A no swim advisory has been issued for beach areas in the vicinity of First Street through Fifth Street and for the area of Biscayne Bay from South Pointe Drive to 14 Street. Swimming at these locations is not recommended at this time.
The city’s sewer main at Fifth Street and Michigan Avenue was hit by a contractor working for a private utility late Wednesday evening. This incident caused the release of wastewater onto the streets and into Biscayne Bay. As soon as the city was notified of the leak, it was isolated and the city assigned staff and three contractors to clean the stormwater system, thereby preventing any further wastewater from entering the bay.
Starting on Thursday, the city began collecting water quality samples in the bay to determine the extent of the impacted waters. Ten samples were collected from Government Cut north to 10 Street. While the city awaited the results, a precautionary swim advisory was issued for the area. A precautionary swim advisory was also issued for the beach area around First Street in an abundance of caution, while the Florida Department of Health (DOH) began sampling on the beachside.
Based on the results of the first day of sampling along the bay and beach, high levels of bacteria were detected in all 10 bay sampling locations and on the beach in the vicinity of First Street and Fifth Street. As such, the precautionary advisory has been modified to a no swim advisory.
Samples will continue to be collected daily on the bay and on the beach until they demonstrate there is no cause for concern. Upon satisfactory results, the swimming advisory will be lifted and you will receive a notification.
