Indian River Lagoon

During glacial periods, the ocean receded. The area that is now the lagoon was grassland, {{convert|30|mi}} from the beach. When the glaciers melted, the sea rose. The lagoon remained as captured water.

The indigenous people who lived along the lagoon thrived on its fish and shellfish. This was determined by analyzing the middens they left behind, piled with refuse from clams, oysters, and mussels.

The Indian River Lagoon was originally known on early Spanish maps as the Rio de Ais, after the Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida. An expedition in 1605 by Alvero Mexia resulted in the mapping of most of the lagoon. Original place names on the map included Los Mosquitos (the Mosquito Lagoon and the Halifax River), Haulover (current Haulover Canal area), Ulumay Lagoon (Banana River) Rio d' Ais (North Indian River), and Pentoya Lagoon (Indian River Melbourne to Ft. Pierce)Eriksen, John M. [http://johneriksen.net/bc/bc_cb.htm Brevard County, Florida : A Short History to 1955]. Chapter One

Early European settlers drained the swamps to raise pineapples and citrus. They dug canals discharging fresh water into the lagoon, five times the historical volume.

Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the river was an essential transportation link.{{Cite news | first=Larry | last=Johnston | title=What's the history behind a waterway's name? | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/13/larry-johnston-whats-waterways-name/84345048/| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 17A | date=May 15, 2016 | access-date=May 15, 2016}}

In 1896 and 1902, there were fish kills in the lagoon from gas from the muck below.{{Cite news | first=John | last=Byron | title=Seven things you might not know about the lagoon | url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/12/26/7-things-you-may-not-know-lagoon/2414188002| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 10A | date=December 29, 2018 | access-date=December 29, 2018}} The advent of the automobile, starting in the 1930s, resulted in causeways which diverted the sluggish flow of the waterway. Huge population influx resulted in sewage, and stormwater runoff from roadways, polluting the lagoon.

From 1989 to 2013, the population along the lagoon increased 50% to 1.6 million people.

By 2018, millions of gallons of sewage were being dumped into the lagoon.[https://www.wesh.com/article/sewage-spills-into-creek-in-palm-bay/22096099 "Sewage spills into creek in Palm Bay,"] Wesh. To address sewage spills in the lagoon, in the Florida House of Representatives, Randy Fine advocated for providing $50 million per year in matching funds to upgrade lagoon sewage treatment facilities, and increasing the fines for illegal sewage discharges in the lagoon.{{cite news | last =Smith | first =Nancy | title =Rep. Randy Fine, Champion for the Indian River Lagoon | newspaper =Sunshine State News | date =March 17, 2018 | url =http://sunshinestatenews.com/story/rep-randy-fine-champion-indian-river-lagoon | access-date =January 19, 2019 | archive-date =January 20, 2019 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190120144146/http://sunshinestatenews.com/story/rep-randy-fine-champion-indian-river-lagoon | url-status =live }}{{cite news | title =Rep. Randy Fine Proposes HB 141 During 2019 Legislative Session to Clean Up Indian River Lagoon | newspaper =Space Coast Daily | date =December 29, 2018 | url =http://spacecoastdaily.com/2018/12/rep-randy-fine-proposes-hb-141-during-2019-legislative-session-to-clean-up-indian-river-lagoon/ | access-date =January 19, 2019 | archive-date =January 19, 2019 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190119231255/http://spacecoastdaily.com/2018/12/rep-randy-fine-proposes-hb-141-during-2019-legislative-session-to-clean-up-indian-river-lagoon/ | url-status =live }} A 2023 study by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found that human sewage released from septic systems was primarily to blame for poor environmental conditions in the lagoon.[https://www.rfdtv.com/study-sewage-not-fertilizer-largely-causing-dangerous-nitrogen-surge-in-floridas-indian-river-lagoon "Study: Sewage, not fertilizer, largely causing dangerous nitrogen surge in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon,"] RFDTV. In 2024, federal District Judge Carlos Mendoza found that the defendant U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and plaintiffs in a case before him agreed that the 2013 EPA water quality standards had not been achieved by Florida in the lagoon.[https://www.wusf.org/environment/2024-10-01/federal-judge-backs-epa-florida-water-quality-dispute-indian-river-lagoon-manatees "Federal judge backs the EPA in a Florida water quality dispute,"] WUSF NPR.

