SUNTREE, Fla. — After being hit hard over the decades by pollution from development killing wildlife and sea grass, a milestone has been reached in the restoration of the Indian River Lagoon.

County officials say 100 projects have been completed to help the struggling waterway, all done by the Brevard Natural Resources Department through the Save Our Indian River Lagoon program.

The 2024 Indian River Lagoon report indicated the body of water was in poor health, but did suggest efforts were on the right track for the long term.

Residents say the projects are inspiring them to chip in and do their part.

Meg Murphy serves on the homeowners association for her Country Walk community in Suntree.

The neighborhood was built in the 1980s, and over the years saw a decline in upkeep. But she says that has changed for the better.

“People are really proud of the work we’ve done here and we think it’s really beautiful,” Murphy said, referring to the stormwater pond in the middle of the neighborhood.

It too went downhill, to the point of being a polluted mess, but neighbors got together three years ago to change the landscape and a buffer zone was created around the pond.

“We planted over a thousand native aquatic plants to help protect the edge of the pond from erosion, which we were suffering from pretty badly," Murphy said. 

Their project mirrored much of what Brevard County has been doing since a half-cent sales tax was passed by voters in 2016 as part of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon initiative.

Projects like muck removal, sea grass planting, oyster mats and more have been completed in the last nine years.

The milestone 100th project involved a new system at the Rockledge water treatment plant that is designed to reduce 50-85% of ammonia and nitrogen levels in the reuse water that would end up in the lagoon.

Murphy’s community was one of three to win the Lagoon Loyalty Neighborhood competition back in August.

They were awarded a constructed wetland designed to remove even more nutrients from their pond before it gets into the lagoon.

“We set the goal to be a model for other communities," Murphy said. "I don’t know if we are there yet, but we are working hard."

A Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department spokesperson said there are several other projects that are nearly complete heading into 2025.