Eau Gallie River muck dredging temporarily pauses for manatee season

Nearly 80,000 cubic yards of muck have already been removed from the Eau Gallie River.

PALM BAY, Fla., March 6, 2017 — Nothing can stop the St. Johns River Water Management District from cleaning up the Eau Gallie River — except for possibly frolicking manatees.

“Our time schedule for muck removal factored in manatee protection,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “We are pausing operations for the next two months when manatees are most active to ensure our project doesn’t impact them in any way.”

Since dredging began in early February, nearly 80,000 cubic yards of muck have already been removed from the Eau Gallie River and pumped to a storage facility on property owned by Brevard County. When work is completed in late 2018, more than 630,000 cubic yards of the gooey black muck will have been dredged from the river.

Dredging is expected to begin again May 1. For more information on the ongoing dredging efforts check out https://www.sjrwmd.com/EGRET/