Arch Creek Park is in trouble – dirty trouble – and local activists are organizing once again to save a historic landmark in North Miami they began fighting for more than 40 years ago.
In 1972 environmental lawyer Maureen Harwitz read in a newspaper that Chrysler Automobile Corporation sought to convert historic Arch Creek Park into a used auto lot. She knew she had to get involved to stop those plans and teamed up with local activists like Alice Cohen to do so.
(Courtesy of Bryan Cooper)
A dead bird along the creek.
Following an extensive struggle and lobbying effort in Tallahassee, their persistence paid off and in 1973 the State of Florida acquired the land. In 1981, these citizens united to establish the Arch Creek Trust of which Harwitz serves as president.
Now, at age 85, Harwitz’s advocacy is needed more than ever. She along with many other concerned residents are fed up with the park growing more and more polluted with each passing year with nobody taking responsibility for its cleanup – or for getting to the root cause of the problem.
On Oct. 21 the Arch Creek Trust held a “Call to Action” meeting in collaboration with Friends of Enchanted Forest Park to address Arch Creek’s polluted and bacteria-filled waters.
Nonprofit organization Miami Waterkeeper has been testing West Arch Creek waters since June 2022 and found it to have a 98.1% bacterial fail rate last year.
“The presence of enterococci doesn’t guarantee the presence of fecal material but can indicate the presence of potentially harmful pathogens,” said Aliza Karim, science and research manager for Miami Waterkeeper. “When the enterococci are high, the water is deemed unsafe as a precaution for human recreational activity because of the increased risk.”
(Courtesy of Bryan Cooper)
Pollution along Arch Creek Park.
Many community members, including Harwitz, are concerned about the lack of data pertaining to where the bacteria are coming from and how they affect local wildlife, especially paired with the appearance of dead birds.
“In all these years there have never been dead birds,” said Harwitz. “In the creeks, we’ve never seen dead birds; we’ve seen some dead fish but never dead birds. We don’t know why the birds are dying, but it doesn’t look good.”
Karim explained the bird deaths can be caused by several things, including toxins and bacteria, but that there’s no way of tracing the actual cause of death at this time without extensive testing.
(Arch Creek Archives)
Arch Creek Park was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places July 15, 1986.
Pamela Sweeney, a senior water scientist from the Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) led a presentation at the meeting explaining that septic tanks – underground storage units for wastewater flow from which it eventually leaks into the groundwater – are likely a large source of the bacteria found in Arch Creek.
Thousands of homes and businesses within the vicinity of the park aren’t hooked into a sewage system and rely on septic tanks.
(Milena Malaver for Biscayne Times)
Maureen Harwitz has worked in various environmental advocacy projects in South Florida, including Key Largo Hammock State Park.
If septic tanks are not maintained or are improperly designed, they can leak or overflow, releasing untreated or partially treated wastewater into the soil and groundwater. This contaminated water can eventually find its way into local water bodies, contributing to water pollution.
Miami-Dade County government as well as local municipalities are working on extensive septic-to-sewer conversion plans, but it’s a slow and expensive process. Meanwhile, Arch Creek is on a path of ruin and elected officials who told the Biscayne Times that they planned on attending the “Call to Action” meeting didn’t show.
Community members also expressed their concerns over local businesses and construction zones not complying with regulations and illegally dumping waste into the creek. They are calling for immediate enforcement of illegal dumping laws.
“I’m very concerned because of all the construction that is happening, and with the treatment of the water,” said local resident Alina Medina.
Bryan Cooper, a member of the Arch Creek Trust and a photographer, has documented the pollution of the creek and says it is important to remember the history of the area.
“So little remains of our physical and natural history in Miami-Dade County,” said Cooper. “It is important to spread awareness of current threats to these important public lands and waterways.”
Cooper is an associate dean for engagement and innovation at Florida International University Libraries and facilitated a collaboration between FIU and the Arch Creek Trust to create a digital archive of Arch Creek’s history. In a separate project, Cooper worked with Harwitz and FIU libraries intern Chloe Agenor to create a website chronicling the history of Arch Creek at StoryMaps.arcGIS.com.
Harwitz and Cooper are hopeful that with community engagement and support from the county, Arch Creek Park can be restored as existing efforts with DERM and the South Florida Water management district have produced little to no results.
“I’m 85 and I would like to see it cleaned up before I die,” said Harwitz.
To report complaints of illegal dumping, call DERM at 305.372.6955.