is a highly eutrophied lake located in an area with rapidly growing population in the Tampa Bay watershed, Florida. The Florida Administrative Code designates its use for “recreation, propagation and maintenance of a healthy, well-balanced population of fish and wildlife." Despite efforts to improve water quality since 1970, overall water quality has remained below the acceptable state standards, and has a high concentration of nutrients. This condition is of great concern to public health since it has favored episodic blooms of Cyanobacteria. Some Cyanobacterial species release toxins that can reach humans through drinking water, fish consumption, and direct contact with contaminated water. The lake has been historically popular for fishing and water sports, and its overflow water drains into the Hillsborough River, the main supply of municipal water for the City of Tampa; therefore it is monitored in situ for water quality by the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County (EPC). Objectives: Evaluate the feasibility of using remote sensing technology, to facilitate monitoring of water quality in Lake Thonotosassa and similar lakes, further contributing to surveillance systems that benefit public health, tourism, and ecosystems. Methods: Although traditional application of this technology to water quality has been focused on much larger coastal water bodies like bays and estuaries, this study evaluates the feasibility of its application on a 46.6 km2 freshwater lake. Using surface reflectance products from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra, this study evaluates associations between remotely sensed data and in situ data from the EPC. Results: Associations between remotely sensed data and in situ data from the EPC are determined and their applications to public health are discussed. Discussion/Conclusions: Public health application of remote sensing can improve surveillance of surface water quality standards used by the State of Florida and general indicators of trophic status.