Tom Carey elected chair of IRL Management Board

Posted On: May 31, 2022

Tom Carey, Volusia County’s pollution control manager, has been elected chair of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Council's Management Board. He’s been a member of the board, which acts as an advisory group to the council, since it was formed more than five years ago.

The council and board are part of the IRL National Estuary Program, which encompasses a diverse coastal watershed representing five counties, 38 incorporated cities and 1.6 million residents. The IRL system is composed of three lagoon-type estuaries – Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River Lagoon and IRL – that extend 156 miles along Florida’s central east coast.

“The Indian River Lagoon needs help,” said Carey, who has worked for Volusia County Government for 34 years. “Each of us is part of the problem, and each of us can be part of the solution. We all need to limit our use of fertilizer and pick up our pet waste. On the larger scale, we must continue to move communities from septic systems to sewer systems.”

The IRL Council is responsible for ecosystem restoration through a multitude of highly variable projects. Projects include assessments of technologies, monitoring of harmful algal blooms, microplastics characterization, muck studies, atmospheric deposition studies, habitat, filter feeder and shoreline restorations, development of planning documents for improved habitat management, shoreline suitability investigations, marine mammal health assessments, education, outreach and communications projects, climate change and resiliency projects, planning document for improved monitoring and community health, and technical support and capacity-building for communities through provision of grant writing services.

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