Miami Waterkeeper
Miami Waterkeeper
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About this organization
Mission
Miami Waterkeeper (MWK, formerly Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper) is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that advocates for South Florida's watershed and wildlife. Our goal is to educate locals and visitors about the vital role of clean water in Miami's clean water economy, and to empower them to take an active role in community decision making. We hope to ensure a clean and vibrant, water-based coastal culture and ecosystem for generations to come. We are a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an internationally recognized, citizen-led alliance working for clean water around the world. Launched in 2011, MWK is the first Waterkeeper in South Florida and the only advocacy organization solely dedicated to protecting Biscayne Bay and its surrounding watershed.
About
In 2018, Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, Inc. (d/b/a Miami Waterkeeper) continued to pursue our mission of swimmable, drinkable, fishable water in South Florida through community outreach, education, scientific research, and legal advocacy. In 2018, Miami Waterkeeper had a number of great successes. Our litigation in the Port Miami dredging case secured the restoration of 10,000 Endangered Species Act-listed corals after a 4-year legal dispute with the Army Corps of Engineers over damaged caused to the reef during dredging. This work will be carried out by the Lirman Lab at the University of Miami. Funding will also be provided to the Miami-Dade County Mooring Buoy program to prevent anchor damage to reefs. This settlement is in addition to the hundreds of staghorn corals rescued as a result of our lawsuit during the dredging itself, generating an estimated value of $14 million to the public. This settlement is a first step to help local populations of threatened staghorn corals. We are still fighting to ensure that the entire area that was damaged gets the proper mitigation. The stakes are now even higher - Port Miami just announced that they did not dredge deeply enough and they are already starting to plan for another dredging project near our coral reefs. Our efforts continue to protect South Florida corals and in 2018, we hosted the inaugural Port Everglades BioBlitz. This event partnered citizen science divers with scientific divers to collect baseline data of reef conditions near the proposed dredging location in Port Everglades. Divers located over 100 listed coral species in the area and this information will be shared with decision-makers as they consider how to best protect reefs during the planned dredging of Port Everglades. We also initiated a new legal challenge against Florida Power & Light's request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the life of their aging nuclear reactors at Turkey Point into the 2050s which would make them the oldest operating reactors in the United States. Our legal challenge questioned the NRC's sea level rise analysis and impacts to listed species and our aquifer from ongoing contamination from the plant. Our advocacy efforts in 2018 also supported several single-use plastic bans for items like straws in Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, Surfside and Pinecrest. At one point in 2018, eight of our area beaches were closed at once due to elevated bacteria levels and even more were closed due to a rare occurrence of Red Tide. We continue our work to address land-based sources of pollution such as failing septic tanks, sewage spills, and fertilizers by working collaboratively with scientists, residents, and municipalities to implement best management practices and education campaigns. 2018 also marked the launch of two new signature programs for Miami Waterkeeper. 1,000 Eyes on the Water is a volunteer-based water patrol program designed to train members of the public to observe, document, and report pollution. Our goal is to train 500 community members to become water watchdogs. Participants learn how to identify algae blooms, sewage spills, turbidity and sedimentation, illegal dumping, and much more. Skills learned in 1,000 Eyes on the Water trainings equip participants to become vigilant watchdogs and better stewards of our sensitive environment. In 2018, we also launched our in-house water quality monitoring program. This monitoring program fills an important gap in water quality data and focuses on key locations where our community recreates in Biscayne Bay. In 2018, 7 locations were sampled weekly for the presence of fecal indicator bacteria and results were published online via our free web and phone application, Swim Guide. We have also established our water quality monitoring lab at Ransom Everglades School, where more than 50 students have been trained in how to identify, log, and report pollution events. These students participate in monthly boat patrols with us where they collect water samples and keep an eye on Biscayne Bay. In 2018, our volunteer events attended by more than 300 volunteers resulted in over 2,100 pounds of trash being collected from our shorelines. Together with our volunteers, we were also able to assist in the restoration of approximately 20 acres of native habitat. Our team of four full-time staff members participated in more than 60 community outreach events and was on the road speaking to diverse audiences an average of five times a month. We submitted more than 30 public comments advocating for science-based policy change and we alerted the public 68 times after our local beaches failed water quality tests. We had continued success with our Junior Ambassador environmental leadership program for high school students and in 2018 we graduated 22 students from the program. We continuously work to build a more resilient and sustainable South Florida, relying on best available science to solve some of our region's most complex water problems.
Interesting data from their 2020 990 filing
According to the filing, the non-profit's mission is “Biscayne bay waterkeeper's (aka miami waterkeeper's) mission is to protect south florida's watershed through citizen engagement and community action rooted in sound science, ensuring swimmable drinkable, fishable water for all. through our work, we hope to ensure clean and vibrant south florida waters and a coastal culture for generations to come.”.
When referring to its actions, they were described as: “Biscayne bay waterkeeper's (aka miami waterkeeper's) mission is to protect south florida's watershed through citizen engagement and community action rooted in sound science, ensuring swimmable drinkable, fishable water for all. through our work, we hope to ensure clean and vibrant south florida waters and a coastal culture for generations to come.”.
- According to the law, the state of operation reported by the non-profit is FL.
- As per the filing, the address of the non-profit for 2020 is 2103 Coral Way 2nd Floor, Miami, FL, 33145.
- According to their form, the non-profit as of 2020 has a total of 5 employees.
- Is not a private foundation.
- Expenses are between $100,000 and $250,000.
- Revenue is between $500,000 and $1,000,000+.
- Revenue less expenses is $331,041.
- The organization has 5 independent voting members.
- The organization was formed in 2010.
- The organization pays $200,899 in salary, compensation, and benefits to its employees.
- The organization pays $0 in fundraising expenses.
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