Avoid This Dangerous Body Of Water On Your Next Trip To Miami Beach, Florida

It's no secret that Miami Beach is a trendy destination. This barrier island city that separates Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean plays host to millions of visitors every year who come for the sweeping ocean and city skyline views, warm water, and beautiful sandy beaches. For all its popularity, Miami Beach nevertheless has some hidden dangers. If you're planning on making this city your next Florida destination, you are going to want to avoid the Park View Canal.

Park View Island is a small, built-up neighborhood to the west of North Beach. It is separated from the rest of the island via the Park View Canal, which drains into Biscayne Bay. The canal previously acted as a recreational waterway where families could take a dip, marvel at the coral, and watch manatees, dolphins, and rays swim by. In recent years, however, the canal has become absolutely riddled with pollution, to the point where it is considered one of the most dangerous places to swim in the entire country.

Water testing performed by Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force over the last few years has shown the bacterial levels in samples taken at the Park View Kayak Launch to be as high as 300 times the state limit for safe swimming water (via Caplin News). Seeing as bacterial infections from swimming can cause all manner of different illnesses and infections, it's best to avoid going anywhere near this particular Miami beach.

Whether it's by taking a scenic road trip to experience Florida's best beaches and vibrant cities or traveling to any one of the state's fun, family-friendly beaches, when people visit Florida, they are heading to the ocean. On paper, the Park View Canal ticks all the right boxes. It's shallow, calm, accessible, and warm. Why, then, is it so unbelievably dangerous to swim in? How have those bacteria levels gotten so high? The short answer: poop.

According to Caplin News, there were several raw sewer and wastewater leakages beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2020. Because of aging infrastructure, fractured pipes, and overloaded sewer systems, hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage have flowed into Park View Canal, causing the water to become incredibly toxic. What was once crystal clear has now become murky and riddled with algae blooms. Numerous sightings of dead fish have also been reported. Because of this issue, the city of Miami Beach close the Park View Kayak Launch in 2020 and has warned visitors and residents alike to avoid even touching the water.

Owing to public outcry from residents, the city of Miami Beach finally approved actions that will clean up not only the Park View Canal but also the rest of the 81-acre watershed that has been affected by these sewage leaks. According to Miami's Community News, Operation Clean Water is an $18 million project funded by the City of Miami Beach and a Resilient Florida Grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The goal of the project is simple: to clean up the Park View Canal and nearby waterways, upgrade sanitary infrastructure in the North Beach neighborhood, and increase the frequency of inspections and cleanings.

At the time of writing, Operation Clean Water is ongoing, with updates and water quality reports being regularly shared by Miami Beach Rising Above. Phase one of the project has been completed — pending improvements focus on stormwater drainage, dredging, increased flow to the canal, and improved aboveground sanitation. The hope is that once the project is complete, the Park View Canal will again be safe for swimming, and the Park View Kayak Launch will no longer be considered one of the most dangerous places to come into contact with water.