They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and few instances exemplify this expression like Ft. Lauderdale’s Osborne Reef. Proposed as a means of attracting more big game fish to Florida’s waters, Broward Artificial Reef Inc. played a major role in the installation of more than 2 million discarded tires on the seabed off Ft. Lauderdale in 1974. Because similar artificial reefs had been implemented in other areas with apparent success, including the Gulf of Mexico, Australia, and Africa, there was little to suggest that doing so in Florida would be a harbinger of disaster.
With the support of US Army Corps of Engineers and more than 100 privately owned vessels to build the artificial reef, placement of the tires began 7,000 feet offshore in 65 feet of water. Bundles of tires were banded together with steel clips and nylon rope and lowered onto the sea floor. However, the saline waters of the ocean quickly degraded these materials, causing the tires to be loosed and carried abroad by ocean currents and waves. With nothing to hold the reef in place, what was envisioned as a cradle of life for marine organisms soon became one of the worst ecological disasters in US history.
Hurricanes and tropical storms that batter the reef disperse tires in every direction, some washing ashore on beaches as far as North Carolina, others causing irreparable damage to natural reefs as powerful waves slam them into the substrate. The constant movement of the tires is a key component of why corals and other marine life haven’t flourished: stability is a crucial element in the growth of coral reefs. Although a few small coral communities have managed to take hold, the vast majority of Osborne Reef remains devoid of life, with no hope of improvement.
Several organizations have attempted to undertake the removal of this failed reef, but the costs associated with such a massive project are staggering. More recently, the US military has taken an active role, using the restoration effort as part of their underwater training. Whether the artificial reef will ever be removed entirely is uncertain, but the lessons learned from this ambitious yet catastrophic project are sure to remain indefinitely.
