Dredging of Ship Channel in Miami Damaging Coral Reef, State Says

An ongoing project to deepen the channel linking PortMiami to the Atlantic may have caused irreversible damage to South Florida coral reefs.

The PortMiami Deep Dredge project is expected to deepen the Government Cut seaport channel from 42 to 52 feet below sea level, accommodating the widening and deepening of the Panama Canal for larger freight ships.

An impact assessment released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Monday says silt from the dredging of the Government Cut may have contributed to stress on coral reefs off the southern tip of Miami Beach.

The assessment says weekly reports showed “continuous elevated stress” on naturally-occurring and artificial reefs just off the southern end of Miami Beach.

Along with the release of the study, the FDEP sent a warning letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency overseeing the dredging, on Monday saying they may have violated of state environmental laws with the deposits of dredged silt found on the reefs.

In the letter, the FDEP says the federal agency possibly violated state statutes prohibiting damage to any state-owned “air, waters, or property, including animal, plant, or aquatic life,” holding liable anyone who does so with the cost of said damage.

A local marine activist says changes to Biscayne Bay will be irreversible.

“Once we inflict enormous environmental damage on the bay, we can’t go back,” said Miami fishing captain Dan Kiplis, who is part of an environmental group against the dredge project, to the Miami New Times.

The study and letter come merely two days after the opening of the PortMiami tunnel, which provides direct highway access from mainland Miami to the port in Biscayne Bay.

The Deep Dredge project is scheduled for completion in 2015.

Top photo: Florida Department of Environmental Protection