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Fifty years ago, the United States dumped 2 million tires into the ocean near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a bold environmental project that unfortunately resulted in an environmental disaster!

Written by Roberta Souza
Published 13/01/2025 às 21:12
Updated 15/01/2025 às 19:35
photo/reproduction: Disclosure

Ambitious project turned into an environmental disaster, creating an underwater desert instead of an ecological sanctuary!

Em 1972, an ambitious project in United States resulted in the eviction of more than 2 million tires No. oceano, with the intention of creating an artificial reef.

The initiative, led by the organization Broward Artificial Reef (BARINC), aimed not only to get rid of the used tires that were piling up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but also to promote marine life. However, the execution failed catastrophically, according to the website aventurasnahistória.

The idea and its execution

With the support of the United States Corps of Engineers and the Goodyear, who even threw a golden tire into the sea to mark the inauguration, the tires were dumped in an area of 150.000 metros quadrados a 20 meters deep.

A retaining wall was erected, and the tires were tied together with nylon straps and steel cables. The hope was to create a artificial reef that would benefit local marine life.

Environmental problems and impacts

Unfortunately, nature had other plans. Over time, the cables and straps that held the tires in place were corroded by the salt water, allowing the tires to break free and be carried away by the ocean currents.

united states - ocean - tires - disaster
photo/reproduction: Disclosure

This resulted in tires being strewn not only across the reef area, but also across beaches as far north as the United States.

The constant movement of the tires destroyed existing marine life and damaged nearby coral reefs, turning the area into an underwater desert.

Recovery efforts

From 2001, researchers have been looking for ways to remove tires and mitigate the environmental impact they cause.

Em 2007, the United States Army began a cleanup project, using the process as training for divers.

Em 2015, new efforts have been launched, with an expected duration of three to five years. So far, about 500.000 tires remain at the bottom of the ocean, and many will never be recovered.

Hopes for the Future of the United States

Removing the tires is just the first step in restoring the affected area. Experts believe that by removing most of the tires, marine life could eventually return to the coast of Fort Lauderdale.

However, this process is expected to take decades, given the scale of the environmental disaster.

This experience highlights the need for a careful and well-planned approach when dealing with the environment, to prevent well-intentioned solutions from turning into ecological disasters.

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Willy
Willy
14/01/2025 12:46

What a shame!!!

Renato
Renato
14/01/2025 16:59

50 years ago 🤔

Francisco
Francisco
14/01/2025 17:00

Americans lie like they breathe. Environmental project is nothing, the goal was to get rid of old tires and they tried throwing them into the sea. However, the disaster was greater than expected.

Roberta Souza

Petroleum Engineer, postgraduate in Commissioning of Industrial Units, specialist in Industrial Corrosion. Get in touch to suggest an agenda, advertise job vacancies or advertise on our portal. We do not receive resumes

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