06/08/2026
Located adjacent to Port Canaveral and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and within the North Indian River Lagoon, the Banana River is home to manatees, numerous wading and shore birds, bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and seagrass. These estuarine systems are some of the most diverse and fragile ecosystems in Florida. Years of nutrient loading associated with development, specifically septic systems, have taken a toll on water quality. The results are loss of seagrass, the foundation of the estuarine food web.
Ardurra is proud to partner with the Florida DOT, Brevard County, and Port Canaveral as part of the Environmental Look Around and Watershed Approach to Evaluate Regional Stormwater Solutions (WATERS) in developing an innovative stormwater management approach in support of the SR 528 widening, which spans the Banana River, that utilizes septic-to-sewer conversions in lieu of traditional stormwater treatment methods (ponds). This approach, approved by state and federal agencies, will result in over 2,700 lbs/yr of nitrogen reduction in the Banana River, which is over 240 times more effective than traditional methods, in addition to the reduction of 13 acres of critical estuarine habitat that would have been impacted to accommodate 4 new stormwater management ponds.
In addition to the required regulatory approvals, the project has been endorsed by the FL Department of Environmental Protection, the Space Coast TPO, and One Lagoon, part of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.
Pipes and permits are just the beginning. The real goal is a healthier coast for the communities and wildlife that depend on it.
Happy World Ocean Day.
