Safeguarding the Quality of Our Vital Water Resources

In 1992, the Port Authority initiated a voluntary water quality monitoring program. Water samples from six stations in the Harbor and five stations in the Barge Canal are analyzed regularly, enabling us to identify short-term fluctuations and long-term trends in water quality.
 
Stormwater run-off, if not handled properly, can contribute to water pollution. We regularly sample from Port stormwater outfalls and work to decrease contaminants by sweeping piers after cargo operations, cleaning pipes, installing stormwater treatment boxes and educating tenants on managing potential pollutants.
 
All new construction projects at the Port include stormwater retention systems. In addition, we retrofitted our stormwater system to redirect millions of gallons of run-off away from the Banana River, where it could possibly reduce salinity and compromise plant and sealife health, to retention ponds.
 
We also monitor water quality along the beaches south of the Port. In 2005, a study funded by the Port Authority and Brevard County and carried out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded there was no evidence of a water quality problem in the form of elevated bacteria or nutrient levels along these beaches. However, to increase available data and maintain water quality, we’ve added additional monitoring stations.