Indian River Lagoon Facts
From Indian River Lagoon Project
Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Facts
- The 156 mile long National Estuary's watershed covers an area of 2,284 square miles with 353 square miles of water surface area.
- The National Estuary spans six Florida East Coast counties: Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach County.
- 71% of the National Estuary lies within Brevard County.
- Three major water bodies include the Mosquito, Banana River, and Indian River brackish lagoons.
- Averages 4' deep with shallow seagrass flats under 2ft deep. Dredged channels, basins, and canals are deeper. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) channel is maintained at an average 10-12ft depth by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- Five Atlantic Ocean inlets: Ponce de Leon, Sebastian, Ft. Pierce, St. Lucie, and Jupiter inlets.
- Freshwater rivers: Eau Gallie River, St. Sebastian, St. Lucie, Loxahatchee
Mosquito Lagoon Facts
- Mosquito Lagoon lies within Volusia and Brevard Counties.
- Second largest lagoon in the National Estuary
- Majority lies within federal property that includes Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Canaveral National Seashore, and Kennedy Space Center
- Designated as an "Outstanding Florida Water" by the State of Florida.
- Northern portion is a Florida Aquatic Preserve
Banana River Facts
- Banana River lagoon lies within Brevard County
- Smallest lagoon in the National Estuary
- Northern portion lies within Kennedy Space Center and is not open to the public.
- Banana River north of SR528 is a No-Motor Zone manatee preserve.
- Home to Annie the Dragon
Indian River Facts
- Indian River lies within 5 Florida East Coast counties: Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach County.
- Indian River is the largest lagoon in the National Estuary at 121 miles long, .5-5 miles wide
- Four Atlantic Ocean inlets: Sebastian, Ft. Pierce, Jupiter, and Palm Beach
- Freshwater rivers: Eau Gallie River, St. Sebastian, St. Lucie, Loxahatchee
- Freshwater feeder creeks include: Turnbull, Addison, Crane, Turkey Creek, Goat, Kid, Trout, Crawford, and Taylor.
