WATCH: Susan Hammerling with Indian River Lagoon County Oversight Committee Gives Update
By Space Coast Daily // January 10, 2022
Space Coast Daily Special Presentation
ABOVE VIDEO: Would you like to volunteer for the Save Our Indian River Lagoon County Oversight Committee? Space Coast Daily’s Giles Malone speaks with Susan Hammerling-Hodgers about the way you may participate and the requirement that Brevard County is seeking in the volunteer.
ABOVE VIDEO: Would you like to volunteer for the Save Our Indian River Lagoon County Oversight Committee? Space Coast Daily’s Giles Malone speaks with Susan Hammerling-Hodgers about the way you may participate and the requirement that Brevard County is seeking in the volunteer.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – A member of the Indian River Lagoon County Oversight Committee, Susan Hammerling-Hodgers, sat down with Space Coast Daily on Monday to update Brevard County on the current state of the Indian River Lagoon and informs residents how they can get involved.
If you would like to volunteer for the Save Our Indian River Lagoon County Oversight Committee, CLICK HERE for more info.
The next Save Our Indian River Lagoon meeting is scheduled for January 21 in the Florida Room at the Brevard County Government building in Viera.
The meeting is set for 8:30 a.m.
The Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program was created as part of a ½ cent sales tax that Brevard County residents voted to impose on themselves in 2016.
The program is designed to address excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to the Indian River Lagoon through various projects to reduce pollution inputs, remove legacy loads of pollution, and restore natural filtration systems.
ABOVE VIDEO: Nine sites in the open waters of the lagoon are currently monitored for density, biomass, quantity of different size classes, and recruitment of new oysters. Eight of the sites exceed these success targets with the ninth site partially meeting these criteria so far. Our management plan lets us work to improve site selection for future restoration projects and adapt sites not meeting criteria so they can achieve future success
It is estimated that the plan will bring in up to $489 million in revenue over 10 years to fund projects that will reduce or remove about 1.3 million pounds of excess nitrogen and 105 thousand pounds of phosphorus annually from the Indian River Lagoon.
The projects being completed by the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program are just one part of restoring the Indian River Lagoon. The National Estuary Program, St Johns River Water Management District, Brevard County and the cities have been working on stormwater improvements since the 90’s. Currently, new technologies are being incorporated to improve stormwater and wastewater utilities. The lagoon will also need the assistance of the community to help reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus created by homes and businesses. Learn more on how to reduce your personal impact by visiting the Lagoon Loyal website.
Project Plan
The Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan was created to identify and prioritize projects to be funded by the Save Our Indian River Lagoon ½ Cent Sales Tax Referendum passed in 2016. The Plan was developed in partnership with scientists, economists, environmentalists and multiple government agencies. It outlines local projects planned to meet water quality targets and improve the health, productivity, aesthetic appeal, and economic value of the lagoon. It is reviewed and updated annually. The most recent update of the plan was approved in February 2021.
Citizen Oversight Committee
The role of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee to review timeliness of project delivery, actual and updated project costs and actual nutrient removal effectiveness; review new literature and local studies on the types of projects included in the plan and potential alternative project types; evaluate alternative project proposals received from the community; and recommend adjustments to the Project Plan to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
