April Water News

We’re honored to celebrate Donna Halleran

as one of our Lagoon Champions!

Donna has been a driving force behind local environmental efforts for years, helping shape the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County from its earliest days. When the lagoon needed a stronger voice, she stepped up, bringing knowledge, leadership, and a positive, can do spirit that helped turn a passionate group into an effective organization.

But Donna doesn’t just support the lagoon behind the scenes, she’s investing in its future. As Executive Director of the Pelican Island Audubon Society and through launching a local River Kidz chapter, she’s inspired countless young people to get outside, learn about the lagoon, and become advocates for its protection. Through Pelican Island Audubon’s Advocate program, her Title I school program, she helps bring environmental education to students who may not otherwise have access to these opportunities.

Her impact goes even further, reaching children experiencing homelessness by offering after school programs and summer camps that provide a safe, enriching space to learn, explore, and grow. These experiences help build confidence, connection, and a sense of belonging while fostering a love for the natural world.

Donna is also a connector, building relationships across organizations and helping programs grow with the support they need to succeed. Her impact can be seen not just in the work being done today, but in the next generation she’s helping to inspire.

She’s exactly the kind of champion our lagoon needs.

Thank you, Donna, and congratulations on this well deserved recognition!

For more information visit this page.

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The Lagoon Is Everyone's Business 

Come Learn How to Protect It

If you've ever eaten fresh seafood at a waterfront restaurant, taken a kayak out on the Indian River, or simply felt that particular exhale of relief when you cross one of the bridges and see water stretching out in both directions, you already know something important: the Indian River Lagoon is the economic and cultural backbone of this community.

Real estate agents know it. Businesses know it. The tourism industry knows it. Studies have confirmed it. The Balmoral Group's economic analysis found that every dollar invested in Lagoon restoration generates significant economic returns for the region, returns that show up in property values, in the health of restaurants and charter fishing operators, in boat sales, in the kind of quality of life that makes people want to move here (and stay here).

But the Lagoon is in trouble. Decades of inadequate stormwater management, aging sewer infrastructure, and excess nutrients flowing into the water have taken a serious toll. The problem is well understood. The solutions are known. What's missing is sustained public pressure… ordinary people showing up, staying informed, and demanding that their elected officials make the Lagoon a priority.

That's exactly what the "Land & Water: Issues & Solutions" Public Education Forum is designed to address.

On April 25, the Clean Water Coalition (CWC), the Indian River Neighborhood Association (IRNA), and the Pelican Island Audubon Society (PIAS) are bringing together some of the region's foremost subject matter experts for a full day of public education at The Emerson Center (8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Speakers from the Indian River Lagoon Council, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Marine Resources Council, Indian River Land Trust, the City of Vero Beach, Indian River County, and several universities will cover everything from wastewater systems and biosolids to habitat restoration, stormwater solutions, and what it would actually take to turn things around for the Lagoon and Blue Cypress Lake.

With November 2026 elections on the horizon, this kind of knowledge matters. Candidates need to hear from an informed public. Voters need a basis for assessing where candidates actually stand on land and water issues. This forum is a step toward both.

Tickets are $25 per person and include a boxed lunch. (Bring a reusable water bottle.)

And here's a little extra incentive: registered attendees will have the chance to win one of three raffle prizes: a guided fishing trip for two, a boat excursion on Blue Cypress Lake, or a lagoon boat tour with the ELC. These are the kinds of experiences that remind you exactly why protecting this place is worth the effort.

Register here [ https://www.indianriverna.com/event-details/land-water-issues-and-solutions-forum ] and invite your neighbors, your fishing buddies, your book club, your coworkers. The more ordinary people show up informed and engaged, the stronger the public voice for protecting the water that makes this place worth living in.

The Lagoon needs all of us. April 25 is a good place to start.

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Participate in IRNA’s PFAS Private Well Study

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” are synthetic compounds used in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams. These chemicals do not break down, allowing them to spread through the environment and contaminate drinking water, rivers, and wildlife across Florida—including Indian River County. Exposure is linked to serious health risks, including cancer, immune suppression, hormonal disruption, and developmental issues. Because PFAS are tasteless, colorless and odorless, laboratory testing is the only way to detect them.

