02/13/2018 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

"Muck' mess threatens lagoon's marine life I Melbourne Beachsider I Vero News Page 1 of 2 Mucked up. f� That's the crass, yet accurate- summation given to the Indian River Lagoon by one of its most fierce protectors, the Florida Institute of Technology. The more -than -150 -mile coastal estuary is host to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, though industrial and recreational impacts have led to what scientists have deemed a half -century of neglect. Marine life is at risk, impacted by fertilizer run-off and planned emergency wastewater discharges required when the system becomes inundated with groundwater. Hurricane Irma and the Oct. 1 floods resulted in nearly 20 million gallons of raw sewage being discharged into an Indian Harbour Beach canal, and into the lagoon, rather than having raw sewage back up into homes and neighborhood streets. O.V'er-ti'me,nofesFlorida Tech'srwiiebsi.te, '`ttiere.'s�been'a. huge buildup;of whaf FIT`scientists, simply'=; de'scrib`e as,'muck,' a,-blendlof"nitrogen-and: phosphorus that resembles. tar." As the muck' kiuilds it kills seag-ass.beds, fuels algae blooms, suffocating, seagrass'bedsand marine life.. There's plenty of blame to go around, up and down the estuary system. A power outage at a sewage treatment center in Fort Pierce was responsible for a 1.25 million -gallon spill last October. And a broken wastewater pipe in Vero Beach is the culprit for a November spill of 3.1 million gallons of sewage. Those are the most recent episodes. In 2016 an algae bloom led to a massive fish kill in Brevard County. The recent spills have prompted a fresh examination of how to clean up the Indian River Lagoon, but citizens aren't waiting for the bureaucrats to act. Grassroots efforts have popped up, some by individuals and small groups, and even schoolchildren. Marti Veatch is among those working to help improve the health of the lagoon. She's a Melbourne Beach resident who is also a member of the town's Environmental Advisory Board. Veatch said she and a few friends have launched a grassroots effort, one that so far includes plantings near the town's pier, installing bat houses to help control the mosquito population, and placing oyster mats to encourage new marine life in the lagoon. The group is modeling its efforts after Satellite Beach, which in May 2017 adopted a nearly 50 -page Sustainability Action Plan that focuses on five areas: Built Environment; Land and Water Systems; Energy and Transportation; Community Outreach; and Quality of Life. 2,,�9 - // http://veronews.com/2018/01/04/muck-mess-threatens-lagoons-marine-life/ 1/4/2018