Since BBWK started gathering expert reports and meeting with government agencies in October, things have been moving at a rapid pace. These past couple weeks have moved even faster. On Monday May 13, we sent a letter from 16 organizations asking that EPA and Miami-Dade take a holistic approach to address these sewage issues (Read the letter here: Letter to Mayor Gimenez and Ms. Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming[4] copy). On Tuesday, May 14th, we won our hearing and were granted intervenor status in the DOJ’s enforcement case. This gave both County and DOJ/EPA further incentive to get the settlement agreement (consent decree) passed in the County Commission. They passed the consent decree despite all of the information we provided showing the consent decree is contrary to the County’s and EPA’s own stated initiatives goals about infrastructure resilience, especially post super-storm Sandy. BBWK tried to speak at the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) hearing but our request was denied. BBWK urged the County Commission to follow a “stitch in time saves 9″ approach and get the consent decree in much better form before approving it. Read the Miami Herald article about the county commissioners’ approval of the consent decree here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3407080/miami-dade-commissioners-to-take.html
As always BBWK supports much needed attention to our sewage infrastructure that has been delayed far too long. We must implement the funding needed to begin to just fix the absolute immediate fixes. Our suggestion is for a bifurcated Consent Decree – first part dealing with immediate fixes to a decrepit system, the second addressing broader, more holistic issues of resiliency and best possible planning. The last consent decree in 1994/95 was also in two phases.
Meanwhile, two sewage spills occurred this week. (Here is a list of sewage spills since June 2012) This is not a new issue – this is something Miami-Dade should have been dealing with for over a decade. We cannot keep growing our city without growing and improving our infrastructure as well.















