When visualizing the ideal Miami Beach scenery, people immediately think of warm weather, beautiful skies, and crystal clear waters. This image is one of many reasons why Miami Beach is such a highly visited area. We welcome approximately 6 million overnight tourists on an annual basis and have about 90,000 residents. This means that maintaining the health of our natural bodies of water is essential to the resilience of our community
Updated on: September 16, 2022
The city has issued a "No Contact" advisory for the waters near the locations listed below:
- The waterway adjacent to Parkview Island Park.
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County has issued a swimming advisory at the following beach site:
- Collins Park (21st Street)
This advisory recommends not swimming or engaging in recreational water activity near this location until the advisory is lifted. Signage has been posted at public waterway access locations and the City is working closely with all governmental regulatory agencies to protect public health and the environment.
For more information, please contact the Environment and Sustainability Department at 305-673-7084. Please note that the city also alerts residents and visitors when “no contact with water” advisories are issued via e-mail, press releases, and posted signage.
If you would like to be notified directly of advisories in your neighborhood, please subscribe to the city’s e-newsletter here.
Park View Canal is experiencing elevated fecal bacteria levels and a "no contact with the water" advisory is in place for this waterway adjacent to the kayak launch at 73 Street. The water sampling results exceed limits for recreational swim standards established by the Florida Department of Health. Extensive and continued investigations by our staff and consultants have not identified a significant point source of contamination from the city’s infrastructure, and in-depth sampling has been conducted that has indicated dog and bird fecal coliform. The results indicated that fecal coliform from humans was not detected but the biomarkers for dogs and birds had high concentrations.
The City entered into an agreement with the University of Miami to conduct an in-depth study including an expanded coverage area, more parameters, increased frequency, and recommended solutions. Dr. Solo-Gabriele was selected due to her extensive background in non-point source pollution and developing recommendations for permanent solutions.
Investigations conducted include multiple dye tests, water quality testing throughout the stormwater system, in-depth sampling in the canal, video surveillance, and smoke testing to determine potential cross connections between private properties' sewer lines and the City’s stormwater system. In addition, a deep cleaning of the stormwater lines was conducted. The investigations performed to date have not identified any significant deficiencies within the City’s public infrastructure.
The City launched a campaign to educate the public and encourage people to pick up after their animals. This campaign includes advertisements on bus shelters, water bills, digital ads, and direct mailing. Educational signs have been installed in the local dog parks, parks, and along the right-of-way, and reusable doggie bag dispensers and flyers were distributed to residents walking their dogs in the area and to local veterinarians and dog groomers.
Fertilizers are added to soil in order to promote plant growth. Fertilizers provide plants, in varying proportions, three major plant nutrients: phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium. The excessive or incorrect use of fertilizer has been found to lead to algal blooms and can affect the quality of our water.
Learn more about fertilizers: Fertilizers and Biscayne Bay
Water testing in Miami Beach occurs for two different purposes:
- to determine whether our waterways are safe for swimming and recreation, and
- to monitor the health of our waterways.
Data collected for recreation is used by Miami-Dade County’s Department of Health (DOH) and the city to determine whether a “no contact with water” advisory is warranted. Data collected to monitor the health of our waterways is used to inform the city’s decisions in stormwater management and pollution prevention. This data-driven approach ensures staff time, resources and funding are directed to where they will have the greatest public and environmental benefit.
It should be noted that only sampling results processed in labs certified under the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) are used to make official decisions, such as issuing advisories or making operation adjustments. NELAP is one of 13 Accreditation Bodies in the United States recognized under the Florida Department of Health’s Environmental Laboratory Certification Program. To get certified under NELAP, laboratories are required to demonstrate that they have the capacity to produce high quality testing results in the interests of protecting the health and environment of Florida’s citizens.
- Sampling for Recreation
Sampling for recreation along our beaches is led by FDOH as part of the state-wide Florida Healthy Beaches Program. Every Monday FDOH collects water quality samples in the Atlantic Ocean at four established sampling points: the beaches in the vicinity of 1st Street, 21st Street, 53rd Street, and 73rd Street. At the request of the city, FDOH also samples the ocean water in the vicinity of 81st Street and at the public boat launch at Maurice Gibb Park on the Bayside. These samples are taken to a NELAP-certified lab where they are tested for enterococcus, a type of fecal indicator bacteria that is used to determine the potential presence of disease-causing organisms in saltwater. If enterococcus levels are present above the State’s recreational water quality standard for beaches of 35 CFU/100mL in a sample, the FDOH will issue a “no contact with water” advisory for the affected area.
2. Emergency Sampling
In the event of an environmental incident, such as a wastewater spill, the city will conduct water quality sampling. Sampling points are established around the known discharge point to determine the extent of affected waters. If enterococcus levels are present above the State’s recreational water quality standard for surface waters of 70 CFU/100mL, the city will issue issue a “no contact with water advisory” for the affected area.
The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the city to determine whether a “no contact with water” advisory is warranted. When a “no contact with water advisory” is issued, the city will re-test the affected location daily and will lift the advisory once enterococcus levels test below the respective State recreational water quality standard for two consecutive days.
Stormwater Management Bay Sampling
The City of Miami Beach conducts monthly water quality testing in Biscayne Bay at approximately 35 stations throughout the city’s waterways. These sampling locations were added voluntarily by the City as an extension of the larger Biscayne Bay sampling network, which Miami-Dade County has been monitoring on a monthly basis for more than 40 years.
Consistent with the County’s methodology, the samples are analyzed for physical (i.e., temperature), chemical (i.e., nutrients) and biological (i.e., enterococcus) parameters at a NELAP-certified lab. City staff reviews the sampling results as they come in each month, as well as annually to inform stormwater management decisions. The results are provided to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection each year as part of the city’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit Annual Report.
Data collected to monitor the health of our waterways is used to inform the city’s decisions in stormwater management and pollution prevention. This data-driven approach ensures staff time, resources and funding are directed to where they will have the greatest public and environmental benefit. It should be noted that only sampling results processed in labs certified under the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) are used to make official decisions, such as issuing advisories or making operation adjustments. NELAP is one of 13 Accreditation Bodies in the United States recognized under the Florida Department of Health’s Environmental Laboratory Certification Program. To get certified under NELAP, laboratories are required to demonstrate that they have the capacity to produce high quality testing results in the interests of protecting the health and environment of Florida’s citizens.
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