Written by Sydney Czyzon, Treasure Coast Newspapers
June 30, 2021
Two more canals that carry pollution to the Indian River Lagoon will soon be tracked by added Kilroys, thanks to record state
ORCA staff conducting maintenance on a Kilroy, July 2020
Photo: ORCA
funding for water quality monitors this year.
That brings to 20 the number of Kilroys in the lagoon and its canals, overseen by the nonprofit Ocean Research & Conservation Association based in Fort Pierce.
The Florida Legislature this year gave $750,000 for the Kilroys, though ORCA requested only the previous year’s funding of $575,000, said Warren Falls, ORCA managing director. That was despite the state budget being dominated by COVID-19 expenses.
ORCA plans to place the Kilroys in canals that drain stormwater runoff laden with fertilizer and other pollutants from western farmlands and development into the lagoon.
“We’ll be looking at input canals that we don’t currently have covered … try to pinpoint some of the canals that we suspect are some of the worst contributors,” Falls said.
Read the story here:
ORCA KILROY FUNDING
Read the statement from ORCA:
ORCA’s Kilroy Network Receiving Critical Funding from the State of Florida to Continue Monitoring Local Waterways
ORCA’s innovative Kilroy water quality monitoring network collects an extensive array of water quality data including water temperature, depth, salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, oxidation reduction potential, turbidity, chlorophyll and blue‐green algae continuously as well as nutrients (nitrogen and orthophosphate) year-round. There are currently 18 Kilroy systems deployed in the Indian River Lagoon and connecting waterways, and increased funding from the State of Florida will allow ORCA to deploy two additional units.
“On behalf of ORCA, I would like to thank Governor DeSantis, Senator Debbie Mayfield, and Representative Thad Altman for their continued commitment to promote the gathering of data that will allow resource managers to make informed decisions to protect and restore our treasured waters,” says Warren Falls, ORCA’s Managing Director. “This legislative session’s efforts by Senator Mayfield and Representative Altman will allow ORCA to maintain our current systems and expand our Kilroy Monitoring Network by adding additional Kilroy monitoring systems in the Indian River Lagoon.”