SPOONBILL MARSH

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY FL

Indian River County, Florida produces some of its drinking water through reverse osmosis. The brine water is mixed with raw water from the Indian River and introduced to a constructed tidal wetland for treatment and polishing.  The Spoonbill Marsh system consists of saline wetlands, shallow ponds and creeks with 39 floating treatment wetlands covering over 20,000 square feet. The treated water then sheet flows through mangrove wetlands to the Indian River estuary.  The Beemats have grown in with a combination of planted and volunteer halophyte species, filtering the water as it passes through shallow runnels connecting the ponds and wetlands.  Monthly monitoring has shown consistent nitrogen and phosphorus removal over the past three years.