Banana River
The Banana River is the smallest of 3 lagoons in the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program
About the Banana River
The Banana River is a 31 mile long, 30,000 acre brackish water lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida.
The Banana River is bounded by Merritt Island on the western shore and the beach barrier island on the eastern shore.
The lagoon's northern end lies within Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the southern end merges with the Indian River at Indian Harbour Beach. Patrick Air Force Base lies along the eastern shore between Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach.
Northern Banana River is jointly administered by KSC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. FWS maintains a No-Motor Zone on the lagoon between the KSC property line and the Beachline Expressway (SR528).[1] There is no public access allowed on KSC property.
Providing habitats for many animal and plant species, the waist deep brackish water lagoon includes salt marshes, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, oyster bars, mud flats, and spoil islands.
The Banana River is an important spring habitat (300-500 individuals/survey day)[2] for the West Indian manatee, with many habitating the lagoon year-round.
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The Banana River also supports the largest pelican rookery on the Atlantic Coast[2] and a significant population of Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin.
The Banana River lagoon is part of the EPA's Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Aquatic Preserve Program.
The northern end of Sykes Creek, a Banana River tributary, is preserved by Brevard County Park's 436 acre Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary.[3]
Commercial and recreational activities in the Banana River lagoon are estimated to generate more than US$ 800 million annually for the local economy.
Banana River Aquatic Preserve
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Banana River Aquatic Preserve begins at State Road 528 (Bennett Causeway), extends almost to the southern tip of Merritt Island, and includes Newfound Harbor and Sykes Creek as far north as Hall Road. The FDEP's Banana River Aquatic Preserve is accessible from the east by U.S. Highway A1A and from the west by State Road 3.
The DEP's 2016 Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves System Management Plan outlines the conservation objectives and activities needed in the Banana River Aquatic Preserve.[4] The Banana River Lagoon Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) is currently undergoing review and revision for a 2020 publication.
Location
Coordinates (28°27'30.5"N 80°37'27.7"W) (28.458480, -80.624358)
Water Body
Banana Creek in Titusville is the northern most tributary of the Banana River lagoon.
Midway down, at Port Canaveral, the lagoon connects to the Atlantic Ocean via the Canaveral Locks and to the Indian River via the Canaveral Barge Canal.
The Canaveral Barge Canal lies at the head of Sykes Creek, a major tributary feeding the southern Banana River lagoon. Template:IRL Banana River Tributaries
History
Historically, the Banana River was a continuous waterway that completely separated Merritt Island from Cape Canaveral.
In 1964, the Crawlerway was built at Kennedy Space Center, connecting Merritt Island to Cape Canaveral and dividing the Banana River into northern and southern lagoons.
Banana River Air Station
Construction of the Banana River Naval Air Station began in December 1939 and the station was commissioned on 1 October 1940.
The station supported seaplane patrol operations during World War II, a blimp squadron which conducted search and rescue along Florida's east coast, a PBM seaplane pilot training program, and an advanced navigation school.
In 1944 the station consisted of 391 officers, 2492 enlisted and 587 civilians. The number of aircraft present on the base, including F6 Hellcats and O52U Kingfishers, reached a high of 228.
The station continued to operate as a Navy support base for two years after the war, but the installation was deactivated on 1 August 1947.[5]
Patrick Air Force Base
The Navy transferred the station to the Air Force on 1 September 1948 and it was renamed the Joint Long Range Proving Ground (JLRPG).
On 1 August 1950, it was renamed Patrick Air Force Base in honor of Major General Mason Patrick.
Patrick Air Force Base is now the headquarters of the 45th Space Wing, the parent organization responsible for operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.[5]
Banana River Health
Like the rest of the IRL estuary, the Banana River suffers from nutrient pollution due to human impact. Stormwater runoff, faulty sewer systems and septic tanks, over fertilized lawns and excessive development over wetland areas have greatly increased the residual levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water.
Algae thrives on the excess nutrients, grows rapidly until it clouds the water, which blocks the sunlight and kills the seagrass beds. The blooming algae also causes a lack of oxygen in the water which in turn kills the marine animals.
DEP's Basin Management Action Plan presents a long-term plan to restore seagrass habitats in the Indian River Lagoon Basin through the reduction of watershed loadings of total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
From the 2016 DEP BRL Progress Review:
"In 2011, an algal superbloom occurred in the Banana River Lagoon (BRL) and North IRL, with a separate bloom affecting part of the Central IRL. A brown algal bloom affected much of the IRL during 2012. The full impact to seagrasses from these blooms will not be known for a number of years, but there are documented losses of seagrasses in the BRL linked to the blooms. Research is under way to understand the causes of these blooms; however, they appear to be due, in part, to legacy loads in the lagoon from past nutrient discharges. Removing the sources of nutrients from the lagoon’s watershed will help remediate the legacy load."[6]
A 2016 Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) caused massive fish fills on the Banana River from Cape Canaveral to Indian Harbor Beach. Green algae blooms and dead marine life were common scenes along the river.
Restoration
The 2016 DEP Banana River Lagoon BMAP Progress Report list's many completed and ongoing projects, including stormwater retention systems, stormwater filters, sewer system repairs and water quality monitoring.[6]
In January, 2019 a $2.8 million stormwater and septic conversion project began in Merritt Island. It funded the installation of a new sewer main enabling the conversion of 23 commercial septic tanks and 60 residential septic tanks that were leeching effluent into the lagoon.
The 2019 project also funded the installation of stormwater pipelines that diverted stormwater runoff to retention filtering ponds instead of flowing directly to the river.[7]
Video
Web Links
References
- ↑ FWS Merritt Island Refuge Fishing
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Banana River Aquatic Preserve
- ↑ Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary
- ↑ FDEP 2016 Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves System Management Plan (PDF, 267pp)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Air Force & Space Museum Banana River Naval Air Station
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 DEP 2016 Banana River Progress Review
- ↑ SJRWMD 2019 BRL Stormwater and Septic to Sewer Project
