They look cool, but have you ever wondered what sales of those Indian River Lagoon license plates actually fund?

Most recently, a $50,000 grant from the license plate program is paying for environmental upgrades to canal systems adjacent to citrus lands. Growers manage water levels in irrigation and drainage canals by periodically opening devices known as screw gates; trouble is, the gates release water through the bottom, dumping sediment and fertilizer runoff downstream--stuff that isn’t good for the Indian River Lagoon.

Under a cost-share program, growers can pay 25 percent of the cost to replace the screw gates with riser boards, which keep sediments from being flushed out with the water. License tag revenue covers the balance.

Since 2002, more than $100,000 in cost-share funding from license plate sales has allowed Indian River County growers to install 19 risers, plus a recirculating irrigation pond. Indian River Lagoon license plate sales have generated $3.5 million for lagoon improvements in the last 10 years.

FS