The Indian River is a long
brackish lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons' ...
in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
.
It is part of the
Indian River Lagoon system, which in turn forms part of the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It was originally named ''Rio de Ais'' after the
Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
, but was later given its current name.
The Indian River extends southward from the Ponce de Leon inlet in
New Smyrna Beach in
Volusia County southward and across the
Haulover Canal and along the western shore of
Merritt Island. The
Banana River flows into the Indian River on the island's south side. The Indian River continues southward to
St. Lucie Inlet
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.
South of the inlet is the St. Lucie Inlet ...
. At certain seasons of the year, bridges have tended to impede the flow of
gracilaria (a red algae), resulting in an odor of
hydrogen sulfide in the area.
Tributaries and estuaries
Tributaries of the Indian River include the
Merritt Island Barge Canal
The Canaveral Barge Canal is an active canal in Brevard County, Florida, cutting east-west across northern Merritt Island just south of Cape Canaveral. It connects the Atlantic Ocean and Port Canaveral with the Indian River and wider Indian River ...
(man-made), the C-54 Canal (man-made),
Crane Creek, the
Eau Gallie River,
Horse Creek, Mullet Creek,
St. Sebastian River
The Saint Sebastian River is a river in the U.S. state of Florida, a tributary of the Indian River west and north of the city of Sebastian.
Dredging
Dredging
Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible re ...
,
St. Lucie River,
Sykes Creek Sykes may refer to:
People
* Sir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet, businessman and British politician
* Annette Sykes, New Zealand human rights lawyer and Māori activist
* Bob Sykes (American football), American football player
* Bob Sykes (baseball), Ame ...
, and
Turkey Creek. An estuary of Indian River is
Palm Bay. The
was proposed in the 1960s to provide a water link to the
St. Johns River, but was cancelled in the early 1970s.
References
External links
An early 20th Century description of the Indian River
{{Authority control
Lagoons of Florida
Rivers of Brevard County, Florida
Bodies of water of Indian River County, Florida
Rivers of Volusia County, Florida