Miami-Dade this year began using mechanical harvesters – long, waterborne combines that remove plants and nutrients – to clean its secondary canal network without using chemicals.
In six months, the county said it lifted 160 tons of debris from its canal system before the contaminants reached Biscayne Bay.
The harvesters currently maintain upwards of 80% of the county’s canals. More are now being deployed.
“We’re proud to transition our canal maintenance from a largely chemical-based approach to an effective and safer mechanical program,” Department of Environmental Resources Management Director Lisa Spadafina said. “This transition is critical for the protection of Biscayne Bay.”
– Jesse Scheckner, Florida Politics