In 2024, the EPA set national standards for six PFAS compounds. However, in early 2025, the agency moved to delay or rescind enforcement for four of these, extending compliance deadlines for others until 2031. This rollback threatens the safety of over 73 million Americans served by water systems with reported PFAS levels exceeding health limits.

While statewide research has confirmed PFAS in Florida’s municipal and private wells, Indian River County remains a critical data gap. Despite recent evidence of contamination in regions like Vero Beach and Barefoot Bay, many IRC households relying solely on private wells have not been tested.

To address this, the Indian River Neighborhood Association (IRNA) is launching a community-led study for private well users in areas like Wabasso, Gifford, Vero Lake Estates, Blue Cypress, and Fellsmere. Participants will use standardized kits to collect samples for professional analysis. This initiative aims to identify potential groundwater contamination and provide the localized data necessary to advocate for and support safer water policies.

IRNA is hosting a series of upcoming informational webinars concerning this PFAS study on April 22 at 9:30am and April 28 at 6pm. Visit https://www.indianriverna.com/pfas-testingto register or emailMissy@IndianRiverNA.com.

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Historical Indian River Lagoon Fisheries

The Indian River Lagoon (Lagoon) has supported important commercial and recreational fisheries for over a century, but its fisheries history reflects a classic trajectory of early abundance, commercial exploitation, a shift toward recreational use, significant ecological degradation, and increasingly intensive regulatory and restoration efforts.

1800–1890: After Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, small coastal settlements began to develop along the Lagoon, including communities near modern-day Sebastian, Fort Pierce, and Melbourne. Early settlers harvested lagoon resources for both subsistence and small-scale trade. Striped Mullet became the dominant commercial fish, and extensive oyster reefs in the northern lagoon supported local harvest. While mullet was salted and shipped to other parts of Florida and the Caribbean, oyster fisheries remained relatively small scale due to limited transportation.

Pre-1960s: In the early–mid 20th century, the Lagoon supported robust commercial fisheries. Landings between 1959 and 1962 averaged roughly 6 million pounds annually, with key species including Striped Mullet, Spotted Seatrout, Blue Crab, Pompano, and Gray Snapper. Recreational fishing was also substantial, with estimated catches exceeding 3 million pounds per year. During the 1950s, species like Spotted Seatrout were important commercial targets, but by the late 1960s many of these fisheries declined, and mullet became the dominant commercial species.

1960s–1990s: In the 1960’s, urbanization, development, and  associated population growth reduced the importance of commercial fishing and drove increased recreational use. The Lagoon became known as a premier sportfish destination, supporting species such as Snook, Red Drum, and Spotted Seatrout. Over this period, environmental degradation intensified. Mangrove removal, salt marsh alteration, increased freshwater discharges from mainland drainage canals, and associated increased nutrient pollution began to degrade seagrass and shellfish habitats critical to fisheries productivity. 

Environmental Impacts: By the 1970s, major ecological changes occurred, including loss of roughly 75% of salt marsh habitat due to mosquito control impoundments which significantly reduced nursery areas for juvenile fish. Increased nutrient loading from agriculture, wastewater, and stormwater led to algal blooms and widespread seagrass loss, further reducing fish populations. These impacts contributed to long-term declines in both commercial and recreational fisheries, even as the Lagoon remained ecologically important as a nursery for ~70% of Florida’s fisheries species.

Regulations and Environmental Management: In response to declining conditions:

• The Indian River Lagoon Act (1990) required reductions in wastewater discharges.

• The Lagoon was designated a priority waterbody under Florida’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program.

• The creation of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (1991) and later the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program formalized coordinated restoration efforts.

• Fisheries regulations also became more restrictive, including bans on certain fishing methods (i.e., entanglement nets), bans on commercial harvest of certain species (e.g., Snook, Red Drum), and tighter recreational bag and size limits to rebuild stocks.

