St. Lucie River

It then passes under the Florida East Coast Railway drawbridge and the new high-level Roosevelt Bridge (U.S. Route 1) and flows east with Rio on the north side and Stuart on the south until it reaches the northern end of the Sewall's Point peninsula, where it runs south under the Evans Crary Bridge to the end of Sewall's Point, where it flows into the Indian River Lagoon directly west of the St. Lucie Inlet which goes into the Atlantic Ocean.

In 2016, 237 billion gallons of water was discharged into the St. Lucie River from Lake Okeechobee by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between January and November.

Second, it contains pollutants found in street runoff and other urban sources, which are carried south by the Kissimmee River from the southern Orlando suburbs into Lake Okeechobee.

Fourth, the freshwater brings in high levels of humid substances that limit how far below the surface light can reach, affecting plant and animal life.

[6] Finally, the discharges radically reduce salinity levels, making the river temporarily uninhabitable by fauna and flora that are intolerant to fresh water.

[8] These blooms occur as the result of nutrient pollution and degraded water quality, and their growth is further stimulated by high temperatures.

[9] The cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, causes numerous severe health consequences for the marine ecosystem as well surrounding human populations.

[12] The cyanobacteria has also been linked to liver cancer, chronic fatigue illness, skin rashes, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.