The full length of the Indian River Lagoon is {{convert|156|mi}}, extending from Ponce de León Inlet in Volusia County, Florida, to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County, Florida,{{cite web|url=http://www.sjrwmd.com|title=Website of the St. Johns River Water Management District|work=sjrwmd.com|access-date=1 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930221300/https://www.sjrwmd.com/|archive-date=30 September 2019|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.indianriverlagoon.com/|title=www.indianriverlagoon.com|work=indianriverlagoon.com|access-date=1 February 2017}} and includes Cape Canaveral. In 2016, the northern boundary was moved north-ward to Highbridge Road for management purposes.{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Mary Helen |title=Does the Indian River Lagoon end at Ponce Inlet? 5 years ago, the answer changed |url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/environment/2021/10/26/climate-change-helps-push-indian-river-lagoon-boundaries-northward/8549039002/ |access-date=2 April 2022 |work=Daytona Beach News-Journal |date=October 26, 2021}} The Lagoon covers one-third of Florida's East Coast.{{Cite news | title=A History of the Lagoon | publisher=Marine Resources Council | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 1 | date=2018 }} Brevard County incorporates 71% of the lagoon's surface. Lake Okeechobee is connected to the lagoon by the Okeechobee Waterway and the St. Lucie River meeting in Sewall's Point.

From north to south, the Indian River Lagoon system includes the following:

File:FL Melbourne Indian River01.jpg]]

• Mosquito Lagoon, from Ponce de Leon Inlet to the north end of Merritt Island, connected to Indian River by Haulover Canal.
• Indian River, the main body of water, from the north border between Volusia and Brevard Counties along the western shore of Merritt Island, southward to St. Lucie Inlet.
• Banana River, an offshoot of the Indian River, northward making up the eastern shore of Merritt Island.
• Eau Gallie River
• Crane Creek is a {{convert|3.3|mile|km|adj=on}} long tributary of the Indian River in Melbourne, Florida.
• Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a county wildlife reserve and nature trail system located along the shores of Turkey Creek. A tributary of the Indian River, in Palm Bay Florida.
• Turkey Creek (Indian River) is a tributary of the Indian River in Palm Bay Florida.
• St. Sebastian River
• Hobe Sound is the portion of the lagoon from St. Lucie Inlet to Jupiter Inlet.

For water quality measurement, the non-profit Marine Resources Council has divided the lagoon into four major divisions, with a total of ten subdivisions:{{cite web|url=https://savetheirl.org/irl-health-update/2018-irl-report|title=IRL Health Update: 2018 Report - Marine Resources Council|date=23 July 2018|website=savetheirl.org|access-date=7 August 2018}}

The Indian River Lagoon is North America's most diverse estuary, with more than 2,100 species of plants and 2,200 animals. The diversity is the result of being located near a climate boundary, {{convert|5|mi}} from the Gulf Stream. Migratory ocean fish swimming nearby, were swept into the lagoon.

The lagoon contains 35 species listed as threatened or endangered — more than any other estuary in North America.{{cite web |url=http://www.sjrwmd.com/itsyourlagoon/pdfs/IRL_Natural_Treasure_book.pdf |title=Indian River Lagoon; An Introduction to a National Treasure |access-date=2013-04-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319193525/http://www.sjrwmd.com/itsyourlagoon/pdfs/IRL_Natural_Treasure_book.pdf |archive-date=2013-03-19 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.sjrwmd.com/irlinsert/|title=The health and future of this Estuary of National Significance|work=sjrwmd.com|access-date=1 February 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100512123451/http://www.sjrwmd.com/irlinsert/|archive-date=12 May 2010|url-status=dead}} The lagoon has about 2,500 types of animals in it.{{clarify|moved from "course". Either this is wrong and s/b deleted or 2,200 is wrong. Note no citation to start with|date=October 2013}} It serves as a spawning and nursery ground for different species of oceanic and lagoon fish and shellfish. The lagoon also has one of the most diverse bird populations anywhere in America.{{fact|date=April 2025}}

Nearly 1/3 of the nation's manatee population lives here or migrates through the Lagoon seasonally. There was a mass death of manatees in 2021 due to the loss of seagrass, caused by leaks from septic systems and overuse of fertilizers.{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Benji|date=2022-02-08|title=The manatees are starving|url=https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22917307/florida-manatees-algae-seagrass-indian-river-lagoon|access-date=2022-02-11|website=Vox|language=en}}

Nine-banded armadillos comprise one of the 34 mammals in the area. It is a 1920s immigrant from the Southwestern United States. In 2016 a Right whale with her calf entered the lagoon by mistake and safely exited to the ocean.

