ALSO SAYS HE’S STILL OWED MORE THAN $3700 IN MEDICAL BILLS, WHICH THE WOLF DOG’S OWN
INITIALLY AGREED PAY.
>>> MORE THAN FOUR DECADES AGO
AN ESTIMATED 1 MILLION TIRES
WERE DUMPED INTO THE OCEAN HERE
IN SOUTH FLORIDA TO CREATE AN
ARTIFICIAL REEF.
>> BUT THE PROJECT WAS AN
ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER THE
CLEAN-UP IS STILL GOING ON.
WHY IS IT TAKE SO LONG AND WHAT
PROGRESS IS BEING MADE?
OUR JANINE STANWOOD TAKES US 70
FEET UNDER.
>>> YOU’D NEVER KNOW IT FROM THE
BUSTLING COASTLINE OF
FORT LAUDERDALE, BUT 70 FEET
BENEATH THE OCEAN’S SURFACE, ARE
THE REMAINS OF A BAD IDEA FROM
DECADES AGO.
TIRES, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
THEM INTENDED TO FORM AN
ARTIFICIAL REEF, INSTEAD LEAVING
BEHIND A WATERY WASTE LAND.
>> WE GO OFFSHORE WITH
INDUSTRIAL DIVERS CORPORATION OF
FORT LAUDERDALE.
CHARGED WITH THE DANGEROUS AND
DIRTY JOB, OF PLUCKING THOSE
TIRES FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR
SHOWING US WHY THEY SAY THIS
WORK IS TAKING SO LONG.
>> THIS IS THE FIRST THAT I KNOW
OF, FIRST FULL-TIME, MULTIYEAR
EFFORT TO CLEAN IT UP.
>> HOW TOUGH?
>> IT’S IT’S NOT EASY.
>> THE TEAM GOES DOWN TO GIVE US
A CLOSER LOOK AT THEIR TWO-STEP
PROCESS.
CREWS RIG THE TIRE UNDERWATER
AND SLOWLY HOIST THEM UP, AND ON
TO THE BARGE.
>> WHAT TOOK YEARS TO DO HAS
TAKEN DECADES TO UNDO.
ON A GOOD WEEK, 5,000 TIRES
COULD BE RECOVERED.
>> Reporter: WHEN BUNDLES OF
TIRES WERE FIRST DUMPED ABOUT A
MILE OFFSHORE IN THE 1970s, IT
WAS SUPPSED TO BE A SMART WAY
TO DISPOSE OF USED TIRES AND
CREATE A REEF TO ATTRACT FISH.
>> BUT THEN WHEN THE CLIPS WHERE
YOU HAVED THROUGH AND THE STRAPS
CAME LOOSE, ALL OF THE TIRES
JUST FELL APART.
>> THIS IS WHY THE TIRES ROPED
OFF.
>> THIS IS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL
STRESSES FROM 40 YEARS AGO.
>> OH, YEAH.
>> Reporter: LOOSE TIRES DAMAGED
CORAL AND IT’S ESTIMATED ONLY
10% OF THE TIRES EVER BECAME A
MARINE HABITAT.
FLORIDA VISUALS REALIZING THIS
WAS A COLOSSAL FAILURE ENLISTED
THE HELP OF THE MILITARY IN
2007.
>> REMOVED ABOUT 72 THOUSAND
TIRES BUT THEN GOT TO THE POINT
WHERE THERE WAS SO MANY
OPERATIONS AROUND THE WORLD THAT
THEY COULDN’T COME BACK.
>> Reporter: INDUSTRIAL DIVERS
GOT A STATE CONTRACT IN 2015 AND
THIS IS WHAT THE OCEAN FLOOR
LOOKED LIKE THEN.
THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW
THEY SAY THEY’VE REMOVED MORE
THAN A QUARTER OF A MILLION
TIRES.
ONCE WE SEE TIRES PULLED FROM
THE WATER, THE WHOLE BARGE MOVES
TO PORT EVERGLADES.
>> THIS IS WHAT ABOUT 60 TIRES
LOOKS LIKE IN A BUNDLE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT’S BEING
SLOWLY MOVED UP AND THEN IT’S
GONNA BE PUT INTO THAT TRAILER
AND HAULED OFF TO ORLANDO.
>> Reporter: ORLANDO, WHERE THE
TIRES WILL BE GROUND UP AT THIS
FACILITY AND RECYCLED.
THE PROJECT ISN’T CHEAP.
SINCE 2016 STATE LAWMAKERS HAVE
APPROVED $6.3 MILLION IN FUNDING
FOR IT.
THE WORK MIGHT ALSO DAMAGE EVEN
MORE CORAL, BUT THE COUNTY’S
MARINE BIOLOGIST SAYS THAT’S
INEVITABLE.
>> THE TIRE FEEL OUT THERE IS A
CANCER IN THE REEF, AND SO THIS
CANCER NEEDS TO BE REMOVED.
SO IF YOU HAVE A TUMOR, YOU’RE
GONNA GO TO THE DOCTOR AND THE
DOCTOR IS GOING TO CUT CUT YOU
OPEN, REMOVE DAMAGED TISSUE.
>> AND THERE’S STILL WORK TO DO,
WE’RE TOLD ABOUT 2/3 OF THE
TIRES REMAIN.
>> IT’S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE
CAN DO FOR SURE.
IT’S NOT MISSED ITLY HARD BUT
TAKES A LOT OF ASSISTANCE.
>> Reporter: IN FORT LAUDERDALE,
JANINE STANWOOD, LOCAL 10 NEWS.
>> COMPANIES HAVE PUSHED FOR A
METHOD THAT SCOOPS UP A LOT MORE
TIRES AT ONE TIME TO GET IT DONE
FASTER BUT THERE ARE CONCERNS
ABOUT HOW ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
THAT WORK IS AND AS OF NOW,