"Hey Water Sweepers! I'm Percy, and today we're going to the very bottom of the Indian River Lagoon. Down there, hidden beneath the water, is a thick layer of black, pollutant-rich muck that's been building up for over 70 years. It's one of the biggest threats to the lagoon — and removing it is one of the most exciting restoration projects happening right now!"
Muck Removal & the Indian River Lagoon
Beneath the Indian River Lagoon, hidden under the water, is a thick layer of black, pollutant-rich muck that's been building up for over 70 years. Scientists estimate there are over 7 million cubic yards of muck in the IRL — enough to fill 700,000 dump trucks lined up end-to-end from Miami to Atlanta. Muck has been building up since the 1950s, when agricultural runoff, fertilizer, and development began sending massive amounts of sediment and nutrients into the lagoon. Muck can contain 5 times more nitrogen than clean lagoon sediment, and every day it sits on the bottom, it slowly releases nutrients that feed algae blooms. Muck is soft, oxygen-poor, and blocks sunlight — seagrass can't grow in it, fish avoid it, and bottom-dwelling organisms suffocate in it. Removing it is one of the most exciting restoration projects happening right now.
