Paddled the SUP today near Suntree and the River had a sheen of browness and what looked like tons of feces. It did NOT smell but I've never seen it look so bad. Saw only 2 birds and jellyfish. Any ideas?

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Bald Brother

"Surfing is prayer of a high order, the sea a beautiful church, the wave a silent sermon"
Tom Blake

July 16, 2014

Lagoon water clarity excellent from Titusville to Vero Beach

St. Johns River Water Management District scientists reported on July 16 that water clarity is excellent in the Mosquito Lagoon and throughout the area of the Indian River Lagoon from Titusville south to Vero Beach.

District scientists conducting routine water quality sampling during the week of July 7 observed phytoplankton blooms in Big Flounder Creek in the northern Indian River Lagoon and in the Eau Gallie River near U.S. 1. Algae samples collected from the two locations are being further evaluated.

http://floridaswater.com/itsyourlagoon/currentnews.html

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An increase in jellyfish population is indicative of poor water quality and degradation of marine habitat. They seem to be like the cockroaches of the sea. One of the last standing species in an otherwise uninhabitable area.

Anyone know if the Banana a River lagoon is doing any better?

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Brother, when you get a minute, could I get a list of the words that trigger these fits?


Hey. Where are we going? (And what are we doing in a hand-basket?)

Looking brown and nasty in NSB as well. My gf has contacts at SJRWMD and Stonybrook University marine lab which does some of the main research on brown tide. They have both been given a heads up. 

Hopefully it is not brown tide at all and if it is, it does not turn into a major event. We did have a period of dry conditions then major rain events which I am sure flushed a ton of built up crapola form everywhere into the lagoon...

I think we can go ahead and get use to this every year when the summer down pours start.  Fact is excessive human population and long term ecological health are mutually exclusive conditions.  The crapola is apparently here to stay.

The north Banana NMZ appears to be turning at an increaseing rate, and the manatees ae ganging up at the locks on the outgoing tide. The last two years they stuck it out and suffered, but are already leaving this year.  They seemed to catch on quick. I wish people could do the same.

Goon waters actually stayed clear longer this summer (from my experiences).Was only a matter of time, heat and rain... It will clean up by November

No need to be so negative Zeus.

Tampa did / does a good job keeping the Bay up.

Recovery from where it was in the 70's/80's to now is remarkable.

Just takes a long and sustained effort.  Certain trade offs are required too.

Extra green grass or extra green Lagoon for example.  

A cut n' paste from (gasp) Wikipedia but there are plenty of refs if you look.  

Does this story sound familiar, at least the first part? 

 

Tampa Bay was once teeming with fish and wildlife. People of the Safety Harbor culture lived almost entirely from mullet, shellfish, sea turtles, manatees, crabs, and other bounties harvested from the sea. As late as the early 20th century, visitors still reported huge schools of mullet swimming across the bay in such numbers that they "impeded the passage of boats."^[18]

The growth of the surrounding communities slowly caused deterioration of the natural environment. Heavy fishing, dredging to deepen shipping channels, and the clearing of mangroves for shoreline development were important factors.^[19] Most damaging was the discharge of waste water and other pollutants into the bay, which destroyed water quality and grasses.^[20] By the 1970s, sea grass coverage (which is vital to marine life) had decreased by more than 80%, the water was so murky that sunlight could not reach the shallow bottom, and bay beaches were regularly closed due to unsafe levels of pollutants.^[20]

Beginning in the early 1980s after federal and state legislation to improve water quality, authorities installed improved water treatment plants and tightened regulation of industrial discharge. Gradually the bay was being cleaned.^[21] By 2010, measures of sea grass coverage, water clarity, and biodiversity had improved to levels last seen in the 1950s.^[22]

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It's clear from Grant to the Inlet, lots of algae clumps floating and deep tannin color, but still clear with no grass!

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Romans 8;18-32 John 3;16-18

Not being negative, its just a matter of fact. 

Tampa Bay and waters near inlets benefit greatly from tidal change, a lot like flusing a toilet.  If discharges are stopped in those waters, recovery is fairly quick.  With the Canaveral Locks in place our lagoons are becoming like an unflushed toilet. 

I am negative in that I don't think an improvment can be made until our lagoon gets flushed twice daily and storm water is properly managed.  Chain of Lakes in Titusville is an excellent example of such management, but where else is there realestate for similar projects?  The areas that need it most lack the realestate the most.

As a lifetime member of Trout Unlimited I'm a big believer in the ability to make meaningful change to a water way, but I realize the bigger the water way, the bigger the change needed.  I doubt Brevard is up to the task, becasue it'll take so much more than a fertilizer ban.

A healthy marine environment requires clean water 365.  So come November don't be thinking all is well when the water clears up, even if the manatees do come back.  Like I said, best get use to it.

Definitely some positive signs with water clarity and lack of algae blooms this summer. IF this continues we should be looking at long term changes in yard design to minimize fertilizer needs.

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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

By gum Zeus you're right!  

Brevard (Co.) can't do it alone.  It requires the particiaption of all the stakeholders along the Lagoon.

In fact, they've been working cooperatively together for some years now on just such a thing,

it's called a Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) and it was signed into law just last year.  

The Banana and Indian River Lagoon BMAPS can be found here:  http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/watersheds/bmap.htm

This is a 15 year plan to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to the Lagoon on multiple fronts with cooperation between State, Fed, County, municipal groups within the Lagoon watershed.  

Targets loads have been set, reduction allocations have been shared out, projects are turning dirt right now.  

Long haul stuff but worth working on.

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Most likely it is runoff from interior fresh water rivers after so much rain, especially when SJRWMD releases holding areas.

Blows my mind to see people watering their grass after all the rain, how stupid can people be, I have not run my sprinklers in weeks and still get compliments on my yard.

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JMA

As long as we have people who buy boats just so they can go to the spoil island to drink and party and piss over the side of thier boat......the river is doomed!!!

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"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each" - Henry David Thoreau

Haha, doubt that the partiers urine make much of an impact, hell I'm guilty of peeing in the ocean and the neighbors pool - dont hang me bro! 

I recently went fishing at a "pipe" that drains mainland retention pounds into the river, overflow pipe I'd imagine and witnessed giant clumps of hydrilla washing into the IRL.  These pipes were flowing fast, by design obviously.  I'd bet some sort of ground water runnoff filter on these pipes would benefit the lagoon. 

I too noticed the brownish tint over the weekend, had some sort of substance suspended in the water.  It wasn't pretty, a month or so ago the clarity was much much better. 

PS, its a lagoon not a river. 

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Just heard today on the radio news that there is a flesh eating virus in lakes & lagoons. This is why I stay the hell out of that water. Maybe it had something to do when I went tubing many years ago and found little nasty fish, about 4 of em under my balls when I took my board shorts off and the fact I smelled like a toliet bowl with feces. That was at the intracoastal by Jensen Beach. I could just imagine how a "real" lake would be...yuck.

The mentioned virus and amoebas are here every year at this time. Just be wary if you have open cuts and/or are digging around in the mud/muck. I'm not saying ignore it, just know how they can infect you and try and limit your exposure if susceptible.

All the septic systems that aren't properly maintained contribute greatly as well.

^True.

Connecting septic to sewer takes years and millions and it's in the planning stage; but,

wanna do something NOW?

Then don't do something; don't fertilize.  

Easy right?

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