News, Divers start 2-year, $1.6M project to remove thousands of tires in failed ocean reef project. (environmental, water)

[JD59]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

State environmental officials are undertaking a massive two-year project to remove 90,000 tires from the bottom of the ocean floor in Fort Lauderdale.

The failed 1970s tire reef project off Hugh Taylor Birch State Park was an attempt dispose of tires in an environmentally friendly way. An estimated 700,000 tired were dropped into the ocean in hopes of attracting fish and providing a foundation for corals to grow. The project kicked off with great fanfare in 1972 when more than 100 boats full of tires were dumped into the water while the minesweeper USS Thrush looked on.

Divers start 2-year, $1.6M project to remove thousands of tires in failed ocean reef project | News - Home

[harry chickpea]

Trucked to Tampa to burn? Ft Lauderdale has a waste to power facility local to the area.

[Mack Knife]

Because tires and coral are such a good match.

Want to bet some scientists figured that out and from there it became the way to go?

Want to bet those responsible for this disaster of environmental science and financial stupidity have since retired with good salaries?

[thatguydownsouth]

I dont know who thought this was a good idea in the first place. Tires are buoyant enough for the weakest of hurricanes to scatter. Moreover anyone that has ever owned a coral reef tank knows how EXTREMELY sensitive corals are to chemicals and water quality. Tires? TIRES??

Come one 70s.....

[Charles22]

There isn't a rolling eyes emotion big enough to post to show how I feel about this.

[plwhit]

Just goes to show you how not to trust the eco-environ people and their awesome ideas...

They never can see past the end of their long noses...

[purehuman]

"an attempt to dispose of tires in an environmentally sound way"....what a croc...how many of us could have told the so called "experts" that no way was coral gonna attach to a rubber tire.
I don't think the real reason was for "providing a foundation for corals to grow"...more like getting rid of a giant pile of waste the quick way.

this would have been neat.....http://www.dumpaday.com/genius-ideas...tires-20-pics/

[GregW]

Just consider this to be an experiment that provided data that proved tires do not make stable reef foundations. You never really know until you try.

It does appear that waste broken concrete and scuttled steel ships do make good reef foundations.

[purehuman]

Originally Posted by GregW

Just consider this to be an experiment that provided data that proved tires do not make stable reef foundations. You never really know until you try.

true, but was it necessary to dump 700,000 tires when they could have experimented with one?

[ColoGuy]

This has government operation written all over it. Dumping the tires and removing the tires. Both times a political donor got their pockets lined. I'll bet.