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Indian River Lagoon Trivia
How Well Do You Know the Lagoon?
The Indian River Lagoon is one of the most biodiverse places in the continental United States. Unfortunately, the Lagoon has also become home to a variety of pollutants that cause algae blooms and harm water quality. Test your Lagoon and stormwater knowledge by toggling the questions below to reveal the answers. Together, we can learn ways to reduce our polluting footprint and preserve this community treasure!
The Indian River Lagoon occupies 40 percent of Florida’s east coast, extending more than 156 miles from Ponce de Leon Inlet to Jupiter Inlet near West Palm Beach. It spans six counties — including Brevard, Volusia, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Palm Beach1 — and 39 cities2. The Indian River Lagoon has a diverse ecosystem, made up of roughly 4,300 species.
Nearly half of the Indian River Lagoon’s length and 71 percent of its area falls in Brevard County, making it particularly important to our local residents.1 The Indian River Lagoon influences jobs, property values, tourism, and recreation, to name a few. Additionally, it’s home to a unique array of plants and animals, who depend on its water quality for survival.
 4,300 SPECIES OF PLANTS & ANIMALS1 |
 $7.6 BILLION ECONOMIC OUTPUT3 |
 33-TO-1 RATE OF RETURN2 |
Stormwater in Florida is the water that drains off a land area from rainfall. Stormwater flows from our roofs, driveways, streets, parking lots and can pick up pollutants and sediments along its path such as fertilizers, pet waste, car oil and grass clippings. There are a variety of stormwater systems in place and in development in Brevard County, such as detention ponds, baffle boxes, inlet screens and swales, that help to clean the water before it enters a major water body like the Indian River Lagoon.
Learn about Brevard County's Stormwater Program »
Help Keep Storm Drains Clean »
Muck is fine-grained organic rich sediment with a high water content. It is made up primarily of clay, sand and organic matter (decaying plant material). Because of its high water and clay content, muck looks like black ooze. Muck is not the natural bottom of the Lagoon. It is found throughout the Lagoon though it tends to accumulate in deeper waters, sometimes in layers more than 6 feet thick.4 Muck causes algal and phytoplankton blooms, which then block sunlight to essential seagrasses — and even consumes oxygen fish need to survive.
One way to help prevent muck accumulation is to blow grass clipping back into your lawn after mowing. »
A shoreline buffer zone is a designated “maintenance-free” zone at least 10-feet between your landscape and the water line. This area should consist of plantings that require no fertilizer or pesticides, little or no irrigation, and minimal timing. A shoreline buffer zone will help filter pollutants, prevent erosion and reduce sedimentation.
Show a Lagoon-friendly Shoreline Buffer Near Your Waterway »
Based on U.S. pet ownership statistics, imagine that 44.6 percent5 of the 246,6506 Brevard County households own a dog. That’s approximately 110,006 dogs excreting an average of 0.75 pounds7 of waste per day, which adds up to over 30 million pounds (30,114,115) of bacterial-infested pet waste upstream of the Lagoon every year! By picking up your pet’s waste and throwing it away, you’ll be doing your part to keep the Lagoon — and the greater community — beautiful. Not just for yourself, but for your children and grandchildren.
In 2023, Keep Brevard Beautiful reported more than 565,000 pounds and 12,200 bags of trash were collected from Brevard County roadways and shorelines during organized cleanup events. This litter not only affects wildlife health, but can be carried to storm drains, which can clog the system and cause flooding in high rain events. If the litter is small enough to fall through the cracks, it enters the underground pipes that lead to storm water ponds and, eventually, to the Lagoon (or the St. Johns River).
Attend the Next Litter Cleanup Event »
In 2022, the St Johns River Water Management District (SJRMD) reported nearly ~48 million gallons of water8 was withdrawn from groundwater and surface water sources for use in golf course irrigation, irrigation of urban landscapes or athletic fields, water-based recreational areas, and ornamental or decorative purposes not supplied by public supply systems. Excess water that flows off of your property can carry fertilizers, car oil, grass clippings, and pet waste into nearby waterways. Prevent pollutants from entering the Lagoon by following the SJRMD watering restrictions below.
SOURCES:
1 “How Valuable is the Indian River Lagoon?” restoreourshores.org, Brevard Zoo, https://restoreourshores.org/importance.
2 “Importance.” onelagoon.org, One Lagoon, https://onelagoon.org/importance.
3 “Indian River Lagoon Economic Valuation Update.” Prepared by East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, 26 Aug. 2016, http://ros.skyadinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/FinalReportIRL08_26_2016.pdf.
4 “Muck Removal in the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan.” brevardfl.gov, Florida Sea Grant College Program – University of Florida, https://www.brevardfl.gov/docs/default-source/soirl/muckfactsheet.pdf.
5 “U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics.” avma.org, American Veterinary Medical Association, www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx.
6 “Brevard County, Florida QuickFacts.” census.gov, United States Census Bureau, 2022, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brevardcountyflorida/PST045222.
7 “Dog Waste and Waterways.” eugene-or.gov, City of Eugene Public Works, Stormwater Management Program, https://www.eugene-or.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17001/Dog-Waste-and-Waterways.
8 “2022 Report of Annual Water Use.” sjrwmd.com, St. Johns River Water management District, 2022, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ecdf034a0c0643a59738645f078a6f11.
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