1. Learn How To Tackle Pollution Caused By Sea-Level Rise

In 2020, ABC News reported that the death of an unprecedented number of fish during the summer bought a greater push to address issues caused by sea level rise and pollution. Miami-Dade County uses a septic system to filter its water; typically, waste from the house enters the tank, the solid waste settles to the bottom, and the water goes to the drain field to be clarified. However, when sea-levels rise, it interferes with that process and causes the septic tank to fail. The drain field mixes with the groundwater, meaning that toilet-waste can mix into the groundwater. According to Miami Waterkeeper, the city needs to alter its sewage infrastructure to preserve the bay and prevent the death of more local fish. 

2. Improve Upkeep And More Frequent Replacement Of Sewer Pipes

In October of 2019, cracks in a sewage pipe led to the spillage of 800 gallons of raw sewage into Biscayne Bay. According to Miami Beach officials, the city’s public-works department found other cracks which “could fail at any moment” when making temporary repairs to the pipe. They noted that this could lead to many more wastewater problems in the near future. This Biscayne Bay leak occurred several months after a spillage of approximately 1.5 million gallons of waste into Oleta River State Park caused by ruptured pipes, and within weeks of a 35,000-gallon spillage on Virginia Key due to equipment failure in a treatment plant. These disasters are mainly a result of the poor maintenance of South Florida’s sewage and treatment infrastructure that often goes years without being checked, fixed, or replaced.

In September of 2019, local lawmakers considered decreasing the budget for the Water and Sewer Department (WASD) that holds the responsibility for the upkeep and replacement of sewer pipes, despite the fact that it is already underfunded. However, if Miami wants to improve the quality of its water, the city needs to increase the budget for WASD so the department has more resources to devote to the maintenance of deteriorating sewer pipes.

3. Better Maintenance Of Water Canals

In 2019, Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in South Miami-Dade leaked saltwater into the Biscayne Aquifer, a main source of drinking water for South Florida. Turkey Point uses a unique cooling method, funneling used water through a 5,900-acre series of canals built in 1972 that stretch along Biscayne Bay as opposed to using standard towers. However, those canals have since sprung huge leaks due to a lack of proper maintenance. Furthermore, they have created a large saltwater plume that threatens Miami’s main source of drinking water. In order to fix this issue, FPL needs to devote more effort to the maintenance of the equipment used for their nuclear-waste water cooling method.

City leaders in Miami are currently tightening enforcement on pollution with new legislation that punishes construction companies that dump debris and wastewater into storm drains more severely by allowing the city to impose stop-work orders on code offenders. Another recent measure Miami took to address this issue was passing an ordinance that set restrictions on what kinds of fertilizers could be applied on public and private properties, as well as when and where fertilizers can be used. The goal here is to decrease the risk that algae-fueling nutrients will be washed into storm drains and make their way into Biscayne Bay during heavy rain. Additionally, the summer fish kill has sparked interest among city residents to participate in efforts to monitor and report pollution in the bay, which has been made possible through a Waterkeeper program called 1,000 Eyes on the Water. This program trains citizens to identify possible signs and sources of pollution, and to contact the appropriate channels to report incidents.