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43,900 Tires Pulled From Atlantic In Cleanup This Year

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 1, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH - An effort to remove about 700,000 old tires from the ocean floor about a mile off Fort Lauderdale has ended for the season, officials said Friday.

The well-intentioned attempt in 1972 to create what was touted as the world's largest artificial reef made of tires became an ecological disaster.
Little sea life formed on them, and some of the bundles bound together with nylon and steel broke loose and have been scouring the ocean floor across a swath the size of 31 football fields.

Thousands have wedged up against the nearby natural reef, blocking coral growth and devastating marine life.

In a combined effort of the U.S. Army, Florida and Broward County, officials have been trying to clean up the mess. Army divers, using the project as a training exercise, have been retrieving the tires since April.

They stopped work for the year May 24 after bringing up about 43,900 tires in 26 days of diving, Pat Quinn, a Broward County marine biologist, said Friday. Weather and sea conditions kept them from diving more often.

About 10,000 tires were brought up last year during the pilot phase of the project.

The Associated Press

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