A well-intentioned attempt in 1972 to create what was touted as the world’s largest artificial reef made of tires has become an ecological disaster.The idea was simple: Create new marine habitat and alternate dive sites to relieve pressure on natural reefs, while disposing of tires that were clogging landfills.
Decades later it’s clear the plan failed miserably.
Little sea life has formed on the tires. Some of the bundles bound together with nylon and steel have broken loose and are scouring the ocean floor across a swath the size of 31 soccer fields. Tires are washing up on beaches.
Thousands have wedged up against the nearby natural reef some 70 feet below the sea surface, blocking coral growth and devastating marine life. Similar problems have been reported at tire reefs worldwide.
“They’re a constantly killing coral destruction machine,” said William Nuckols, coordinator for Coastal America, a federal group involved in organizing a cleanup effort that includes Broward County biologists, state scientists and Army and Navy salvage divers.
[Continue reading at CBS News]
I consistantly find it amazing how many well meaning idiot things we do as people. Just like scientists thought that plastics would remain inert and last forever, only to find that heat breaks it back down into its petroleum bases after time. They thought that dumping tires into the sea wouldn’t harm anything. And in fact they thought it would make perfect reefs. I’m surprised that no one saw this “disaster” coming, but given enough time and money at least this is fixable unlike the great idea of nuking the Alberta Oil Sands to release more oil would of been.
Tags: Environment, History, Interesting
