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Page 3 BCC Agenda Item for June 16, 2020 Update 1— Research Review Phase of IRL Plan 5. Sea Level Rise Sea level rise plays an important role in the health of the Lagoon in our area due to its direct connections to manmade and maintained inlets. Our portion of the Lagoon is directly influenced by two inlets, the Sebastian Inlet to the north and the Fort Pierce Inlet to the south, both of which are considered tidal inlets. As sea level rises, tides will become more extreme, with higher rates of ocean water being exchanged within the Lagoon. Another lesser understood impact to the Lagoon from sea level rise is the infiltration of saltwater into the freshwater aquifer below the land's surface. The relationship of the aquifer to the Lagoon will be researched at a greater extent during the hydrology and hydrodynamics update. 6. Land Use Changes (Part 1) Determining past and future land use changes are important in understanding current issues in the Lagoon and determining resiliency for the future. Historical land use has been shown to provide on-going impacts to downstream waters in other parts of the State, so it is important that current and future land use updates to the County's policies continue to take into consideration any potential downstream impacts to the Lagoon. While it is clear these six factors all play a role in the Lagoon's health, their direct impacts are not always as easily understood. Staff will continue researching these topics and how they relate to the Lagoon's health and to other topics identified in the Research Review Phase. It is important to note how many of these topics overlap with each other, and how we cannot be successful in our restoration efforts if we do not understand the ways in which one impacts the other and how they are all interconnected. The County will continue to be proactive in their management of projects and research of topics in order to help the Lagoon. The public will be made aware of research efforts through the dissemination of relative infographics. For the next update, staff will address the following topics: Ecosystem Functions and Habitat Use (Part 2), Harmful Algal Blooms, State and Regulatory Review of Rules, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus, and Land Use Changes (Part 2). FUNDING Funding is not necessary for the update of the Research Review Phase. RECOMMENDATION Staff is requesting continued support for the Research Review phase of the Indian River Lagoon Management Plan development. ATTACHMENT A. Research Plan Timeline B. Supporting Research APPROVED AGENDA ITEM FOR: June 16, 2020 90