Massive Stormwater Canal Project to Keep Dangerous Chemicals From Lagoon

With more than just a little help from friends at the St. Johns River Water Management District, plus 2.1 miles of pipeline, the historic M-1 Canal will be going with the flow to help the Indian River Lagoon.

The 100-year-old canal, a man-made flood control feature in Brevard County, currently diverts the stormwater flow of 5,300 acres of drainage area in Melbourne, West Melbourne, Melbourne Village and portions of unincorporated Brevard County east to the Indian River Lagoon via Crane Creek.

“Before the M-1 Canal was built, much of that water would have naturally flowed to the St. Johns River system,” said Brandon Smith, environmental specialist with the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program of Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department.  

The nitrogen and phosphorus found in the runoff have proven significantly detrimental to the Lagoon, for it degrades water quality and provides fuel for destructive algae blooms. However, things will change when the Crane Creek/M-1 Canal Project is completed early next year, for it will substantially reduce nutrient load to the Lagoon by restoring the baseflow of the canal westward for treatment before discharge into the St. Johns River Basin.

“This rediverted water will be pumped through a stormwater treatment area before being sent to the St. Johns River, which also has marsh areas that can provide additional filtration,” Smith added. “This is one of the largest stormwater projects ever constructed in Brevard County.”

For the Lagoon, it means an estimated reduction of 24,000 pounds of nitrogen and 3,100 pounds of phosphorus.

“It’s a very important project for the district,” said supervision professional engineer/project manager Marc Van Heden. 

The project is being funded by $14.7 million from the St. Johns River Water Management District, $4.5 million from federal sources via the Department of Environmental Protection’s alternative water supply funding, $2.45 million allocated from Brevard County through its Save Our Indian River Lagoon program and $2.03 million from DEP. On the drawing board since 2017, the project began the construction phase last year. 

“Through the collaborative efforts with our many partners, projects like Crane Creek become tangible demonstrations of our shared commitment to restoring the Indian River Lagoon,” emphasized St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Mike Register.

Reversing some of the flow in the M-1 Canal west to the St. Johns River not only will help the Indian River, but also will benefit the St. Johns River by restoring the natural baseflow from the watershed that was diverted to the Indian River when the canal was created. The 7 million gallons of freshwater flow per day can be used as an alternative water supply downstream. 

Project components include an operable weir (low damn) east of Evans Road, two pump stations, two pipeline force mains and a stormwater treatment area west of Interstate 95. The weir, which allows runoff capture for the east pump station, is engineered to not disturb the flood control capability of the M-1 Canal in case of storms. 

Water from the canal will be pumped under Interstate 95 and Heritage Parkway to a stormwater treatment area, or STA. The STA will treat the water before it is pumped into a pipeline constructed along the Heritage Parkway and the U.S. Highway 192 corridor. The pipeline will discharge the water into St. Johns River Water Management District-owned marshland adjacent to the St. Johns River, and ultimately into the St. Johns River.

“The canal and weir allow stormwater to flow unimpeded during major storm events,” said Ashley Evitt, media outreach manager with the Water Management District.

Learn More

For further information on the District’s initiatives to protect and restore the Indian River Lagoon, visit sjrwmd.com/waterways/indian-river-lagoon. You also can find a list of projects implemented along the lagoon at sjrwmd.com/static/waterways/IRL-projects-fact-sheet.pdf.