ICW - what % fresh vs salt water

[tuffr2]

Just wondering if I bring a boat from the ocean and run it in the ICW to the dock is the engine flushed with enough fresh water.

The spicific area I am wondering about is the Matanzas River to the Halifax River. Matanzas Inlet and Ponce Inlet.

Just my guess is during high tide a lot of ocean water comes into the ICW. During low tide does that salt content get flushed from the ICW?

[hobopacket]

I would say probably mostly salt. Have to run pretty far up rivers to see no salt.

[rwidman]

In some parts of the ICW, you are running in fresh water. Not in Florida though. Parts of North Carolina and Virginia.

[valhalla360]

The problem with much of the Florida ICW is while they call sections as "rivers", most are just the backside of barrier islands with negligible actual flow. Often water will circulate in one inlet and out of another. They are really more salt water estuaries.

If you want fresh water, you probably have to go up the Indian River or the St. Johns River.

[denverd0n]

Yeah, what valhalla360 said. The ICW is pretty salty, all through Florida. If you get a little in your mouth, it tastes just about as salty as the ocean. You need to head a ways west on one of the rivers to get to fresh water.

[Mikado]

I'm on the Indian River (ICW) in Titusville FL which is about 25 miles from the Port Canaveral locks and the water is pretty salty, not really brackish as I would have expected.

BTW, on this part of the ICW there is less than an inch of tide even on full moon.

[tuffr2]

That is my thought that in Florida the ICW is salty. Thanks for verifying Lol - I have been swimming in it but would never think to get any of that murky water in my mouth. Yuck.

Unlike the west coast of Florida if you bring your boat from the Gulf up the Crystal River for example you are in fresh water. It helps that the rivers on the west coast of Florida do not run parallel to the Gulf but inland to their fresh water springs.

Oh well, I am back to bringing the boat to the house for a fresh water washdown.

[george2]

The salinity in many areas of the ICW can be weather dependent. Heavy rains and runoff reduce salinity, whereas in dry weather with high evaporation the salinity can actually be higher than ocean water.
The area from Ponce Inlet to Jupiter is part of the Indian River Lagoon Estuary Program. See their website IRLCouncil.com for information.

[Scot McPherson]

Just to be pedantic (forgive me), sea water is only found in the open ocean. Once you get near estuaries and rivers, it's called brackish, even if it's 99.9% the salinity of sea water. There is NO seawater and no freshwater in the ICW, only brackish, though it may vary in salinity from almost sea water to almost fresh water, it's really not either.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I have been swimming in it but would never think to get any of that murky water in my mouth. Yuck.

Trust me, I didn't taste it on purpose!

[Cadence]

At what depth? Salt and fresh water stratify.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by Cadence

At what depth? Salt and fresh water stratify.

Unless you have a situation where fresh water is pouring carefully onto the top of higher-salinity water (such as in a cave) then Halocline in the ocean typically start around 150m water depth. However there is a 'border' where low salinity water sits at top higher salinity water around 50m. The temp and salinity of seawater begins to increase significantly deeper than 150m.



However, I doubt that the OP's raw water intake in situated in the 10s meters of water depth.



That said, stratification of salinities is common in some estuary topographies. Water coming downstream can ride a top of saltwater layers, however, typically, layers mix due to turbulence cause by bottom typography so a horizontally averaged cline forms downstream towards the saltwater body....

[tuffr2]

Interesting conversation. Water temp and salt level at different depths.

Add low tide with heavy rain fresh water streams running into the ICW I would think

[tuffr2]

Ugh...clumsy phone fingers...sorry.

Low tide, heavy rain probably will lower the salt level.

As far as getting ICW water in my mouth...the water was smooth and easy to keep out. That is opposite ocean water. Ocean water is impossible to keep out of your mouth. Lol...if swimming at the beach a big wave hits and it is hard to keep sand and whatever else in the the seawater out of your mouth.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

Unless you have a situation where fresh water is pouring carefully onto the top of higher-salinity water (such as in a cave) then Halocline in the ocean typically start around 150m water depth. However there is a 'border' where low salinity water sits at top higher salinity water around 50m. The temp and salinity of seawater begins to increase significantly deeper than 150m.



However, I doubt that the OP's raw water intake in situated in the 10s meters of water depth.

Sent from mTalk

Having lived on a couple of deep water creeks, that were the run off for almost an entire national forest or parking lot for a mall and had about a five foot tide, your all wet. It is great for bottom growth. The growths for one doesn't like the other and visa versa. The gators don't seem to care.