Cleanup of the Osborne "Rubber Reef"

In the 1970's, about 2 million tires covering 36 acres were dumped into the ocean off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The site, known as "Osborne Reef," was intended to serve as a massive artificial reef that would promote marine life (listen to the NPR story here).

Unfortunately, the tires did not successfully create an artificial reef. Metal clips that held the tires together corroded, and the tires spilled across the ocean floor. Unlike sunken barges also used to build artificial reefs, the tires moved with the tide, and marine life never formed. Over the years, many of the tires have washed ashore following tropical storms and hurricanes. In addition, the movement of tires during storms has caused damage to the existing reefs.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department, and the U.S. Navy now have a pilot project in place to determine if the pile of tires can be collected and disposed of properly. It is estimated that it would take about 3 years to clean up all the tires.