AND WE END ANOTHER. ANOTHER MEANING WITH SHOWERS AROUND AND THE HUMIDITY BEING
A LITTLE MORE NOTICEABLE,
JENISE?
>> OKAY, BETTY.
WHEN HURRICANE IAN WAS
APPROACHING THE GULF COAST,
SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGERS
RELEASING HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF WATER
FROM OUR CANALS IN
ANTICIPATION FOR HEAVY
FLOODING FROM THE STORM.
>> BUT DUMPING ALL THAT FILTHY
WATER COULD HAVE A DEVASTATING
IMPACT ON FRAGILE BISCAYNE
BAY.
I JOINED FIU SCIENTISTS ON THE
BAY AS THEY TESTED THE WATER
QUALITY.
SAVING BISCAYNE BAY POST IAN
IS TONIGHT’S DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE.
IT IS THE WEEKEND AFTER
HURRICANE IAN RAVAGED THE
SOUTHERN GULF COAST.
WHILE SOUTH FLORIDA WAS SPARED
FROM IAN’S DEVASTATION,
SCIENTISTS WITH FIU’S
INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENT ARE
MAKING SURE WATER MANAGEMENT
DIDN’T UNLEASH A DIFFERENT
TYPE OF CATASTROPHE.
>> WE’RE PREPARING FOR
HURRICANE IAN BY LOWERING OUR
CANALS THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH
FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT
DISTRICT, WHICH ARE THE MAIN
ARTERIES AND HIGHWAYS TO CARRY
WATER AWAY FROM COMMUNITIES.
>> TO PREVENT POTENTIAL
FLOODING OF NEIGHBORHOODS,
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS
OF WATER WERE DISCHARGED FROM
2200 MILES OF CANALS RIGHT
INTO BISCAYNE BAY.
IT IS THE MOST POLLUTED WATER
IN ALL MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, SENT
FLOWING INTO A BAY ALREADY AT
A DANGEROUS TIPPING POINT.
>> WITH THEM DUMPING THE
WATERS INTO THE BAY, WE JUST
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE
WATERS AREN’T DISRUPTING THE
NICE CONDITIONS THAT ARE
CURRENTLY IN OUR BISCAYNE BAY.
>> EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, WE
SET OUT WITH THE FIU RESEARCH
TEAM TO COLLECT DATA AND HOPE
FOR THE BEST.
USING THIS WATER PROBE THAT
MEASURES P.H., CHLOROPHYLL
LEVELS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY
THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN IN THE
WATER.
>> WE CAN REALLY SEE THE
CONDITION OF THE BAY RIGHT NOW
IN REALTIME.
>> IT WAS THE CRASH OF OXYGEN
LEVELS IN PARTS OF THE
NORTHERN BAY THAT CAUSED THE
UNPRECEDENTED FISH KILL OF
2020 WHEN MORE THAN 27
THOUSAND MARINE SPECIES
SUFFOCATED TO DEATH DURING
THAT HOT WEEK IN AUGUST SPIKED
BY AN OVERLOAD OF DEADLY
NUTRIENTS CAUSED BY TOO MUCH
POLLUTION.
>> THE BAY IS VERY VULNERABLE,
IT’S VERY FRAGILE RIGHT NOW
BECAUSE OF ALL THE POLLUTION
THAT’S ALREADY IN IT.
SO ADDING ANY ADDITIONAL
STRESS ON THE BAY CAN PUSH IT
OVER THE EDGE.
>> IAN BROUGHT MORE THAN 8
INCHES OF RAIN TO MIAMI-DADE.
>> OH MY GOD.
>> TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
THAT COOLED THE BAY WATER AND
A STRONG FLORIDA CURRENT THAT
DROVE FRESH OCEAN FLOWS INTO
THE WATER SHED.
>> WITH THE HURRICANE, THE
WINDS, I FEEL LIKE THE WATER’S
SLOSHING BACK AND FORTH.
THE OXYGEN LEVELS LOOK OKAY.
>> INDEED, THE BAY CAUGHT A
BREAK.
>> THE DISSOLVED OXYGEN TODAY
IS REALLY, REALLY NICE.
