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Comprehensive Plan Coastal Management Element serve as a food source for the manatee. In addition, there are important freshwater attractant areas (e.g., the river itself, C-54 canal). Taking all these conditions together, the St. Sebastian River provides significant loafing, feeding, and breeding habitat. Due to the remote locations of Dale Wimbrow Park and Donald MacDonald Park, these boat ramps are the least used launch sites in the county. Due to low on -water traffic, high manatee mortality and high manatee abundance, Zone 1 is not a conducive area for future boat facility development or additional boat ramps/lanes. ■ Zone 2 Based on historic manatee mortality data and telemetry data, the probability of manatee mortality for Zone 2 is low. Within Zone 2, there are extensive dense seagrass beds, approved shellfish harvesting areas, and the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Refuge's associated wildlife. Based on the use of this zone for habitat, the siting of new boat facilities should be prohibited In order to control growth in existing boat facilities, additional restrictions should be placed on the expansion, rearrangement, or conversion of existing boat facilities. ■ Zone 3 Compared to other areas of the county, there is relatively little mangrove fringe along the shoreline of the IRL in the City of Sebastian/northern Indian River County area. There are, however, extensive seagrass beds that must be taken into consideration during any review or authorization of any proposed project in this Zone. In addition, there have been 7 watercraft -related deaths in Zone 3, with 4 of these occurring since 1998 (1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002) Existing marina channels within this zone are several feet deeper than the average adjacent water depth of one (1) to two (2) feet. Approximately 500 yards from the City of Sebastian shoreline, the water depth increases to four (4) to five (5) feet. Existing marinas located within Zone 3 are proximate to the ICW and Sebastian Inlet The commercial, recreational and residential marinas in Zone 3 generate the highest level of on -water traffic attributed to marinas in the county. It should be noted that there is little potential for dry slip expansion in the City of Sebastian due to the closeness of Indian River Drive to the shoreline of the IRL. However, existing commercial and recreational marinas could increase their number of wet slips, and utilize adjacent parcels along the IRL or west of Indian River Drive to expand upland facilities. Boat facility and boat ramp usage in this zone has been established over time and does not appear to have had a significant impact on manatees. Submerged aquatic vegetation is extensive in this zone, resulting in a limiting factor in how built -out the submerged bottom and shoreline can become While boat facility and boat ramp development should be encouraged in this zone, it is recognized that there still exists the potential for manatee impacts based on recent watercraft -related deaths; therefore, all boat facility and boat ramp development within this zone should be required to meet site-specific criteria relating to manatee protection and boating safety. Indian River County Coastal Management Element Page 79 Supplement # Ordiance #2005-_ Adopted 2005 Exhibit B Page 7