The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutLTC 171-2026 - UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OPERATION CLEAN WATER PROGRAM -#18MIAMI BEACH OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER LTC# TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: LETTER TO COMMISSION Honorable Mayor Steven Meine;nd, M�:d-ity Commission Eric Carpenter, City Manager uuL I....P'-"/J..t7vwv , April 27, 2026 UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF "OPERATION CLEAN WATER" PROGRAM -#18 The purpose of this Letter to Commission (L TC) is to provide the Mayor and City Commission with a summary of staff's efforts to date, as it relates to "Operation Clean Water," adopted on March 19, 2025, by Resolution No. 2025-33559. At the July 10, 2025 meeting of the Land Use and Sustainability Committee (LUSC), City staff provided an update on the North Beach Water Quality and Park View Canal Report. The discussion concluded with a motion, directing the Administration to provide weekly updates on the "Operation Clean Water" efforts at the Park View Canal, with a focus on Biscayne Beach Elementary hotspots, associated lateral pipe-lining, above-ground cleanliness (alleyways, street sweeping, pressure washing), and homeless outreach. At the September 11, 2025 LUSC meeting, Committee members made a motion to move the item to the City Commission for discussion, with a favorable recommendation to: 1) Authorize an independent, third-party review of the Sanitary Sewer Pump Station 23; 2) Expand the monthly water quality study to authorize and fund weekly water testing in Park View Canal; 3) Expedite the comprehensive infrastructure study for North Beach; and to maintain Park View Canal as a standing item on the Committee's agenda for regular updates. At the direction of the City Commission as part of Operation Clean Water, the City of Miami Beach entered into a formal agreement with the University of Miami (UM) in August of 2025 for the creation of an Ultraviolet Sanitization Pilot Project with the objective of evaluating whether street cleaning can reduce levels of enterococci entering the stormwater system. The pilot project aimed to clean the test area, 73 rd Street (a documented street level enterococci "hot spot,") by increasing the frequency of mechanical street sweeping activities, remove visible debris and fecal deposits manually, and the use of ultra-violet (UV) light, an environmentally friendly technology that cleans without leaving a chemical residue, to disinfect street surfaces. The pilot project's cleaning and testing phases were completed on October 17, 2025. The final report was shared with the City on January 30, 2026, and reviewed for statistically significant results, recommendations, and next steps. Key findings in the report indicate enterococci levels are very high on untreated surfaces (streets and sidewalks); cleaning of these surfaces reduces fecal bacteria concentrations, particularly with repeated treatments. Street sweeping achieves a material, basin-scale reduction, and adding sidewalk sweeping extends the benefit, especially under tree canopy hotspots. The key purpose of the study, however, was to evaluate the effectiveness of UV technologies, and while the pilot project reveals the practice could be effective in theory or principle, there is significant engineering needed before the technology can be deployed in a meaningful way. There are critical real-world limitations like street/sidewalk roughness, UV lamp angle, and obstructions like signposts and benches which all lead to non-uniform exposure, and hence, variability and limited statistical significance in this short trial. Key study recommendations include the 171-2026 the technology, which requires design and permitting from environmental regulatory agencies. The Consultant Service Order for dredging was updated and expanded to include nanobubbles design and permitting. TYLin, the consultant, held the interdepartmental kickoff meeting on January 7, 2026, following receipt of the change order. Since the kick-off meeting, the consultant has conducted site visits to determine the best possible placement of the technology to avoid impacts to resources such as the mangroves surrounding the canal, prepared permit application materials including a water quality monitoring plan and technical specifications, developed engineer drawings, and held pre-application meetings with the regulatory agencies (including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Army Corps of Engineers). The permit applications were submitted to the regulatory agencies on April 1, 2026. A six-month timeframe is anticipated for design and permitting, and TYLin additionally advised that the minimum short-term pilot project envisioned at this time is one-year. The upcoming construction phase, which includes customized equipment and activation, will require procurement and funding. Additionally, the design process is underway for dredging