Mosquito Lagoon Facts

Mosquito Lagoon Quick Facts and Statistics

• Mosquito Lagoon is located between Ponce de Leon Inlet in Volusia County and Max Hoeck Back Creek in Brevard County, Florida. It is bounded by Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to the west and Canaveral National Seashore to the east.

• At 28 miles long with 36,000 acres of water surface, Mosquito Lagoon is the second largest lagoon in the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary.

• Bar-built Mosquito Lagoon covers an estimated 111 square mile (288.5 km2) area of which 53% is open water of 4ft average depth, 15.8% is barrier island and 31.2% is uplands.

• About 82% of Mosquito Lagoon is on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Canaveral National Seashore, and Kennedy Space Center property.

• Development of the barrier island forming the eastern boundary of Mosquito Lagoon began approximately 7,000 years ago.

• Mosquito Lagoon's Ponce de Leon Inlet is one of two natural inlets in the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary.

• Spain's Ponce de Leon began exploring Cape Canaveral, Mosquito (Ponce) Inlet, and Mosquito Lagoon in 1513.

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began operating Mosquito Lagoon's Haulover Canal and Bridge as a part of the Intracoastal Waterway system in 1930.

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection designated Mosquito Lagoon as an "Outstanding Florida Water" and manages 4,740 acres of the lagoon as the Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve.

• Mosquito Lagoon was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as an Estuary of National Significance and placed in the National Estuary Program in 1990. The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program is managed by the Indian River Lagoon Council, a special district of the State of Florida.

See Also

• Mosquito Lagoon
• Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve

Web Links

• FDEP - Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve

Documents

• FDEP - Mosquito Lagoon Management Plan 2009 (PDF 184pp 8.1MB)

References