Broward Artificial Reef, Inc. came up with the idea of dumping 36 acres
of tires at Osborne Reef in 1972. The Army Corps of Engineers approved
the plan as did the Broward County Commission. The USS Thrush and more
than 100 private boats volunteered to throw the bundles of tires
overboard, with the sponsorship of Goodyear.

Last summer, the Navy removed a few tires as part of a training mission.
A full-scale salvage operation was forecast to run through 2010 at a
cost to the state of about $3.4 million.

Florida’s 2008 budget includes $2 million to help raise and dispose of
the tires. The Navy divers work at no cost to the state.

There are no plans to fund volunteer work, because of liability issues.

There are roughly 2 million tires that have been spreading along the
reef as the bundle bindings break. A hurricane in the area could spread
them over a relatively healthy reef system, scouring it clean.

Fact is, only a few thousand tires can be removed by the Navy by 2010,
and $3.4 million will hardly make a dent: the Navy works very slowly and
for only two months per year, and the tires, once raised, have to be
disposed of. A Nova University team estimated $17/tire which is prolly
high, but the cost will certainly be a lot more than a buck seventy five
per tire.

There is legal cause and precedent to force the dumpers to clean up
their mess, and Reef Rescue is researching the case to gather evidence.
Actually bringing the culprits to court, however, is far beyond Reef
Rescue's financial means and will require six-figures to take on some
very powerful and well-connected folks.

Meanwhile, the folks involved are making much of their good intentions
and how they thought tires would make a really nifty reef, despite the
fact that previous tire reefs had already proved disastrous.

Wanna cut their balls off? Go to  http://www.reef-rescue.org/  and click
on "DONATE".

esg