Indian River (Florida)
Encyclopedia
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, a part of the Indian River Lagoon
Indian River Lagoon
The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. It was originally named Rio de Ais after the Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida....
system which forms the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends southward from the Ponce de Leon inlet in New Smyrna Beach, Florida [Volusia County] southward and across the "Haulover Canal" and along the western shore of Merritt Island. The Banana River
Banana River
The Banana River is a lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, and connects at its south end to the Indian River; it is the only part of the lagoon system not in the Intracoastal...
flows into the Indian River on the island's south side. The Indian River continues southward to St. Lucie Inlet
St. Lucie Inlet, Florida
The St. Lucie Inlet, Florida is located between Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island in Martin County, Florida, at coordinates . The St. Lucie Inlet is one of six inlets into the Indian River Lagoon....
.
It was originally named Rio de Ais after the Ais
Ais (tribe)
The Ais, or Ays were a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Atlantic Coast of Florida. They ranged from present day Cape Canaveral to the St. Lucie Inlet, in the present day counties of Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and northernmost Martin...
Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
It is broad, shallow, and 121 mi (194.7 km) long. It is an estuarine
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
system where freshwater meets salt water within the same body of water.
The St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal
St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal
The St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal was a planned canal in the state of Florida, in length and linking the Intracoastal Waterway and the Indian River south of Oak Hill with the St. Johns River, originally intended to be just south of Lake Harney, but later shifted to be near Lake Monroe, with...
was proposed in the 1960s to provide a water link to the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
, but was cancelled in the early 1970s.
At certain seasons of the year, bridges have tended to impede the flow of red drift algae
Gracilaria
Gracilaria is a genus of red algae notable for its economic importance as an agarophyte, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish...
, resulting in a odor of hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
in the area.
Tributaries
- Merritt Island Barge Canal, man-made
- C-54 Canal, man-made
- Crane CreekCrane Creek (Melbourne, Florida)Crane Creek is a stream in Melbourne, Florida, United States. It is a tributary of the Indian River, with its mouth in the vicinity of Front Street.-History:...
- Eau Gallie RiverEau Gallie RiverEau Gallie River is a river in Eau Gallie, Florida, United States. It is a tributary of the Indian River, with its mouth near Hawthorne Point.-History:...
- Horse Creek
- Mullet Creek
- St. Sebastian River
- St. Lucie RiverSt. Lucie RiverThe St. Lucie River is a estuary in St. Lucie and Martin counties in the U.S. state of Florida. Its North Fork flows south from St Lucie County into Martin County where it joins the north-flowing South Fork, which was once called the Halpatiokee River, just south of the old Roosevelt Bridge in...
- Sykes Creek
- Turkey CreekTurkey Creek (Brevard County, Florida)Turkey Creek is a stream in Malabar and Palm Bay, Florida, United States. It is a tributary of the Indian River, with its mouth in the bay of Palm Bay near Palm Bay Pointe....