User:Admin

Indian River Lagoon Project User Page for Admin

Administrator of the Indian River Lagoon Project website.

Born and raised in West Melbourne, I grew up fishin, clammin', shrimpin' and swimmin' in the Indian River from Wabasso to Titusville. In those days a young scout could paddle over to Grant's Grange Island, spend the day swimming in the river, rake up a bushel of shellfish, and reel in a few seatrout for a campfire feast that a troop might never forget. Today, I can't see my toes in ankle deep water, I don't wade or swim in the IRL for fear of bacteria illness, and there is not much that can live in there due to loss of habitat from human impact.

The Space Boom in the 1960's put Brevard County on the world map. As people flooded here to take advantage of the economic prosperity that came with the space program, huge housing developments sprang up from Titusville to Palm Bay. Large canals were dug to drain the wetlands and to carry stormwater runoff to the IRL. Residential canals were dug to provide waterfront access to thousands of homes, each with it's own septic drainfield and over-fertilized yard that continue to leech nitrogen and phosphorous into the estuary.

New roads and causeways along the estuary and to the beach were built to accomodate Brevard's new residents, and the tourists that flocked here to view the almost weekly Mercury and Redstone rocket launches. The access these roads and bridges allowed for unbridled development along both the beach and estuary shorelines of the barrier island. In a rush to accommodate the flurry of new hotels, condominiums, and office buildings they approved, underfunded municipalities quickly installed "cost effective" utlity systems, that were not designed for longevity, or future population growth.

Jump to today and history repeats itself.