Concerned people
like Channel 9 news have been investigating our waterway like this Indian River
Lagoon for more than 15 years and keep running into the same buzz saw, 'the
Florida Legislature.'
Because these new
sensors being installed in the river by the Ocean Research and Conservation
Association (ORCA), there can be no more silly disputing on the facts, lack of
oxygen and nitrogen from overuse and lack of control of fertilizer among other
trivial things!
ORCA had planned to
map the entire intercostal waterway however, those plans may need to be scaled
back.
The group was county
on $1 million funding from the state however, the Legislature cut ORCA’s
funding to just $250,000.
The cut in funding
means private donations will have to pay for the research.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.
Posted: 4:38 p.m.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Something is killing
dolphins and manatees in the Indian River Lagoon.
The deaths of marine
life in the estuary have been a source of concern for years, but pinpointing
what is causing the die-off has been difficult.
A program by the
Ocean Research and Conservation Association to deploy a series of sensors
across the lagoon is starting to yield some answers.
“The fact that these
estuaries are becoming sick is impacting the ocean as a whole,” ORCA scientist
Dr. Edie Widder said.
“Every other breath
you take comes from oxygen generated by the ocean.”
Using
bioluminescence from soil samples, ORCA has been able to map the southern reach
of the IRL, finding alarming levels of nitrogen.
“We weren’t
expecting it to look this bad,” Widder said.
In a map of Vero
Beach, a series of eleven finger canals glows bright red with high levels of
nitrogen.
Scientists at ORCA
have traced the nitrogen back to yard clippings and fertilizer that washes into
the lagoon.
ORCA has deployed
dozens of what it calls “Kilroy’s” into the lagoon.
The three-legged
device with a partially sea-through dome allows scientists to track pollution
in the lagoon, identifying the areas that are most in need.
ORCA is currently
planning to deploy another 15 Killroy’s in Brevard County, the group estimates
the devices will be in place by mid-August.
“An awful lot of the
pollution resides in the sediment itself, the muck that accumulates at the
bottom,” Widder said.
“A lot becomes
legacy pollution because it stays around in the muck.”
Mapping the IRL is
the first step towards cleaning up the lagoon and restoring the habitat for
marine life.
ORCA had planned to
map the entire intercostal waterway however, those plans may need to be scaled
back.
The group was county
on $1 million funding from the state however, the Legislature cut ORCA’s
funding to just $250,000.
The cut in funding
means private donations will have to pay for the research.
The three-legged
device with a partially sea-through dome allows scientists to track pollution
in the Indian River Lagoon.
A few more sites
from just one TV Station.
9 Investigates:
Lawsuit filed against state over Indian River Lagoon ecosystem
9 Investigates:
Dolphin deaths and the Indian River Lagoon
9 Investigates:
Governor, DEP respond to questions surrounding dolphin, manatee deaths lawsuit