Our Blog

Miami Waterkeeper is proud to showcase our second year in partnership with The International Seakeepers Society. This unique partnership was formed in early 2020 to provide a meaningful on-the-water experience for students in Miami Waterkeeper's Junior Ambassador Program to conduct water quality research and local clean ups. We are excited to share that this partnership has continued through the pandemic. Logistics have been altered to ensure our ambassadors' safety while upholding our outdoor exploration and research commitment to Miami's youth. 

In December 2020, Miami Dade County announced a “Plan of Action” report to address septic tanks that are vulnerable to sea level rise. This report follows a 2018 report from Miami Dade County which underscored significant issues in our reliance on septic systems – that is, many are failing or will fail to properly filter waste in the future due to sea level rise. The earlier report noted that more than 50% of Miami Dade County’s 108,000 septic tanks were vulnerable to compromise due to sea level rise. However, the more recent 2020 report tells a different story – this report states that only 8% of Miami Dade County’s 120,000 septic tanks are currently vulnerable to compromise due to sea level rise.

Miami Waterkeeper conducted a comparative analysis of the 2018 and 2020 report to attempt to reconcile the differences. Here’s what we found…

For the last two years, Miami Waterkeeper has had the pleasure of hosting Temple Beth Am (TBAM), a full-service synagogue in Pinecrest, FL, for their annual Mitzvah Day Event - which provides a series of environmental and social activism projects for community members to take part in. In February 2020, Miami Waterkeeper hosted a cleanup at Virginia Key for last year's Mitzvah Day.

Morningside Park is a waterfront park located at 750 NE 55th Terrace, Miami, FL 33137

For Mitzvah Day 2021, TBAM joined Miami Waterkeeper for a coastal cleanup at Morningside Park this past Sunday, March 14th! The Temple Beth Am community who joined us also included the Temple Beth Am’s Social Justice Teen Fellowship, which is an action-oriented program for 11th and 12th-grade students in the Jewish community that examines social justice issues.

Miami Waterkeeper hosted its third annual State of the Water address on Thursday evening, March 4th, 2021. This free, virtual event gathered community leaders to provide a full and fact-based overview of the major issues facing our watershed and solutions for the coming year. 

On February 17th, Miami Waterkeeper submitted a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urging them to use their authority and protect the critically endangered right whale. Every new generation of right whales are birthed off the warm coastal waters of Florida and we want to do all we can to make sure that continues. However, in the Atlantic Ocean, lobster and crab fishing can threaten right whales by posing a risk of entanglement in gear or traps.

We are excited to announce an expansion of our water quality monitoring program in partnership with the City of Fort Lauderdale. Beginning in January 2021, our team will sample ten new sites within the City of Fort Lauderdale on a weekly basis for the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) enterococci. The results of these samples will be posted on our free Swim Guide app which lets the public know about water quality conditions in their local waterways.

Miami Waterkeeper's Environmental Field Technician, Samantha Morejon, and Water Quality Technician, Sierra Jarriel, performing routine water quality sampling (Credit: City of Fort Lauderdale).

Please Join Miami Waterkeeper in welcoming Samantha Morejon as our new Environmental Technician! Samantha began her journey at Miami Waterkeeper as an intern in 2020, eventually working her way up to a part-time Field Technician. We are thrilled to have Samantha join us full-time at Miami Waterkeeper. In her role, Samantha will be performing weekly water quality sampling at recreational sites in both Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale. 

We grabbed Samantha for a quick Q&A when she wasn't out in the field -- asking about her goals, how she got to where she is today, and more. Please read below to get a deeper dive into Samantha’s journey to becoming our Environmental Technician!

As part of our continued commitment to water quality monitoring, Miami Waterkeeper has added new YSI EXO sondes to our weekly water sampling program. A sonde is a scientific monitoring instrument that allows us to automatically transmit information about water conditions to our research team! These new tools allow our team to conduct more detailed analysis of the water at our sites and have access to real time data at the time of sampling. This means, we will have more information at our fingertips – allowing us to act faster for the benefit of environmental and human health.

Miami Waterkeeper's Environmental Field Technician, Samantha Morejon, and Water Quality Technician, Sierra Jarriel, performing routine water quality sampling. Sierra, pictured right, is holding our new YSI equipment. (Credit: City of Fort Lauderdale)

Earthjustice sues on behalf of conservation groups to stop EPA rubber-stamping Florida wetlands destruction

EPA’s approval of developer-backed scheme to turn permitting over to state violates U.S. environmental laws

For Immediate Release, December 23, 2020