By Duane De Freese, published on tcpalm.com
The Indian River Lagoon needs our help.
This remarkable estuary is home to more than 4,300 species of plants and animals and a resource serving almost 50 human communities.
The lagoon has weathered countless changes over the past century. It’s bottom has been dredged, filled and altered to accommodate our needs and its shoreline has been reconfigured and armored.
Its watershed was expanded by networks of canals that drain stormwater from land now occupied by urban development. These changes have increased loads of water, nutrients and sediments reaching the lagoon. We are all part of these problems. We are all part of the solutions.
Unfortunately, 2016 is shaping up to be a year that focuses our collective concerns — and awareness — on this vulnerable jewel in our backyard.
In mid-2015, the scientific community noticed an algal bloom in the Mosquito Lagoon. It moved into the northern Indian River Lagoon and affected the Banana River Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon to the Sebastian Inlet by January 2016. The algae in these blooms include those in the 2011 to 2012 bloom, plus brown tide, which bloomed in 2012 to 2013.
Last weekend, waterfront residents and anglers discovered thousands of dead fish drifting in waterways and canals. Scientists are investigating the causes of the fish kill to see if algal toxicity may have been involved; however, oxygen depletion is a common occurrence during intense algal blooms, and fish and other animals die when they do not have enough oxygen.
People want action, and rightly so. More than just part of the fabric of our lives, the lagoon is an economic engine for our region. A 2007 study found the lagoon is responsible for one-seventh of the region’s economy. The overall, annual economic value of the lagoon was estimated at $3.7 billion at that time.
In simplest terms, algal blooms do occur naturally, but we contribute nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus that fuel more intense blooms. It’s a problem in coastal estuaries worldwide. In addition to robbing the lagoon of oxygen, which sometimes causes “fish kills,” algal blooms block sunlight needed by sea grass. Such “shading” can kill sea grass and deprive many animals of the shelter and food they need.
For many years, state and federal agencies, the St. Johns and South Florida water management districts, the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, municipalities and county agencies, educational institutions, stakeholders and individuals have been working individually and collectively to improve our understanding of the lagoon and to carry out projects that reduce our burdens on the waterway.
Recently, completed projects are either treating or removing tens of millions of gallons of stormwater from the lagoon’s tributaries. In addition, millions of cubic yards of muck have been removed from the lagoon bottom and additional muck-dredging projects are in progress or on the way.
Each project we complete means progress. However, sustained efforts are needed to restore the health of our lagoon.
Ultimately, collaboration and participation at every level are critical to ensuring the long-term health of the lagoon. We must work in unison to achieve measurable, real results. The reorganized IRL National Estuary Program will help to build a vision for restoration and a regional coalition to implement change, but success will depend on all of us.
We must take ownership of the lagoon. We must change our daily habits that negatively impact the lagoon. We must become more informed and more involved. Scientists and engineers must continue to improve and share their knowledge. Every level of government must continue to fund worthwhile restoration projects and enforce regulations designed to keep the lagoon healthy.
The challenges may be complex, but they are not insurmountable. Working together, we can fix the problem.
The lagoon’s future is what we make it.
Duane De Freese is executive director of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.
http://www.tcpalm.com/opinion/guest-columns/duane-de-freese-creating-a-future-for-the-indian-river-lagoon-2e03ca8e-2857-50e9-e053-0100007fa04d-373525741.html