If there's one culprit that can be blamed for the decline of our coastal waters, it's dirt. Like the textbook photos we've all seen of major river deltas that have formed around the world, the same process occurs at every stormwater discharge point in our neighborhoods. Every creek, canal and ditch receives a significant load of dirt or sediment following heavy rains. The accumulation of sediments in coastal estuaries is becoming a global concern. The buildup of uncontrolled sediment not only poses environmental threats by fouling the water and smothering animals andvegetation, but creates navigation impediments and causes flooding by clogging drainage systems.
Sediments find their way to our surface waters from many sources.
Unpaved roads, construction sites, parking lots and residential areas contribute to the 123 million pounds of sediment a year which are flushed into the Indian River Lagoon system. Based on the projected future growth of the area and the associated construction, it is anticipated that by the year 2010, the amount of sediment entering the Indian River Lagoon will increase by 15 percent, to 144 million pounds a year. The effects of this tremendous sediment loading to our waterways becomes obvious after storms such as Hurricane Erin in 1995. If the transport of sediment can be halted at the source and prevented from entering waterways, maintenance of creeks and canals can be minimized and flooding reduced. Sediment control can be as simple as sweeping streets and parking lots, cleaning curb and gutter systems, paving dirt roads and planting vegetation on bare ground.