MIAMI (WSVN) - A no swimming and fishing advisory has been issued for Miami area beaches due to a sewage leak in Biscayne Bay.
The advisory affects the following beach areas:
- Hobie/Windsurfer
- Marine Stadium
- MAST Academy
- Jungle Island
The advisory was issued after an overflow of wastewater from a pipe adjacent to the American Airlines Arena caused a wastewater release into the surrounding surface waters on Monday, according to a news release.
Officials issued the advisory as a precautionary measure, and they are asking swimmers to refrain from entering the water and performing recreational activities within the boundaries of the advisory.
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County and the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources are currently testing the affected waters, and the advisory will remain in effect until test results are clear.
Tuesday afternoon, signs were posted by members of the county along Hobie Beach, MAST Academy and Miami Marine Stadium that read, “Danger: Contaminated water. No Swimming. No Fishing.”
Some locals, who didn’t hear of these warnings, hit the beaches to cool off from the Miami heat, Tuesday. Needless to say, once they learned of the water warning, they were upset.
“Horrible. Absolutely horrible. Are you serious? I mean, really? I thought this just happened,” said beachgoer David Carpenter. “We’ve been here this afternoon, and until we saw a guy come up and put up the signs, we had no idea.”
A mother who was at the beach with her kids yanked them from the water once she heard the news. “Because I don’t want anything to happen to my kids,” she said. “I don’t want them to get sick. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Officials said that signs were put up quickly. “The signs were [put up] within an hour that we found the leak,” said Adrianna Lamar with Miami-Dade Water and Sewer. “It took us a few hours to stop the discharge.”
But signs went up near Miami Marine Stadium at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, which is more than a day after the waters were packed with people enjoying their holiday. “The beaches weren’t affected yesterday,” said .
“It bothers me a little bit because we come here all the time,” said beachgoer Dean Williams.
Locals said they won’t be going into the water until the advisory has been lifted, but Carpenter said that he wishes he knew a day earlier about the holiday spill not far from his favorite swimming spot. “It’s absolutely inexcusable,” he said.
Officials tested the water throughout the day and evening.
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.