The first step necessary to clean up the Eau Gallie River, an Indian River Lagoon tributary, began last week as crews started constructing a facility to store the muck that will be dredged later this year from the river’s bottom.
“It is exciting to know that work has begun on the dredged material management area, ” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director, Dr. Ann Shortelle . “ As soon as the containment area is complete, muck dredging in the Eau Gallie River and Elbow Creek can begin.”
The district and its partners are collaborating to improve the health of the river, a tributary of the Indian River Lagoon, by removing between 625,000 and 750,000 cubic yards of muck from the main stem of the river as well as the southern branch of the river known as Elbow Creek.
Muck clouds the water and contains nutrients that contribute to algal blooms. Dredging muck can improve water quality.
Dredging is scheduled to begin in winter 2016 and will be completed by early 2018.
Project partners are the city of Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida Inland Navigation District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
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