Swimming in bays and inland waters, particularly after heavy rainfall, can have an elevated risk of illness due to high levels of contamination. Water quality may be better on the coast, and visitors to bay area beaches are urged to exercise caution.
Can you swim in the Indian River Bay?
Swimming is popular on the south side of the inlet, where lifeguards patrol from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day. When the surf is really rolling in, Indian River Inlet becomes a magnet for local surfers.
Is it safe to swim in Indian River?
The water is generally safe for swimming, officials assure. … Bacteria can spike after heavy rains, with no water tests to warn the public, as on the county’s ocean beaches.
Is Indian River Bay clean?
The Inland Bays suffer from nutrient pollution, coming from failing septic systems, fertilizers and other sources. Water is slow to flush out of these bays, Indian River Bay, Rehoboth Bay and Little Assawoman Bay, so pollutants linger.”
Does Indian River have alligators?
The Indian River is not actually a river at all.
You get a mix of salt and fresh-water birds and wildlife in the lagoon. Dolphins, pelicans and manta rays stay in the saltier water, and manatees, alligators and otters stay mostly in the fresh water.
How deep is the Indian River Bay?
A light marks the breakwater near its northern end. The harbor has depths of 17 to 70 feet between the breakwater and a shoal ridge, 8 to 12 feet deep, 1 mile to the southwestward.
Is it safe to swim in the Delaware Bay?
For this reason more than any other, the Delaware bay beaches are not really swimming beaches. The exception is Lewes beach, because of its proximity to the ocean… the bay floor is sandy and swimming is wonderful, especially if you have small children.
Is there sharks in the Indian River?
Bull sharks are routinely born in the Indian River Lagoon in the spring and summer. The waters in the lagoon stay warmer which helps them grow. Bull sharks are resilient and can tolerate various salinity levels more so than other sharks. They use the lagoon until they are about nine years old.
What’s wrong with the Indian River Lagoon?
As more people have made the Space Coast their home and increased development and pressure on the lagoon, marine life has been decimated by a deadly chain reaction started from fertilizer run-off and waste water. … Now, the lagoon is afflicted with massive die-offs fish, sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.
Why does the Indian River stink?
The smell comes not from pollution but from rotting seagrass that has washed up on the banks. “Seagrass is the lifeblood of the river system. It provides oxygen for the fish, crabs and other creatures. It provides food for many of them as well as breeding grounds for many game fish.
Is Indian River Inlet OPEN?
Delaware Seashore State Park and the Indian River Inlet are open.
Is Indian River Bay saltwater?
Located along the Delaware coastline, Indian River Inlet is one of the Mid Atlantic regions’ most centrally located fishing areas. The jetties and beaches at Indian River Inlet are accessible from Delaware Seashore State Park. …
Is Rehoboth Bay polluted?
These nutrients are harmless to humans, but the slowly flushed Inland Bays are extremely sensitive to even small amounts of nutrient pollution. …
Can you swim in Indian River Lagoon?
Bacteria warning: Don’t go swimming in Indian River Lagoon at Jaycee Park in Fort Pierce. … Enteric bacteria inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals. Potential health risks for people who ingest or come in contact with the water include upset stomach, diarrhea, eye irritation and skin rashes.
Are there sharks and alligators in the Indian River?
“It’s not everyday you see a bull shark and a gator swimming together in the Indian River,” Vinson wrote on Facebook. Vinson said bull sharks are known to use the Indian River Lagoon as nursery rounds, but the alligator was a surprising sight, especially so close to its fellow predator.
What lives in the Indian River?
These sea grass communities provide spawning, nursery, and foraging habitat for many aquatic species, including spotted sea trout, redfish (red drum), snook, tarpon, mullet, sheepshead, pompano, seahorses, blue crabs, hermit crabs, pink shrimp, scallops, clams, marine worms, marine snails, and other crustaceans.