David Fleshler, South Florida Sun-Sentinel 24 Jul 09;
Military divers returned to Fort Lauderdale this week to resume the job of salvaging hundreds of thousands of tires dumped offshore in the early 1970s in a failed attempt to create an artificial reef.
About 30 Army and Navy divers worked about a mile and a half off the beach at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park on Friday to haul tires off the ocean floor and collect them on the Army assault vessel Brandy Station. The day's catch: About 1,400 tires.
It is the third year of a project created to address a difficult environmental problem and provide a training opportunity for divers who need to accumulate hours below the surface. And while this may not be as challenging as clearing mines in advance of a beach assault, it is a massive task that will take years to complete.
Up to 2 million tires had been tied into bundles and shoved into the ocean in an attempt to create undersea structures that would support marine life and attract fish for people to catch. But many of the tires broke loose and actually damaged coral reefs.
State and county environmental agencies have teamed up with the military to try to deal with the problem. The divers work only during the summer, when wind and sea are calmer.
The section of ocean floor being worked on this week contains about 300,000 tires resting on the eastern edge of the second reef from shore.
"They're right up against the reef, and when we have strong storms they get pushed up onto the reef," said Pat Quinn, a biologist with the Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department. "Tires bouncing onto the reef are obviously bad for the reef environment."
The divers will work through August. Last summer they hauled up 44,500 tires, which went to a recycler in Georgia.
