Marine Resources Council
2025 MRC Indian River Lagoon Report

Projects

Big problems take big solutions and a lot of collaboration. Numerous nonprofit organizations and government agencies are working on restoration and research projects up and down the Indian River Lagoon. We invited organizations from around the region to report on their 2025 Lagoon projects. Hover over map ‘hotspots’ (blue dots) to learn more about each project and the organization behind it.

You can also find comprehensive IRL project maps on Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) and One Lagoon websites.

The Project Highlights map is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

Project Details

Asssting Priority Area Homeowners Connect to Sewer in Vero Beach

IRL Basin: CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, City of Vero Beach, Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County

Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring Stations

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, WSP USA Environment & Infrastructure Inc., St. Johns River Water Management District, Indian River County Environmental Health Department, FAU-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

Beemats

IRL Basin: CIRL
Organizations: Ferguson Waterworks, Beemats, Marine Resources Council

Bird Island Melbourne Restoration

IRL Basin: CIRL
Organizations: FWC, Brevard Zoo, Marine Resources Council

Buffered and Living Shoreline Demonstration Project: Engaging the Public in Habitat Restoration

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, ORCA, City of Sebastian

Building Lagoon‐Wide Capacity for Seagrass Recovery Through Infrastructure Investments

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Sea and Shoreline, LLC; Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch; Florida Oceanographic Society; Brevard Zoo; Marine Discovery Center

City of Cape Canaveral Water Reclamation Facility Shoreline Stabilization

IRL Basin: CIRL
Organizations: City of Cape Canaveral, Ferguson Waterworks, Marine Resources Council, Reef Arches

Developing a Citizen Science/Outreach Program for Homeowners’ Associations to Improve Stormwater Pond Management and Reduce Stormwater Pollution Entering the IRL

IRL Basin: CIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department, Pond Watch

Development of a Rapid Diagnostic Assay for Detecting Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Populations of the Harmful Algal Bloom Species Pyrodinium bahamense in the Indian River Lagoon

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA)

Eyes on Seagrass

IRL Basin: Eyes on Seagrass
Organizations: Florida Sea Grant, FDEP IRL Aquatic Preserves, Florida Oceanographic Society, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Martin County, St. Lucie County

Halifax Shoreline Restoration

IRL Basin: ML
Organizations: Marine Resources Council

Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Monitoring

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University – Harbor Branch

Indian River Lagoon Biodiversity Inventory

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Great American Outdoors Act Shoreline Stabilization Project

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Interior, Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), MANG Foundation, The Nature Conservancy (Blowing Rocks Preserve), Loxahatchee River Historical Society

Jupiter Island Invasive Removal and Restoration

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: Town of Jupiter Island, Marine Resources Council

Jupiter Shoreline Restoration

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: Marine Resources Council

Leveraging Mosquito Impoundments for Water Quality Improvements and Nutrient Removal

IRL Basin: BRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Lagoon Solutions LLC, Sea Redwine Preservation, University of Florida – IFAS Extension, Brevard County

Marine Resources Council LagoonWatch

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: Marine Resources Council

Max Brewer Causeway/ Parrish Park Shoreline Restoration

IRL Basin: NIRL
Organizations: Reef Arches, Brevard County, Sea and Shoreline, FDEP, FIND, SJRWMD, Brevard Tourism Development Council, FWC

Monitoring Mature Oyster Restoration Projects in the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie Estuary for Practitioner Application

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Florida Oceanographic Society, University of Florida, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves

NOAA Phytoplankton Monitoring Network

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: NOAA

NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration Grant, Year 1

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Bethune-Cookman University, Brevard Zoo, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Florida Oceanographic Society, Indian River County, Indian River Land Trust, Indian River State College, Riverside Conservancy, SJRWMD, Se and Shoreline LLC, St. Lucie County, University of Central Florida

One-Mile of Living Shoreline Enhancement in Volusia County

IRL Basin: ML
Organizations: IRLNEP, Riverside Conservancy, Bethune-Cookman University

Reconstruction of A-14 Water Control Structure in Port St. Lucie, FL

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, City of Port St. Lucie, FDEP

Reducing Debris in the IRL: Revitalization of the Monofilament Recycling Program Across Indian River County

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Coastal Connections, Inc., Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and
Surfing’s Evolution and Preservation Foundation

Restore Our Shores: Community-Based Buffer Zone Installation in the Indian River Lagoon

IRL Basin: CIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, East Coast Zoological Society of Florida Inc d/b/a Brevard Zoo, Florida Tech

Septic to Sewer Conversions to Reduce Nitrogen Pollution in Known Hot Spots in the City of Port St. Lucie

IRL Basin: SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, City of Port St. Lucie, Florida Atlantic University – Harbor Branch

Suffocating Sand: Mapping Hypoxia and its Impacts on Benthic Nutrient Fluxes in the IRL, Phase III

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Florida Institute of Technology, Brevard County Department of Natural Resources, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, SJRWMD, Brevard Zoo, cities of Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, and Cape Canaveral.

Understanding Changes in Sediment Chemistry to Improve Seagrass Restoration Success: Developing Sediment-Based Habitat Suitability Criteria for Restoration

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, Florida Institute of Technology, Brevard Zoo

Water Quality Evaluation and Technical Support for the Indian River Lagoon

IRL Basin: ML, BRL, NIRL, CIRL, SIRL
Organizations: IRLNEP, University of South Florida, FDEP

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Marine Resources Council

Marine Resources Council (MRC) coordinates Lagoon-wide efforts to Save the Indian River Lagoon, but we need your support to succeed. It will take a community to save the Lagoon, working at all levels.

MRC is holding government workshops, coordinating diverse stakeholder groups, showcasing community leaders, and working with businesses and individuals to encourage actions that will help save the Indian River Lagoon.

This website is managed by the Marine Resources Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to protecting and restoring the Indian River Lagoon since 1983.

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