Park View Canal Water Quality

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• July 15, 2024 Project Advisory
• July 22, 2024 Project Advisory
• July 26, 2024 Project Advisory
• August 14, 2024 Project Advisory

Funding and projects for Park View Canal include:

Short to Mid-Term Actions:

• New Water Quality Study. In Progress, $75,000: Solo-Gabriele, University of Miami, Completion target: Fall 2024
• Sanitary Sewer System Upgrades:
  • The City completed more than $640K of Phase 1 Park View Sewer Trenchless Rehabilitation upgrades and sewer force main air release valve replacements. The Public Works Department completed pipe lining to 95% of the gravity sanitary sewer pipes and 98% of the manholes in Park View Island and the lining of Pump Station No. 23 in FY 2023.
  • More than $2.5 million of upgrades is dedicated for Phase 2 North Beach and Park View Extended Area, including lining 90% of the sewer lines from 73 to 76 Street, rehabilitating manholes, and planning for a force main replacement.
  • The Phase 2 North Beach and Park View Extended Area project is 80%, with 65% of the Park View Extended Area lining finished.
  • Completion target for Phase 2: September 2024, this target date excludes the Pump Station Wet Wells as these will have to be coordinated for the next Dry Season.

• Canal Sediment Removal and Flushing Improvement Project:
  •  In Progress $2.5 million. The project aims to improve flushing and remove sediment and marine debris from the canal.
  • Completion target: 2027

• Stormwater Treatment Retrofits:
  • In Progress, $2.2 million. The project aims to reduce litter from entering the waterway near the canal. This will be achieved by retrofitting the current gravity stormwater system with advanced water quality treatment devices.
  • Completion target: 2026

• Additional City Services for Above-Ground Cleanliness:
  • The City has increased inspections and services. Code Compliance continues focusing on proactive patrols while enforcing the cleanup of pet waste, Parks & Recreation continues their roaming patrols, and Environment & Sustainability staff alongside the Public Works Operations team continue to work with Homeless Outreach on their increased routine site visits. Sweeping and hand litter collection continue on Park View Island and additional pet waste dispensers were installed in high-traffic areas.

Long Term

• North Shore D and North Beach Town Center Improvements: This Neighborhood Improvement Project will include new design and replacement of the stormwater and sanitary sewer infrastructure in the catchment area; this would include outfall relocations and water quality treatment pump stations. The City was awarded $10 million in Resilient Florida funding towards the design. Funds are needed for future construction.
  • Completion Target: 2028

The City of Miami Beach is committed to working with stakeholders and the community to move above-ground and underground improvements forward to enhance the water quality of Park View Canal.

How you can Help

• Avoid using fertilizers (banned May 15 to Nov 1), pesticides, or herbicides on your lawns. When it rains, these can flow into the storm drain.
• Don’t blow or rake leaves and lawn clippings into the street that can end up in the storm drain or nearby waterways.
• Keep your trash cans covered with lids.
• Pick up after your pets.
• If you see pollution via discharge report it to 305.673.7625.
• If you see something, say something!

In March 2020, there was a sanitary sewer main break in the parking lot at 72 Street and Collins Avenue. The City immediately issued a "No Contact Advisory," closed the kayak launch, and began water quality testing to identify impacts to the surrounding surface waters. Typically, following a sanitary sewer break, surrounding surface waters will continue to have high bacteria counts for a couple of days following the incident. However, the high bacteria levels found in the vicinity of 73 Street continued for many days following the sewage break repair. Further analysis of historical data collected since 2019 indicate that this waterway has chronically elevated bacteria levels.

The Assessment of Water Quality conducted by Dr. Solo-Gabriele outlined that rainfall is the main predictor of poor water quality within the canal. The unique characteristics of the waterway limit flushing as a shallow and narrow canal. The primary source of bacteria was identified as waste deposited on surfaces that drain toward the canal from the 81-acre catchment area to the east.

The existing stormwater system in this area is gravity-based and rainwater picks-up pollutants on land, enters catch basins, and exits outfalls untreated. North Beach is densely populated, and the University of Miami team identified many sources contributing to degraded water quality including exotic and feral animal feces, the homeless population, dog waste, litter, and leaking dumpsters in commercial areas. In addition, the aging sanitary sewer system cannot be discounted as it is in need of upgrades and is located near the stormwater conveyance system.  Even though testing led by the Public Works Department has not indicated significant deficiencies such as a major break, there is possibility of leakage not identified through the infrastructure testing due the age of the system and private connections.

Furthermore, the unique characteristics of the waterway as a shallow, narrow, and low-flushing canal within the extension of the Indian Creek Waterway which borders Biscayne Bay have contributed to the exceedance of State standards of fecal bacteria levels.

City staff from several Departments have worked to address many of these findings. Sanitation performs weekly street sweeping and twice daily garbage can collection on Park View Island, Code Compliance performs daily sweeps of the area, and Homeless Outreach and Community Services performs dedicated outreach to homeless individuals.

Infrastructure investments include lining aging wastewater pipes to prevent exfiltration is in progress for Park View Island, replacing air release valves have been replaced in North Beach (in progress), and working to install manhole smart covers to detect rising levels before overflows occur.

In the longer term, plans include upgrading the storm water and sanitary infrastructure.  For stormwater, efforts are focused on treating the first flush and the possibility of providing a treatment system for trash and sediment removal as the city has done in newer generation pump stations. 

In addition to the increased level of services, staff has developed an action plan that combines the study recommendations with actions. City is working to implement the action plan.

Staff has developed an action plan that combines the recommendations from the Assessment of Water Quality conducted by Dr. Solo-Gabriele with short-, mid-, and long-term actions for improvements.

PVC Action Plan Updated on August 2024

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Presentation on the Sources of Enterococci to the Park View Canal in Miami Beach

Dr. Solo-Gabriele Park View Presentation

2023 Presentation on City Update

CMB Park View PPT January 2023