Indian River
Indian River Lagoon (IRL)
The Indian River is a 121 mile long brackish lagoon spanning 5 counties on Florida's East Coast. The Indian River is the largest of 3 water bodies in the Indian River Lagoon Estuary system and is a part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Location
The northern terminus of the Indian River is in Brevard County's Scottsmoor, it merges with the Banana River at Dragon's Point on the southern tip of Merritt Island, and then extends southward to meet Palm Beach County's Loxahatchee River with it's southern terminus at Jupiter Inlet.
Indian River Water Bodies
Water bodies connected to the Indian River include the Merritt Island Barge Canal (man-made), the C-54 Canal (man-made), Crane Creek, the Eau Gallie River, Horse Creek, Mullet Creek, St. Sebastian River, St. Lucie River, Sykes Creek, and Turkey Creek.
Atlantic Ocean Inlets to the Indian River
Sebastian Inlet Saint Lucie Inlet Jupiter Inlet
History
Spanish explorers originally named the lagoon Rio de Ais after the Ais Indian tribe who lived along the river.
Summer Smell
During the hot summer months the earthen berm causeways tend to impede the flow of [[algae) and rotting seagrass which results in an odor of hydrogen sulfide in some areas along the river.
