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.. Removing tons of `black mayonnaise' from lagoon - VeroNews: Indian River Lagoon Page 1 of 2 <br />Removing tons of `black mayonnaise' from <br />lagoon <br />Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2014 5:00 am <br />There was a flurry of environmental excitement in May when the legislature appropriated more <br />than $200 million for cleaning up the Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee. That amount <br />included $20 million to remove ecologically harmful muck from the central lagoon and the Eau <br />Gallie River to reduce the nutrient load in the estuary. <br />Moving quickly by government standards, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection <br />last month handed over $10 million to Brevard County to remove up to 350,000 cubic yards of <br />muck from the lagoon. <br />"The last time I spoke with Brevard officials, they were in the engineering and permitting phase," <br />said Sen. Thad Altman, who was instrumental in securing money for muck removal. "A million of <br />the $10 million will go to research and development conducted by FIT. We want to make sure we <br />are dredging in the most beneficial locations for the greatest immediate benefit." <br />Florida Institute of Technology scientists will help select the best sites to dredge and do pre- and <br />{ post -dredge testing and analysis to determine how muck removal helps the lagoon. <br />Professor of Marine and Environmental Systems John Trefry, whose testimony at a senate <br />committee in December put the appropriation process in motion, said he and his colleagues will <br />begin work this month. <br />"We are close. We have written up our proposals and we should be announcing the study sites in <br />the next week or two, which will be very exciting. <br />"My part is I will go out and determine how much muck is there and the exact composition of it. <br />Others will look at seagrass and biology and other elements." <br />Trefry and his colleagues will establish an ecological baseline, documenting the amount of <br />seagrass and biological diversity in areas selected for dredging. After dredging is complete, they <br />will reexamine the. dredged areas to chart the degree of biological recovery. <br />"We have to show this works if we want the legislature to fund an ongoing effort," Trefry says. "I <br />think everything is on track and I am very optimistic this will be very helpful to the lagoon." <br />Dubbed `black mayonnaise' because of its consistency, the smelly muck is made-up mainly of <br />_water, fine particles of soil or clay and rotting organic material. It damages lagoon ecology by <br />releasing nutrients that feed.' destructive algae bloom and by clouding the water when stirred up by <br />storms, cutting off light seagrass needs for photosynthesis and survival. <br />http://www.veronews.cominewslindian river countyllagoonlremoving-tons-of-black-may... 9/29/2014 <br />