Modern fisheries and adaptive management (2000s–present): Today, the Lagoon is primarily a recreational fishery with management focused on sustainability and stock recovery. Regulations have become increasingly localized and conservative; for example, recent rules limit Spotted Seatrout harvest to two fish per person with seasonal closures in the Lagoon region. Hatchery stocking programs (e.g., Red Drum releases) and habitat restoration projects aim to rebuild fish populations. However, ongoing challenges (e.g., nutrient pollution, harmful algal blooms, and habitat loss) continue to constrain fisheries’ productivity, requiring adaptive, ecosystem-based management approaches.

Solutions: Improving commercial and recreational fisheries in the central Indian River Lagoon (especially around Indian River County) ultimately comes down to rebuilding the Lagoon’s ecological foundation. Fisheries there are not primarily limited by fishing pressure, but rather by water quality and habitat loss. The most effective solutions, therefore, combine environmental restoration with targeted fishery management – including:

1. Fix water quality (perhaps, the single most important action)

2. Restore seagrass (critical fish habitat)

3. Improve natural filtration (clams, oysters)

4. Restore shorelines, wetlands, and hydrology

5. Adaptive fisheries management (regulations + stocking)

6. Protect and manage boating impacts

7. Community and watershed-level actions

The Indian River Lagoon can support strong fisheries again. A cohesive management strategy and sustained efforts are needed to prompt the needed government regulations and funding required to restore water quality and fisheries habitat within the Lagoon.

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Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs)

The current Florida Agricultural BMP framework is administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The existing BMP manuals are scientifically sound and incorporate well-established agronomic and water-quality protection practices, including nutrient management, irrigation efficiency, soil conservation, and water resource protection.

From an agricultural standpoint, no major substantive revisions to the BMP manuals are necessary at this time. The core practices recommended—such as calibrated fertilizer application, soil and tissue testing, split fertilizer programs, efficient irrigation systems, and sediment or nutrient retention practices—are consistent with modern agronomy and with research conducted by UF/IFAS and other institutions.

From a water quality standpoint, significant changes in BMPs are needed. Fertilizer application rates are designed for plant growth and have no relationship to water quality goals. Thus, many allowable application rates create ongoing nutrient pollution problems. Additionally, nutrients move with water, and BMPs do not have specific water management requirements, such as retaining or recycling water. Until nutrient application and water management are better addressed, BMPs cannot be expected to yield effective water quality protection.

The main challenge is not the scientific basis of the BMPs but rather their consistent implementation and verification. The current system relies largely on voluntary enrollment and self-certification by growers, and enforcement has been largely absent. When FDACS does identify BMP violations, they are reported to FDEP for enforcement action; however, it has been reported that despite hundreds of such referrals, FDEP has largely failed to act on them. While most producers take these responsibilities seriously, variability in implementation can occur. For that reason, the greatest improvements in environmental outcomes will likely come from strengthening education, technical assistance, practical implementation guidance, and meaningful enforcement, rather than rewriting the BMP standards themselves.

Another important consideration is the economic barrier associated with some BMP technologies. Many of the most effective practices—such as soil moisture monitoring, irrigation automation, tailwater recovery systems, or advanced fertigation monitoring—require capital investment that is difficult for some growers to justify strictly from a production standpoint. For this reason, state and federal cost-share programs remain an important tool to encourage broader adoption of BMP technologies. Continued support and expansion of these programs can significantly improve participation and accelerate implementation.

In summary:

• Florida agriculture already operates under an extensive framework of environmental regulations and BMP guidance.

• BMPs entail a compromise between (a) agricultural production, and (b) restoration and protection of connected water resources – relative to quality and quantity.

• Many growers actively implement BMPs which allow farmers to reduce nutrient losses, improve irrigation efficiency, and protect water resources.

• Florida statutes state that the effectiveness of BMPs “in achieving the levels of pollution reduction established” by FDACS must be verified at representative sites” by FDACS. However, despite long term and widespread implementation of agricultural BMPs, there remains little evidence of improved water resources.

• Collaborative efforts between agriculture, environmental organizations, and government agencies are essential for long-term watershed restoration and protection.

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