as a potential option to aid in the natural flushing of the waterway. At the September 17, 2025 City Commission meeting, a motion was passed to move forward with and authorize funding for weekly water testing at up to five locations within Park View Canal. At the September 30, 2025 City Commission Budget Meeting, $21,000 was approved and added to the Public Works' Stormwater budget for FY26 to fund the sampling effort. The Environment and Sustainability and Public Works Departments obtained a proposal and executed a purchase order for the Miami-Dade County sampling contractor, Eurofins Environment Testing, on November 14, 2025, and the weekly sampling began on Thursday, November 20, 2025. Eurofins Environment Testing is a certified laboratory utilized by the Miami-Dade County Surface Water Quality Monitoring Program for water quality sampling. The sampling map was developed by the Environment and Sustainability Department, drawing on known hotspot locations, publicly accessible shorelines, and input from Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele, Associate Dean, University of Miami College of Engineering. There may be an opportunity to adjust sampling points at a later date to include sampling for additional areas and to collect unique data points. Sampling results Results) for enterococci since the previous LTC are attached as 'EXHIBIT and the table also includes a column for Surfrider Foundation's Miami Chapter Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) results for water samples they collect at the Park View Canal kayak launch as requested by the City Commission. There are varying standards for enterococci in marine waters and they are dependent on factors such as the classification of a water body, flushing rates, and proposed use of the waterways (i.e. recreation type). The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Healthy Beaches standard for enterococci is 70 MPN/100ml, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) standard for enterococci in Class Ill Waters is 130 MPN/100ml, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard for enterococci for kayaking in calm waters is 371 MPN/100ml. Initial results have demonstrated significant spikes in fecal bacteria levels within the canal after rain events, particularly during January, further reinforcing the results of the two UM reports on water quality within the canal being driven by stormwater carrying street-level pollutants into the gravity stormwater system. Dr. Solo-Gabriele is overseeing a project with her Spring 2026 semester undergraduate students, at no-cost to the City, to evaluate the most recent results from the weekly testing and identify trends in the data such as rain and tide. The final class presentation for this class project is expected in May 2026. The sampling map is as follows: While monthly and weekly sampling results vary widely, an analysis of monthly sampling results between 2020 and 2025 highlights a 76% reduction in average enterococci concentration and a 59% reduction in the median enterococci concentration. The intensive Phase II University of Miami Park View Canal Water Quality demonstrated statistically significant improvements and has been previously presented in depth. Efforts remain strong to support the ability of the canal to reach FDOH Healthy Beaches standards. DERM issued a Class II permit for seven Downstream Defender hydrodynamic separator/water quality structures on Friday August 1, 2025, allowing the City to move forward with the final design and the procurement process. Construction is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2026. On December 9, 2025, Governor Desantis issued a press release to announce grant awards for Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Grants. The City of Miami Beach was selected as a recipient of one of eight grants, in the amount of $426,750 to account for the construction of the Downstream Defenders along Park View Canal. In the meanwhile, routine maintenance efforts for the existing stormwater structures from 72nd to 77th Streets, between Dickens Avenue and Collins Avenue remain ongoing. The Public Works and Communications Departments worked together on the design and copy of the "FROG can Clog" and "Don't Grease the Streets" public outreach to decrease contamination to the Bay. Outreach campaign is an ongoing effort which consists of social media, email blasts, handing out flyers at restaurants, advertising on CMS Magazine and water and sewer bill. Additionally, as part of the outreach campaign, both designs were displayed on the side of three waste collection trucks. Below are photographs of two of them: Stormwater drain markers were ordered and placed throughout Parkview Island and Parkview extended area (72nd Street -76th Street) at stormwater inlets. Installation of the drain markers at approximately 100 locations was completed during the week of December 15, 2025. Below is a sample of the markers installed: