Study Finds Bottom-Dwelling Organisms May Help Restore Indian River Lagoon Water Quality
New peer-reviewed research highlights a natural, biology-based approach to fighting the nutrients and algae degrading the lagoon shared by Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties
Benthic organisms — the clams, worms, sponges, and other creatures living on and in the sediment floor of the Indian River Lagoon — may play a measurable role in filtering pollutants and improving water quality that Treasure Coast communities depend on, according to a peer-reviewed study published in 2023.
The research, conducted along the lagoon stretching across Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties, found that bottom-dwelling species can process excess nutrients and suspended matter that fuel the toxic algae blooms responsible for repeated fish kills and beach closures in recent years, according to Despeignes A. et al., Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2023. The study adds scientific weight to restoration strategies that center on biological — rather than purely chemical or mechanical — interventions in the 156-mile estuary.
No direct quotes from the lead author were available at publication time. Reporters are encouraged to contact Despeignes A. for comment on the study's implications for local restoration programs.
The Indian River Lagoon has been under sustained ecological stress. Superbloom events of harmful algae were recorded in 2011, 2016, and subsequent years, straining fishing, tourism, and the drinking-water supply for hundreds of thousands of residents from Brevard County south through Martin County. St. Lucie County and Indian River County health officials have periodically issued advisories warning residents to avoid contact with bloom-affected water.
Restoration efforts coordinated through the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program and local governments have focused largely on reducing nutrient runoff from fertilizers and septic systems. The Despeignes study suggests that actively protecting or reintroducing benthic communities could complement those upstream pollution controls.
The full study is available through the journal Water Air and Soil Pollution via DOI 10.1007/s11270-023-06528-w. County environmental officials in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties had not publicly commented on the findings at publication time.
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