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Special Feature

CLEANING UP

Our Waterways

By James Martin Fletcher

he 165 miles of navigable waterways in Fort Lauderdale
are the lifeblood of the city, its main identity, next to
T beaches, and one of its most cherished resources. The
waterways are what gave us the name “Venice of America”
and have made us the yachting capital of the world, all for
the better part of the past century.
Our waterways are an asset to be proud of, but also
something to be ashamed of, because we generally
haven’t been very good stewards of our canals and rivers.
Polluted waterways are a problem that affects us all, in
one way or another, but especially boaters and marine
businesses who use the them for pleasure and commerce.
Unfortunately, the recent spate of breaches of our aging
sewer lines throughout the city have tripled down on the
pollution problem. But it’s not just the unfortunate sewer
mess that continues to harm our waterways. It’s the tons of
litter and other polluting elements making their way into
the intricate and fragile ecosystem every day.

But let’s not despair! To the rescue comes the marine
industry with purpose, dedication, knowledge and new
ideas for keeping our waterways clean; and they hit it
from multiple angles, by way of direct hands-on cleanup
initiatives, public awareness campaigns, fund raising and
future-forward green technologies.

BROWARD COUNTY WATERWAY CLEANUP
On the front lines of the local
eco-effort are participants in the
annual Broward County
Waterway Cleanup, the
of South Florida, the region’s preeminent marine-related,
county's largest and longest not-for-profit trade organization, owner of the popular Fort
running environmental support event.
Lauderdale International Boat Show. The MIASF was
Stepping up to the plate each year, as the event’s founded in 1961 and has continued its mission for over
organizer, is the venerable Marine Industries Association half a century in helping to preserve the area’s waterways.

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