Coming Soon: Largest Artificial Reef in the Western Hemisphere

Photo credit: www.msnbcmedia.com 

What do you do with 18,000 tons of rubble?

Build an artificial reef, of course!

On January 8th, a project to create the largest man-made reef in the Western Hemisphere will begin off the coast of Florida.

Marco Island, known for its world class beaches, will soon feature a world class reef.

Once completed, the reef will be one quarter mile by one quarter mile. Not only will the reef serve as home and shelter for various species of marine life, it will generate large amounts of tourism revenue for the surrounding Florida counties.

“A 2011 Sea Grant study of six coastal counties in Florida found that the users of artificial reefs created 2,600 jobs that generated $253 million annually for those counties,” said Nancy Richie, Marco Island’s environmental specialist.

The reef’s production is funded by a $1.3 million grant from BP. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the company was required to fund projects that promote tourism and the seafood industry throughout the Gulf of Mexico.

Several organizations are collaborating to ensure the completion of this project.

The Waste Management at the Collier County Landfill stores the donated concrete and limestone materials for the reefs and so far they already have 18,000+ tons of material to begin the venture.

Six reef sites will compose the entire artificial reef. The projected timeline is to have three barges deliver and drop the reef material three times per week until thirty-four trips are made.

So if everything goes according to plan, Marco Island will be home to the largest man-made reef on this side of the world by the end of March!

Source: www.naplenews.com