Page values for "IRLNews:IRL Roundtable Receives KSC Indian River Lagoon Health Initiative Plan Initial Release"

“The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Medical and Environmental Services Division, which includes both the Environmental Management Branch (EMB) and Environmental Assurance Branch (EAB), identified lagoon health as a high priority for the mission. This document provides NASA KSC and its partners a plan which considers the unique relationship between the approximately 140,000-acre Federal property and the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary on and adjacent to KSC, and proposes projects and restoration actions that will ensure NASA KSC’s continued role as a responsible steward promoting IRL health and biodiversity. Additionally, this document provides NASA KSC a reference document to enable informed decisions regarding future IRL health projects.”

“Over the last several decades, continued human development within the IRL watershed has resulted in numerous negative impacts to the estuary including excessive stormwater and wastewater inputs, loss of wetlands, dredging, invasive species, and overfishing. While these impacts have been countered with a variety of regulations targeted to improve conditions, the health of the IRL continues to decline. The last decade has seen dramatic seagrass loss due to repeated algal blooms consistent with eutrophication (excessive nutrients) of the system, the effects of which are apparent in segments of the IRL proper, Banana River Lagoon (BRL), and Mosquito Lagoon that lie within the jurisdictional boundaries of KSC. Central to the goal of improving lagoon health is reducing loading of substances known to cause impairment of water quality. All three basins of the lagoon, north IRL, BRL, and Mosquito Lagoon, are impaired by nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients, as well as the heavy metal mercury. In order to reduce loading of these impairments, identification of the types of sources, their size, location, and pathways to the lagoon is required to inform management and devise effective remediation strategies regarding load reduction. Additionally, greater clarity on the impacts of nutrient loading to the lagoon aquatic ecosystem is needed to best support NASA’s stewardship of federal property in the IRL watershed.”

"The Kennedy Space Center Health Initiative Plan was created by the NASA Environmental and Medical Contract (NEMCON) subject matter experts based on guidance of regulatory and management needs identified by NASA KSC EMB and EAB, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Canaveral National Seashore (CNS), and other stakeholders. The focus of this plan is to improve the understanding of water quality, habitat quality, living resources issues, and restoration needs of the IRL in order to meet NASA KSC’s objective of responsible stewardship, while being responsive to regional IRL metrics, and regulatory and management needs, identified by NASA and other stakeholders. Each of the proposed projects in this plan is linked to a vital sign in the IRL National Estuary Program’s (IRLNEP’s) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The IRLNEP CCMP was defined by IRLNEP committee members from the Management Committee and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Modeling Advisory Committee, of which NASA KSC, MINWR, and CNS are active members. These vital signs, approved by the IRLNEP Board of Directors, define current and potential issues, and propose future goals and actions that will contribute to stewardship, restoration, and health of the IRL."

"This plan presents a compilation of prospective projects that address different aspects of lagoon health including water quality, habitat quality, living resources, and restoration. It has been designed as a tool to be used by NASA EMB, NASA EAB, MINWR, CNS, and stakeholders to select projects that will support management objectives of responsible stewardship and improved IRL health. These proposed projects are not currently funded and will be pursued as funding permits."

"The prospective projects are organized into the following categories:

• Monitoring Actions (Proposed)
• Restoration Actions (Proposed)
• Collaboration with Partners/Stakeholders (Proposed)
• Monitoring Actions (Ongoing)

The KSC Indian River Lagoon Health Initiative Plan includes an overview of project options (options matrix), ongoing monitoring actions, and project abstracts. Detailed implementation plans will be developed for supported initiatives at a subsequent date."

Download the NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER INDIAN RIVER LAGOON HEALTH INITIATIVE PLAN (PDF 22pp 1MB)