Indian River Bay is a body of water in Sussex County

Sussex County, Delaware

Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. It is part of Delaware's inland bay system, along with Little Assawoman Bay and Rehoboth Bay. The bay is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Indian River Inlet.
Indian River Bay is unique among inland bays in that it is a drowned river valley, whereas Delaware's other bays are estuaries built on sand bars.

Recreation

Boating, fishing, shellfishing, and crabbing are among the most common recreational uses of Indian River Bay. In addition, the bay is bordered by several protected environmental areas, including Delaware Seashore State Park

Delaware Seashore State Park

Delaware Seashore State Park is located near Dewey Beach, in Delaware, United States. It is bounded on the east by the mighty Atlantic Ocean and on the west by Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay. The park covers . It is a major attraction for millions of visitors who enjoy the large variety of...

, Holts Landing State Park

Holts Landing State Park

Holts Landing State Park is a Delaware state park northwest of Bethany Beach, Sussex County, Delaware in the United States. Prior to becoming a state park the land of Holts Landing State Park was the Holt family farm. The Holts sold the land to the state of Delaware in 1957 and Holts Landing State...

, and the Assawoman Wildlife Area.

Health

Most pollution of the Indian River Bay is due to agricultural and urban runoff. To date only two proposed solutions have been looked into. The first requires cutting an inlet through Delaware Seashore State Park

Delaware Seashore State Park

Delaware Seashore State Park is located near Dewey Beach, in Delaware, United States. It is bounded on the east by the mighty Atlantic Ocean and on the west by Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay. The park covers . It is a major attraction for millions of visitors who enjoy the large variety of...

, which would involve building a bridge, and jetty. The other is the dredging and widening the Assawoman Canal. To improve the flow of tidal water from and to the Indian River bay, and inlet.