IRLNews:2020/12/13/Indian River Lagoon 2020 Health Update

Indian River Lagoon 2020 Health Update

December 10, 2020

Palm Bay - The Marine Resources Council has published the 2020 IRL Health Update Report Card #3. The report card visually presents 25 years of state water quality data in 10 regions of the Indian River Lagoon.

The Indian River Lagoon Health Report Card represents the successful outcome of a public-private partnership between Marine Resources Council and Applied Ecology Inc. The partners have worked since 2015 to create a visual representation of water quality and seagrass data. The report has successfully been used to guide scientific investigation, raise awareness, inspire advocacy, and inform policy-makers.

The report card data were collected by state agency personnel and sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. All data were quality assured before being released to the public, a process that takes 6–12 months.

Six water quality indicators were rated in ten areas of the Banana River, Indian River, and Mosquito lagoons. The water quality indicators include:

• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Chlorophyll-a
• Turbidity
• Water Quality Index
• Habitat Quality Index

The report card's 0-100 rating system is presented using color-coded spreadsheets and charts that are easy to comprehend.

Many areas of the estuary have scores of >70% and are slowly improving. Unfortunately, an entire lagoon needs improvement with scores of <70%.

Some North Indian River Lagoon tributaries are scoring 40% with habitat quality falling drastically since the 2016 algae bloom.

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North Indian River Lagoon Water Quality Scores

MRC North IRL Water Quality Chart

MRC North IRL Water Quality Table

Thanks to the Marine Resources Council for putting together a water quality report we can all understand.

Link: MRC 2020 IRL Health Update Report Card #3

Location: Estuary: Palm Bay: Florida East Coast

Source:  Published by Marine Resources Council on December 10, 2020. Retrieved on December 13, 2020.

Topic: Research