Page 8 - Edge issue 4

LOSING THE
Lagoon
Story by Kaitlyn Sollberger One of Brevard’s most important resources is in jeopardy.
Green. Reeking. Dying.
The Indian River Lagoon, once a popular tourist attraction as well as residential area, is now a shell of its prior state. Once regarded as beautiful with its crystal blue waters and abundant wildlife, the Lagoon was a huge contributor to the economic growth along the east coast of Florida.
But as it now stands in the remnants of its former glory,
the Lagoon is driving away more visitors than it draws in.
Algae blooms grow on its surface. The blue water is now an
opaque greenish-brown. These features seem to discredit
the Lagoon’s title as one of the most biodiverse estuaries
in the United States. Local organizations and students are
now being forced to become the forerunners in this important
issue. Using their powers to make a difference, they are
addressing the causes of the lagoon’s current state: run-off
from fertilizers and inadequately filtered water, among other
factors. “The Lagoon is it a quintessential asset to the
The polluted water comes state as well as the community. directly from leaky septic tanks afflicted with massive The total annual economic and sewer systems near the Indian output or value received from
River Lagoon. In an analysis
completed by Florida Today, it was
discovered that roughly 2 million
pounds of nitrogen are dumped into
the Lagoon each year from septic
tanks alone. These high nitrogen
levels can lead to the production of
a thick material known as muck, which decimates marine life.
Muck is a mixture that has incredibly low levels of oxygen. With these low levels of oxygen remaining in the water following the introduction of the muck, there is little remaining for the creatures that live there.
“In some parts of the Lagoon, the muck has reached epic proportions, up to 10 feet high, suffocating seagrass beds, a vital part of the Lagoon’s eco-system. Muck is contributing to large scale algae blooms which consume massive amounts of oxygen, [and are] choking out marine life. Now, the Lagoon is afflicted with massive die-offs [of] fish, sea turtles, manatees, and dolphins,” says the Florida Institute of Technology’s website.
These algae blooms, much like muck, are encouraged by the high nitrogen levels within the Lagoon.
the IRL in 2014 was about $7.6 billion. This does not include the estimated $934 million in annualised real estate values added from property located on or near the IRL [Indian River Lagoon], according to the 2016
Indian River Lagoon Economic Valuation Update.
A large portion of Florida’s economy is centered around the Lagoon, and it accounts for tens of thousands of jobs locally. Contributing IRL-related industries that add to the success of the Lagoon not only come from the local visitors and tourists, but also come in the form of Marine Industries, Living Resources, and more.These industry groups, which are directly influenced by the IRL, support nearly 72,000 jobs annually with annual wages of more than $1.2 billion, according to the 2016 Indian River Lagoon Economic
Valuation Update.
With the economic contributions and the closeness
to nature that the lagoon provides, there will never be a more crucial component of our
community. The IRL is a
die-offs of fish, sea
The current state of the Lagoon is not simply a problem for the tourists visiting the Lagoon, it is also a significant problem for the residents of Brevard County.
Fishing, kayaking, and paddle boarding were once a draw to the waters of the Lagoon, but with the current devastation and the slow bounce-back from decades of degrading effects, it is leaving many with hopeless realities and memories of what once was.
“I have found over the last several years that when I go fishing I don’t catch anything,” Mr. Ryan Cilsick, Marine Science Teacher, said, “My wife and I go paddle boarding quite often and it smells and we don’t see as much wildlife.”
Throughout the course of the last several years, the state of the Indian River Lagoon has significantly worsened, leaving the Florida economy in a state of panic. The Lagoon accounts for a remarkable portion of the community’s revenue, making
turtles, manatees,
and dolphins.”
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