It didn't take long to fill a bag for chowder. Many are still standing today. That was OK in the days of tents and small cottages. Today nice homes are on these lots. Many changes have occurred in the Oak Orchard and Riverdale area, but one thing that didn't change is the septic system.
Many cottages still have cess pools and, in some cases, septic tanks.
Central water serves many of the homes here, but many others still get water from wells. The land has become saturated, and with the high water table and the tide coming in every 12 hours, there is nowhere for the sewage to go but into the Indian River. There are 3,000 people receiving mail in this area. On any summer weekend, the crowd easily grows to 10,000 people. Catching clams and oysters has been stopped by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control due to pollution of the river.