>> BUT NOT ALL OF IT.
THIS DATA COLLECTED SATURDAY
SHOWS TWO RECURRING HOT SPOTS
WITH CONSISTENTLY LOWER OXYGEN
LEVELS, THE BISCAYNE CANAL AND
THE LITTLE RIVER.
SO RIGHT NOW WE’RE AT THE
MOUTH OF THE LITTLE RIVER
CANAL, THIS IS ONE OF THE
DIRTIEST BODIES OF WATER IN
ALL MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
FULL OF THOSE DEADLY NUTRIENTS
THAT CAUSED THOSE OXYGEN
LEVELS TO CRASH AT THE MOUTH
OF THE OUTFLOW.
EVERY TIME WATER MANAGEMENT
HAS TO OPEN THE FLOW INTO THE
BAY, THERE’S THE POTENTIAL FOR
DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES.
>> OXYGEN HERE IN THE LITTLE
RIVER IS 25%.
THIS TYPE OF DISSOLVED OXYGEN
IS NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR OUR
BAY.
>> THE OXYGEN ZAPPED BY TOO
MANY NUTRIENTS IN THE CANAL
CAUSED BY SEWAGE BREAKS,
FERTILIZER RUN OFFS AND DIRTY
STORM WATER.
BUT THE BIG KILLER, MORE THAN
300 PROPERTIES ALONG THE RIVER
ARE STILL ON SEPTIC TANKS.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM FAILING.
>> WE ALL HAVE TO SAY YES.
WE’RE WILLING TO HAVE OUR
ROADS TORN UP, WE’RE WILLING
TO MAKE A SACRIFICE TO GET OFF
OF OUR SEPTIC SYSTEMS AND INTO
SEWER SYSTEMS AND CLEAN UP THE
BAY.
>> UNTIL THEN, CONSTANT
MONITORING OF THE BAY IS THE
BEST DEFENSE WE HAVE.
>> IT’S GETTING HOTTER AGAIN
AND THIS COULD BE THE IF I
THINK THAT COULD, WITH THOSE
NUTRIENTS THAT WERE BROUGHT
OUT, THIS COULD SPARK
SOMETHING TO HAPPEN.
AND SO WE’RE JUST MAKING SURE
THAT WE KEEP AN EYE ON IT.
>> THIS IS ON ALL OF US.
EVERYTHING WE DO ON LAND
IMPACTS OUR WATER.
THAT TRASH YOU DUMP ON THE
STREET OR THREW OUT YOUR CAR
WINDOW.
THE FERTILIZER YOU PUT ON YOUR
LAWN DURING RAINY SEASON, THE
PET WASTE YOU DIDN’T PICKUP.
EVERY TIME IT RAINS, ALL THAT
FLOWS INTO OUR CANALS.
THOSE ARE ALL PIPELINES TO THE
BAY.
AND UNTIL WE CLEAN UP OUR
CANALS, IT WILL MAKE IT VERY
DIFFICULT TO RESTORE THE
HEALTH OF THE WATER SHED AND
BRING BACK OUR SEA GRASSES.
GETTING OUR HOMES OFF SEPTIC
IS SO IMPORTANT.
FOR MORE INFO ON MIAMI’S
CONNECT TO PROTECT PROGRAM,
SCAN THAT QR CODE THERE ON
YOUR SCREEN.
IT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO THE
LINK ON THE DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE SECTION ON
Local10.com.
I SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD,
BUT PEOPLE DON’T MAKE THAT
CONNECTION.
WHAT THEY DO ON LAND, NO
MATTER HOW FAR THEY ARE FROM
THE BAY, IMPACTS THE QUALITY
OF OUR WATER.
>> IT’S ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT
REMINDER.
WHAT WAS SO FASCINATING ABOUT
YOUR PIECE IS WE’RE LOWERING
THOSE CANALS FOR A GOOD
REASON, BUT EVERYTHING HAS AN
IMPACT.
IT’S ALL JUST A DOMINO EFFECT
AND IT CONTINUES AND
CONTINUES.
>> WE HAVE TO DO OUR PART TO
MAKE SURE WE’RE NOT DUMPING