Between 200 and 800 Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) also live in the Indian River Lagoon.*[http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm213/pdfs/F2009BODO_IRLES.pdf BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN (Tursiops truncatus) Indian River Lagoon Estuarine System Stock]

[http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/tursio_trunca.htm Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce - Tursiops truncatus - Habitat and Distribution]
[http://www.seaworld.org/wild-world/zoo-research/indian-river-project/dolphin-56-sighting-summary.htm Field Study - Indian River Lagoon Dolphins - Dolphin 56 Sighting Ssummary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130060448/http://seaworld.org/wild-world/zoo-research/indian-river-project/dolphin-56-sighting-summary.htm |date=2010-11-30 }}{{cite news|last=Soper|first=Shawn J.|title=Dolphin 56 Back Dazzling Boaters In Ocean City|url=http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/articles/2011/05/06/Top-Stories/Dolphin-56-Back-Dazzling-Boaters-In-Ocean-City|access-date=6 June 2012|newspaper=The Dispatch (Ocean City, Maryland)|date=May 6, 2011}} Red Drum, Spotted seatrout, Common snook, and the Tarpon are the main gamefish in the Titusville area of the lagoon system.{{cite web|url=http://www.abouttitusville.com/outdoors/fishing/IRL1.html|title=Fishing the Indian River Lagoon from Titusville Florida|work=abouttitusville.com|access-date=1 February 2017|archive-date=15 April 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010415032234/http://www.abouttitusville.com/outdoors/FISHING/IRL1.html|url-status=dead}}

Avians include the American kestrel, Reddish egret and spoonbills.{{Cite journal |year=2017 |title=January 2017 |journal=2017 Calendar }} Butterflies include the Polydamas swallowtail.

Indian River Lagoon is abundant with bioluminescent dinoflagellates in the summer{{cite web |last1=Connolly |first1=Patrick |title=Bioluminescence is back: Florida's blue-glowing wonder lights up waters again |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/os-tr-bioluminescence-florida-water-blue-glow-returns-20200624-zauh54hdnjabdlrkjt6x72bc3e-story.html |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |date=24 June 2020}} and ctenophore (comb jellies) in the winter.{{cite web |last1=KENNEDY DUCKETT |first1=MARYELLEN |title=Florida by Water: Experience Bioluminescence |website=National Geographic Society |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/florida-land-and-sea/experience-bioluminescence/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131101220/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/florida-land-and-sea/experience-bioluminescence/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2017 |access-date=31 July 2018|date=2015-02-10 }}

Seagrass is a critical component to the overall health of the lagoon. By 1990, it had surpassed levels reached in 1943. The lagoon also contains night-blooming cereus.

95% of the seagrass, the main diet of manatees, disappeared by 2017 after an algae bloom fuel by fertilizers.

Government protected areas in and adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon include:

File:Birds at Merritt Island NWR.jpg]]

• Canaveral National Seashore
• Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
• Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge
• Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
• Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
• Avalon State Park
• St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park
• Savannas Preserve State Park
• Seabranch Preserve State Park
• Sebastian Inlet State Park

In 1916, the St. Lucie Canal (C-44) diverts excess nutrient-rich water from Lake Okeechobee into the South Lagoon. While this helps prevent life-threatening flooding in the Okeechobee area, it creates toxic blooms after entering the Lagoon, a threat to flora, fauna, and humans. This situation is proving difficult to address in the 21st century.

From 1913 to 2013, activity by humans has increased the watershed for the lagoon from {{convert|572000|acres}} to {{convert|1400000|acres}} increasing runoff of freshwater and nutrients from farms. Both have been detrimental to lagoon health. The wetlands are needed to cleanse the lagoon. About {{convert|40000|acres}} of land were lost to mosquito control and have been restored, but by 2013, recovery was incomplete.{{Cite news | first=Jim | last=Waymer | title=Leaders to discuss lagoon cures during special meeting.Talking solutions | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20131014/NEWS01/310040046/Leaders-discuss-lagoon-cures-during-special-meeting| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 6A | date=October 13, 2013 |publisher=Gannett | access-date=October 19, 2013}}

Mangroves are important to marine life. Between the 1940s and 2013, 85% of them had been removed for housing development.

