FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Fort Lauderdale — known as the “Venice of America” for its many waterways — was marred by water dirtier than a toilet during last week’s historical flooding.
Data collected by Miami Waterkeeper, a nonprofit focused on clean water and ecosystem protection, indicates that on April 13, the day after last week’s record rainfall, while Fort Lauderdale flooded streets drained into area rivers and canals, those waterways had extremely high bacteria levels.
The group collected water samples from 10 sites, and at all 10, enterococci bacteria levels ranged from 38 to 144 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency deems safe for swimming.
