City of Fort Pierce Receives Grant for Moore’s Creek Distinctive Communities Project
In response to the needed measures to help salvage the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), the City of Fort Pierce’s Distinctive Community Project has received a $106,500.00 matching grant award from the Indian River Lagoon Council. The City’s initiative is fostered to protect the Lagoon from the laden amount of trash that enters through the Moore’s Creek watershed.
City of Fort Pierce Receives Grant for Moore’s Creek Distinctive Communities Project
“The steady influx of trash that originates from the west and floats through Moore’s Creek, eventually emptying into our precious Indian River Lagoon, is what this project is striving to remove,”
stated City Engineer, Jack Andrews.
The Distinctive Communities Project, with its primary objective to keep area waters clean and healthy, benefits both the Indian River Lagoon and surrounding waterways since all waters are connected.
Grant funding will allow the City to purchase waterway trash traps, which will block the trash from floating further into the waterways, thereby preventing it from ever reaching the Indian River and further destroying its ecosystem.
The trash will be intercepted at the 17th Street and 29th Street sections of the Moore’s Creek, where a netting device, attached to the box culverts, will allow floating trash to enter and remain trapped until removed. These nets can fill with trash as small as 5mm and will still allow water to flow at its natural velocity. The result will be cleaned, pristine waters enhancing the beauty of the community and protecting the health of the Indian River Lagoon.
About IRLNEP
The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP) is hosted by the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Council, which was established in February 2015 as an independent special district of Florida. The IRL Council includes representatives of five counties bordering the Lagoon (Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties), the St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management Districts, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The U.S. EPA provides guidance to the Council.
For more information, visit onelagoon.org
