Maintaining clean waterways has always been a priority for the City of Miami Beach. Currently, we accomplish this by retaining the services of a waterway cleaning contractor, Adventure Environmental, Inc. (AEI), that works three times a week removing litter from the waterways; it is removed by hand by a barge operator so as to not entrap or harm living organisms. Litter in the waterways harms wildlife that live in the ocean, creates unpleasant conditions for recreation, and is an aesthetic concern for residents and visitors. This problem is an issue for many coastal communities and with no one-size-fits-all solution.
AEI services all of the City which is surrounded by approximately 60 miles of waterways, equal to about 3,000 acres of canals, basins, and waterways. Lake Pancoast, near 2360 Collins Avenue, is one of the major hotspots to which they pay careful attention; it often loads up with debris overnight due to tidal changes and the shape of the basin. Other hotspots include every bridge within City limits as the pilings and structures trap floating debris and are areas where illegal dumping occurs. The contract in place does not include the removal of organic material such as coconuts, floating seaweed, and grass clippings. They do remove branches, trees, and palm fronds, especially when hazards to navigation.
The City’s Environment & Sustainability Department reached out to AEI to receive cost estimates about an elevated level of service for the removal of said organic material. For the area in the vicinity of Lake Pancoast, coconut and vegetation removal would add two weekly visits at $2,000.00 per visit which would increase the contract amount by $8,000.00 per month (the current contract is $13,992.00 per month). They have offered to enter into a short-term contract or purchase order (approximately 60 days) as a trial to better understand the volume and weight of trash being removed to adjust the rate accordingly. If the contract were to be implemented Citywide for the removal of vegetative debris, the rate would be $2,000.00 per day and a 5 day a week contract would be required.
Research was also conducted on Marine Trash Skimmers (MTS), which are products designed to keep waterways clean by skimming trash from the surface of waterways. The most commonly collected items by this device include styrofoam, glass bottles, cans and containers, plastic bags and wrappers, cardboard, free-floating organic material (FOM), fishing products, cigarettes, and oil (if an oil pad is included). MTS technology is not new and has been used in other cities; however, they are typically deployed in sheltered areas like marinas, with dedicated staff that can collect the skimmed trash multiple times per day.
The City reached out to representatives of “Seabin” in 2016, which is similar to MTS technology, to explore setting up a pilot project to determine how their product could help the City remove floating litter debris from the waterways. The south end of Lake Pancoast and the marine slip in South Pointe Park were identified as potential pilot locations due to the high volume of trash that collects at these locations. The City decided not to move forward with the pilot project due to the level of oversight that would be required to empty the receptacles, and based on upland ownership, it likely would have required significant public/private partnerships.
Research was conducted on stationary trash receptacles and vessels with wheel cleaner technology from the environmental and regulatory permitting perspective:
Miami- Dade County Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM)
A Class I permit would be required for the installation/deployment of trash skimmers and receptacles; however, no authorizations from the Coastal Resources Section would be required for trash removal vessels.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
FWC expressed significant concerns from an endangered species perspective. For manatees, they require openings greater than 8 inches to have grating or bars to prevent entrapments, which may reduce efficacy of the products. They also would have concerns about where they are being installed, how many are being installed, and how they are being anchored. Based on the City’s location, they have marine turtle concerns and the method of water movement within the systems. These proposed structures may require coordination with FWC’s Marine Fisheries program.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)
FDEP was not aware of current or past use of marine trash skimmers, especially within the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, and were concerned about potential waste or discharges escaping the systems and whether any type of anchoring system would be necessary. It is important to note that FWC is a commenting agency for FDEP and had significant concerns that would need to be addressed.
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
USACE would need additional details including the intended timeframes for deployment, the exact locations, collection and disposal procedures, the anchoring systems, etc., to assist with their review. The skimmers would present some permitting challenges and would very likely require input from NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and potentially NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS) as well. Further, the technology could require a detailed review regarding potential navigation hazards in addition to the environmental considerations.
Trash collected from marine trash vessels, like the type that utilize turning wheels or conveyer belts, would need to be individually examined to ensure marine creatures were not trapped when the trash was collected in bulk. Many marine organisms camouflage in floating vegetative debris, including keystone juvenile species or gamefish, so it would be crucial to ensure they were not impacted by any decision or pilot project implemented by the City.