Expressing the importance of our ocean and coastal ecosystems through art.

For the month of June 2007, Coastal America has gathered divers from the U.S. Army, Navy and Coast Guard to salvage tires from the seafloor, 70’ below the surface, approximately a mile east of the beautiful beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In Broward County, Florida, it is estimated that nearly two-million tires were placed into the ocean in the 1970’s by private organizations hoping to create an artificial reef. Over the years, the successful formation of an artificial reef did not occur; the tires loosened and moved, damaging the nearby natural coral reefs.

This summer’s effort concentrated on determining the most efficient techniques that will be applied to the next several years’ cleanup efforts. The goal is to ultimately remove an estimated 700,000 tires that are covering 34 acres of seafloor. Removing the failed artificial reef will protect adjacent living corals from further damage from the tires and it will provide a large scale salvage opportunity as training for the military.

To accomplish the tire reef cleanup, a host of agencies with a diverse expertise were brought together by Coastal America to accomplish a cleanup job that has languished for over 30 years.

“Without the cooperation and synergy of Federal, State and County governments, removal of the tires and restoration of the coral reef would be impossible,” said Broward County Mayor Josephus Eggelletion. “The government partnerships create a win-win situation for all parties involved in the project. We are most thankful that the state agreed to finance the recycling of the tires and the military has provided the labor and skill necessary to get this job done. It’s unprecedented.”

Contact Margaret Hunter margaret.e.hunter@usda.gov 202-401-0045 for more information.