Miami-Dade County launches pilot project to improve quality of stormwater discharged into canals and Biscayne Bay

The Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) of Miami-Dade County's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) is implementing three pilot infrastructure projects in the Little River Basin, with the goal of reducing the impacts of pollution carried by stormwater from our streets into Biscayne Bay. This project aims to filter and reduce the levels of harmful nutrients and other substances that can affect the health of our waterways, including dissolved oxygen levels that contribute to potential fish kills and water turbidity, and affects seagrass health.

The health of our waterways and Biscayne Bay is the health of our county, our residents and our economy,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “That’s why Miami-Dade is constantly investing in infrastructure and partnering with key stakeholders to improve the quality of our water, monitor and reduce the flow of harmful nutrients, and ultimately protect our Bay, the blue heart of our county.”

Tests run on water quality and recommendations from the Biscayne Bay Task Force were used to select the three sites for the pilot project:

•    Location 1: NW 111th Street to 107th Street, from NW 21 Court to NW 17 Avenue
•    Location 2: NW 96 Street to 93 Terrace, from NW 17 Avenue to NW 14 Avenue 
•    Location 3: NW 85 Street to 82 Street, from NW 2 Avenue to North Miami Avenue

Using the recommendations from the Miami-Dade County Stormwater Master Plan, the County conducted research on technologies available that can be used to reduce some of the biggest culprits that affect surface water quality, including bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorous, all known to be detrimental to Biscayne Bay’s health.

A combination of filtering devices is being employed, including filter baskets at storm drain sites, and larger pollution control structures in sub-basins that contain membranes similar to the ones a homeowner may find in a smaller home water filtration system. Once completely implemented, labs contracted by DERM will test the water contents in these drains and surface waters .  The system that proves to be most effective in filtering contaminants will be selected for new installations in multiple other storm sewer locations throughout Miami-Dade to improve water quality.

“This pilot project is another example of how DERM works to protect Biscayne Bay, both by land and sea,” said Lisa Spadafina, DERM Director. “Through research and innovation, we are finding real solutions to the issues that are affecting our county and our environment."

This project is financed by Miami-Dade County in addition to grant funds provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

B-ROLL and photos are available upon request of the installations.