Brevard County Organizes Clean-up Effort For Indian River Lagoon Fish Kill
By Space Coast Daily // March 24, 2016
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Five locations inundated with dead fish as a result of an algae bloom in Indian River Lagoon continue be the focus of a clean-up effort involving Brevard County Government, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns River Waterway Management, Keep Brevard Beautiful and citizen volunteers.
“This is a public nuisance. We’ve received a lot of feedback from the community, so we’ve put a plan together to provide some relief,” said Venetta Valdengo, assistant county manager
The agencies formulated a plan of action Wednesday morning that targets fish kills in Sykes Creek on Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, the Snug Harbor area of Cocoa Beach, Windjammer Court on Merritt Island and Grand Canal in Satellite Beach.
Dead fish will be collected by boat by St. Johns River Waterway Management coordinated with the Sheriff’s Office Ag/Marine Unit. Brevard County departments, including Parks and Recreation, Solid Waste, Public Works and Natural Resources, will focus efforts on County parks and County-owned property.
Keep Brevard Beautiful is coordinating citizen volunteer groups and providing gloves, bags and grabbers to volunteers interested in helping with the cleanup. Keep Brevard Beautiful can be reached at 321-631-0501.
The volunteer effort also includes private property owners who collect dead fish. The county is putting dumpsters at five convenient locations so residents can discard the fish they collect there.
The fish will be hauled daily to the county landfill and will be buried.
Dumpster locations are: Bicentennial Park in Cocoa Beach; Eau Gallie Boat Ramp, Melbourne; Kiwanis Island Park, Merritt Island; Kelly Park, Merritt Island; and POW/MIA at Pineda Causeway.
The dumpsters were in place by 4 p.m. Wednesday, and placed close to boat ramps to facilitate disposal of fish collected by boat.
Related Story:Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Recommends Residents To Handle Dead Fish From Lagoon Carefully
The Sheriff’s Office will also use inmate labor to assist with shoreline cleanup. St. Johns River Waterway Management will focus on residential areas. All areas targeted are in an area between State Road 528 south to Eau Gallie Causeway, which is where the majority of concerns received by the county have been raised.
Officials will meet again on Friday to determine the progress of the cleanup effort.
To report a fish kill, contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 800-636-0511.