In 1990, the Florida Legislature passed the Indian River Lagoon Act, requiring most sewer plants to stop discharging into the lagoon by 1996. Some sports fish rebounded in population in the 1990s when gill nets were banned and pollution in the lagoon was reduced. In 1995 the seagrass covered over {{convert|100000|acre}}.{{cite journal |author1=Dawes, Clinton J. |author2=M. Dennis Hanisak |author3=Judson W. Kenworthy |year=1995 |title=Seagrass biodiversity in the Indian River Lagoon |journal=Bulletin of Marine Science |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=59–66 |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/1995/00000057/00000001/art00008 |access-date=2009-04-02}}

The 1993–1996 data base used to track the movement of water through the St. Lucie Estuary and into Indian River Lagoon is described in Smith (2007). This includes daily mean discharge rates for the 16 gauged canals emptying into the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon, predicted shelf tides, and wind speeds and directions recorded along the west side of the lagoon at about 27°32'N (corresponding to Segment 11 of the model).{{cite journal|author1=Ned P. Smith|title=Transport pathways through southern Indian River Lagoon|journal=Florida Scientist|date=2016|volume=79|issue=1|pages=39–50|jstor=44113179|issn=0098-4590}}

In 2007, concerns were raised about the future of the lagoon system, especially in the southern half where frequent freshwater discharges seriously threatened water quality, decreasing the salinity needed by many fish species, and have contributed to large algae blooms promoted by water saturated with plant fertilizers.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

In the mid 1990s, the lagoon has been the subject of research on light penetration for photosynthesis in submerged aquatic vegetation.{{cite journal |author=Hanisak, M. Dennis |title=Continuous Monitoring of Underwater Light in Indian River Lagoon: Comparison of Cosine and Spherical Sensors. |journal=In: EJ Maney Jr and CH Ellis Jr (Eds.) the Diving for Science…1997, Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Seventeenth Annual Scientific Diving Symposium |year=1997 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4641 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415175714/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4641 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |access-date=2009-04-02}}

In 2010, {{convert|3300000|lb}} of nitrogen and {{convert|475000|lb}} of phosphorus entered the lagoon.{{cite news | title=Editorial:Dying dolphins | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100522/OPINION/100521016/Our+views++Dying+dolphins+%28May+22%29| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages= 13A | date=22 May 2010 }}

In 2011, a superbloom of phytoplankton resulted in the loss of {{convert|32000|acres}} of lagoon seagrass. In 2012, a brown tide bloom fouled the northern lagoon. The county has approval for funds to investigate these unusual blooms to see if they can be prevented.{{Cite news | first=Jim | last=Waymer | title=Panel approves $1.2 million in lagoon projects | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130424/NEWS01/130424016| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages= 2B | date=April 25, 2013 }}

Catches of blue crabs dropped unevenly from {{convert|4265063|lb}} in 1987 to {{convert|389,795|lb}} in 2012, but with high catches in 1998, 1991, alternating with low catch years. These crabs require 2% salt content in the water to survive. A drought increases the salt content and heavy rainfall decreases it. Both of these conditions have recurred over the past decades and are believed to have had an adverse effect on the crab population.{{Cite news | first=Jim | last=Waymer | title=Lagoon crab catches dwindle | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130908/NEWS01/309080030/Crab-catch-dwindles-Indian-River-Lagoon| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages= 1A,3A | date=September 8, 2013 | access-date=September 13, 2013}}

In 2013, algae blooms and loss of sea grass destroyed all gains.

