Video showing what appears to be a large leak seeping into Biscayne Bay has drawn the attention of a Miami commissioner. NBC6’s Chris Hush reports
Video showing what appears to be a large leak seeping into Biscayne Bay has drawn the attention of a Miami commissioner.
The video posted by Only in Dade Saturday showed the leak near Northeast 30th Street in Edgewater.
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In response to the video, Miami Commissioner Sabina Covo said Miami-Dade County's chief bay officer and Miami's Public Works Department were "actively addressing environmental concerns."
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A preliminary investigation by both the city and county found the problem is stemming from a seawall that's owned by the city and appears to be failing and falling into the bay.
A spokesperson for the county's Division of Environmental Resources Management said the preliminary investigation, conducted Sunday, found a linear crack in the seawall, which could have caused lime rock and sand to flow into the bay and causing the plume seen in the video.
The city will have to fix the seawall and the county is responsible for cleaning up the bay. Crews were expected to be out again looking at mitigation efforts.
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"What is happening is that the bay right there is falling forward," Covo said. "Unfortunately right now it's falling apart."
Some residents were skeptical about nearby construction projects that could be contributing factors. Miami-Dade Police confirmed Monday that its Illegal Dumping Unit is also looking into the case.
"It could be a combination of sources," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference at PortMiami. "People do dump. They dump on the land, illegal dumping, they dump in the water, and they seem not to be mindful for the impact this will have."
A new impact study revealed Monday Biscayne Bay’s $64 billion economic output. Levine Cava stressed that potential bad actors need to be held accountable.
“We have to make sure construction sites have proper barriers to not allow silt and garbage to go into the water," she said.
The county wants people to call its hotline at 305-372-6955 to report any environmental concerns.
