Coming off successful legal action protecting our clean-water economy, Rachel Silverstein and the upstart environmental group Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper look to the future.
Rachel Silverstein at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
Who among us hasn’t whispered “wow” when cresting the Julia Tuttle Causeway and seeing the infinite blues and greens of Biscayne Bay? Keeping Miami’s beaches and bay beautiful and swimmable doesn’t just happen—it requires vigilance. That’s where Rachel Silverstein comes in. She’s the executive director (and only paid staff member) of Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, the local branch of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit group founded in 1999 by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that patrols and protects bodies of water around the globe through education and activist programs. Here, Silverstein talks about the nonprofit’s goals and why clean water is a necessity to Miamians.
What is the mission of Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper?
The Bay is a glittering jewel that is the basis for some amazing property values and recreation, and it’s the basis of our economy. It’s really why we live here, and we need to keep it clean and protect it. We’re also very concerned about the reefs that are just outside the bay and our whole watershed.
What are the major threats to Miami water?
Our three big issue areas are ecosystem protection, preparing for sea-level rise, and ensuring a clean water future. That could mean anything from the Deep Dredge Project [in Government Cut] to flooding to construction projects that might be violating state and federal laws.
The Port of Miami’s Deep Dredge in Government Cut will allow supersize vessels from the Panama Canal to dock here. Has the organization had to react to that?
We have no problem at all with that construction project itself, and the goals of the project, but the dredging has been extremely damaging. We observed early on in the project that the barges were leaking, dribbling sediment all across the reefs. In June, we got reports from scientists and local researchers who were diving near the area that the corals had been covered in sediment. The Department of Environmental Protection found massive and profound sediment damage, which smothers coral and sea grass.
Silverstein collecting DNA samples from corals on the reef off of Key Biscayne/South Beach in 2011.
Why should we care about coral?
We’re one of the only cities in the world to have a reef this beautiful. It’s really valuable economically for the dive boat operators, snorkelers, and tourists. Also, Miami Beach is looking at having to spend millions, maybe billions, of dollars in retrofits for sea-level rise and storm surge. Reefs are a natural barrier to storm surge, and right now they’re protecting the coastline from erosion.
What have you done about it?
We sued the [US] Army Corps of Engineers. Our goal was never to stop the dredging entirely; our goal was just to address what we felt were law violations. Two weeks ago, the Army Corps of Engineers said that they had struck a deal to pay NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to move hundreds of these threatened corals out of the area. We got the corals moved, and we got the Army Corps to commit to do a better [job preventing sediment]. We dropped our request for an injunction, but our lawsuit continues, and we will be right back in court if we see more damage.
How do you find out about violations?
The community is our eyes and ears out on the water.
It’s obvious why Miamians would care about the beach, but why the bay?
In Miami, we have what I like to call a clean-water economy: Billions of dollars of prime real estate lines the bay, [and] tourists come here because we have beautiful clean water. Then there’s our fishing industry, our snorkeling industry, our paddleboard rentals.
On a 2014 trip to the Bahamas with a group of international environmental activists. Bahamas Waterkeeper Joseph Darville (left) and Silverstein are checking out a private house that has expanded its property by filling in part of the bay, effectively taking public land and damaging the local ecosystem.
But economically the city also needs development.
I don’t want to present the argument that all development is bad or all construction is bad. Some of it is needed to keep our city going. We just have to be very careful that we maintain a good balance. Regulations can sometimes increase the cost of a project, but, ultimately, they are protecting our way of life.
What are some of your most successful programs?
We have an app called the Swim Guide, updated daily. It’ll tell you how to get to your favorite beach, where to park, what kind of water sports are available, and then give you the latest Department of Water health-quality test, so you can see how clean the water is before you go swimming.
What might raise a red flag?
There are frequent sewage spills into the bay that don’t necessarily get press releases. We actually sued Miami-Dade County a few years ago over the chronic sewage spills.
Hypothetically, what might our water look like if we didn’t have environmental regulations?
We have one of the most beautiful industrial ports in the world, and that doesn’t come for free. That comes because we have really great water-quality protection that was set in the ’70s for Biscayne Bay, and it’s something that is continually being attacked and eroded. We’re here to make sure that it’s not.