In 2013, four major problems with lagoon water quality were identified. 1) Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from runoff from the application of fertilizer; 2) an estimated 8 to 11% septic tank failures of tens of thousands of septic tanks in the county. 3) Muck from construction, farming, erosion and dead plants find their way to the bottom of the lagoon, preventing growth and consuming vital oxygen essential to marine flora and fauna; 4) Invasive species, including the Asian green mussel, South American charru mussel, and the Australian spotted jellyfish, eat clams and fish larvae.{{Cite news | first=Jim | last=Waymer | title=Do something! | newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages= 4A | date=September 29, 2013 }}

In 2016, there were an estimated 300,000 septic tanks in the five-county area bordering the Lagoon.{{YouTube|1V_lmt-ZtNQ|How septic tanks may imperil this Florida ecosystem'}} At one time, sewer plants were worse polluters. In 1986, there were 46 sewer plants along the {{convert|156|mi}} lagoon. They discharged about {{convert|55000000|gal}} daily into the estuary. The state ended most sewer plant pollution by 1995.{{Cite news | first=Dave | last=Berman | title=Some issues remain half century later | newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 11 | date=March 20, 2016 }}

The worst fish kill to date occurred in March 2016, with 30 species impacted. A brown tide bloom, caused by the algae species Aureoumbra lagunensis,{{cite news |last1=Waymer |first1=Jim |title=What we know about the Indian River Lagoon fish kill |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2016/03/23/what-we-know----and-dont-know----fish-kill/82163574/ |access-date=27 October 2020 |agency=Florida Today |date=23 March 2016}} was blamed for the low oxygen levels. The algae growth originated in the no-motor zone of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.{{Cite web|url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2016/04/01/whats-next-for-the-indian-river-lagoon-brevard-county-florida/82350656/|title=What's next for the Indian River Lagoon?|last=Waymer|first=Jim|date=April 1, 2016|website=Florida Today|language=en|access-date=2020-02-16}}

In 2018, lagoon health is better near ocean inlets. Pollution is worse in areas near no inlets, such as the Mosquito Lagoon, North IRL, and the Banana River.

According to the Florida Oceanographic Society, nearly 1 million people live and work in the Indian River Lagoon region. The Lagoon accounts for $300 million in fisheries revenues, includes a $2.1 billion citrus industry, and generates more than $300 million in boat and marine sales annually.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} In 2007, visitors spent an estimated 3.2 million person-days in recreation on the lagoon.{{cite journal |date=Summer 2008 |title=Visitors spend big on the lagoon |journal=Indian River Lagoon Update |volume=XVI |issue=3 |pages=1 }}

In 2008, Hazen and Sawyer, P.C. submitted a report titled "Indian River Lagoon Economic Assessment and Analysis Update" to the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, St. Johns River Water Management District. The report described the estimated 2007 recreational uses and economic value of the Indian River Lagoon to residents and visitors of the five counties that comprise the Lagoon system. The sum of recreational expenditures and recreational use value was estimated at $2.1 billion.Section 7. {{cite web |url=http://www.sjrwmd.com/itsyourlagoon/pdfs/IRL_Economic_Assessment_2007.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-04-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107093022/http://www.sjrwmd.com/itsyourlagoon/pdfs/IRL_Economic_Assessment_2007.pdf |archive-date=2013-01-07 }}

• Ballard Park
• Environmental issues in Brevard County

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite journal| last1=Stolen | first1= Megan K. | first2=Jay |last2=Barlow |date= October 2003 | title= A Model Life Table for Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Indian River Lagoon System, Florida, U.S.A. |journal= Marine Mammal Science|volume=19|issue=4| pages=630–649 | doi= 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2003.tb01121.x |url= http://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Programs/Coastal_Marine_Mammal/StolenandBarlow.pdf}}
• {{cite report |title=Indian River Lagoon Ecological Health Assessment |url=https://savetheirl.org/irl-health-update/irl-report-card/ |publisher=Marine Resources Council (MRC) |date=August 17, 2020 |location=Palm Bay, Florida}}

{{Commons category|Indian River Lagoon|nowrap=yes}}

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090608195121/http://www.protectingourwater.org/watersheds/map/indian_river_lagoon/ Indian River Lagoon Watershed]}} from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• [http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/index.htm Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory]
• [http://www.floridatoday.com/news/from-the-water/ From the Water: Healing our Lagoon], a 2015 series of Florida Today articles

{{Rivers of Florida}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Lagoons of Florida

Category:Bodies of water of Brevard County, Florida

Category:Bodies of water of Indian River County, Florida

Category:Bodies of water of Martin County, Florida

Category:Bodies of water of Palm Beach County, Florida

Category:Bodies of water of St. Lucie County, Florida

Category:Bodies of water of Volusia County, Florida

Category:Regions of Florida

Category:East Coast of the United States

Category:Places with bioluminescence