Indian River Facts

From Indian River Lagoon Project

Indian River Facts

  • Indian River lies within 5 Florida East Coast counties: Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach County.
  • 121 mile long Indian River is the largest lagoon in the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary.
  • In spite of its name, the Indian River is not an actual river with a directional current, but a still lagoon where the water's movement is from wind and minor tidal influence near the inlets.
  • Saltwater enters the Indian River lagoon from 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.
  • Indian River averages 4ft in depth with large shallow flats less than 2' deep. Man-made channels, canals, and marina basins are dredged much deeper.
  • The Intracoastal Waterway, a national navigational channel through the entire Indian River, is maintained at a 10-12ft depth.
Indian River Lagoon Encyclopedia Article - Indian River Facts