NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – There is a strange green and brown sludge floating and foaming in canals in Miami-Dade County. Several families who live in North Miami’s San Souci neighborhood noticed the pollution on Friday morning.
Residents near the San Souci Boulevard said they are not only disgusted by the smell and look of it, but they are also worried about the health hazards it could present to humans and marine life.
“I’ve lived here about 20 years and never seen anything like it,” David Hopper said.
Researchers are trying to figure out what it is. Meanwhile, residents like Chris Nicholas, who has lived in the neighborhood for about three decades, are forced to wait for them to solve the mystery.
“This is horrible. It’s horrible, absolutely horrible,” Nicholas said. “It ends up acting as a seal over the top of the water so nothing can come up for air.”
The canal feeds to Biscayne Bay, which has areas in crisis due to a lack of oxygen in the water. Carina Rasmussen, an area resident, said it was heartbreaking to know the animals are suffering.
Some residents said they’re in the process of purchasing aerators, so they themselves can try pumping oxygen into the water.