The Miami Chapter recently received great coverage of our Blue Water Task Force and our efforts to solve pollution problems at an important public access point into Biscayne News on CBS News Miami.
Check out this news segment and read below to learn more about our efforts to protect clean water and safe recreation throughout Miami-Dade County.
The Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is the Surfrider Foundation’s volunteer water quality monitoring program, dedicated to protecting public health at local beaches. This program tests water samples for enterococcus, a fecal bacteria that indicates the presence of human or animal waste. Elevated levels of enterococcus can signal the presence of other pathogens that might make people sick. With over 60 chapter-led labs, the BWTF measures bacteria levels at more than 500 ocean, bay, estuary, and freshwater sites across the country.
A BWTF volunteer processing water samples at the lab in Miami Beach, Florida.
The primary goal of the BWTF is to fill monitoring gaps and quickly inform the public about safe swimming areas and places where bacteria levels are elevated. Surfrider Foundation Miami monitors water quality at over 20 sites, from Sunny Isles to Bill Baggs State Park. Our BWTF team keeps an eye on popular recreational spots, including ocean and bay beaches, kayak launches, and harbors.
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A map of Miami sampling sites as featured on the Blue Water Task Force Website.
BWTF data from Surfrider Miami complements the beach monitoring program conducted by the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County. While the state collects samples each Monday, we conduct additional sampling at most of these locations on Thursdays. Results are posted every Friday, providing the public with up-to-date water quality information just in time for weekend activities. This data is also shared with local policymakers to influence public policy and improve water quality across the area.
A no contact with water sign placed at the entrance of the Kayak Launch in Parkview, Miami.
In 2023, 73% of samples taken from Parkview Kayak Launch exceeded state health standards.The Park View Island canal has been under a no-contact-with-water advisory since March 2020. Despite the high bacteria levels and no-contact advisory, people can still be found swimming and kayaking in the canal. Efforts are being made to pinpoint the sources of pollution at this site.
The 2023 BWTF water quality monitoring results for Parkview Kayak Launch. Anything at or above the red line is considered to be a high enterococcus bacteria level by the Florida Department of Health. Anything at or above the yellow is considered medium, and anything below the yellow is considered low.
The Park View Kayak Launch was featured as a priority BWTF site in Surfrider’s 2023 Clean Water Report. Each year, this report highlights 10 locations from the East Coast, West Coast, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii where Surfrider chapters consistently measure high bacteria levels. Additionally, our Miami Chapter releases its own water quality report with summary data for all their sampling sites. Parkview Kayak Launch was prominently featured in this report as well because of the ongoing pollution that is be measured there. You can check out that report here.
Parkview Kayak Launch in Miami, Florida.