In some areas of Turkey Creek, muck has accumulated up to 10 feet, restricting boating and reducing water quality in the creek and the Indian River Lagoon. Stormwater runoff, wind and waves carry muck from lagoon tributaries into the estuary, degrading water quality and killing seagrasses. At the discharge site, a polymer is injected into the pipeline a few hundred feet from the site to allow fine sediment to settle out of the water, preventing it from re-entering the lagoon. This project, along with a similar project in Crane Creek last year, is part of an overall cleanup plan for the lagoon, which extends 156 miles from Volusia County to Palm Beach County. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary nutrients, and they originate from various sources, commonly referred to as point sources or nonpoint sources.
Many point sources dispose of their wastewater via pipe discharges to a nearby water body.
Most domestic wastewater point source discharges have been eliminated from the lagoon as the result of the Indian River Lagoon Act. Nonpoint sources include those sources of nutrients that come from a broad area. While traditional systems do little to remove nitrogen, much of the phosphorus in properly operating septic systems attaches to soil particles in the drainfield and does not reach waterways. Crops - All cropland, including citrus, hay, row crops and lands using conservation and conventional tillage, contribute nutrients. Urban runoff - Includes runoff from developed areas, including residential, industrial and commercial land uses, and roadways.