The Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste (PCSW) has created an interactive Google Map for all the artificial reefs in Pinellas County. The map contains the GPS coordinates for all 42 artificial reefs. The map is a helpful tool for boaters, divers, or anyone who wants to learn more about these environmentally beneficial structures.
Related story: Tampa K-12 Students Can Enter 3R’s Art and Poetry Contest
Artificial reefs in Pinellas County
In 1975, the PCSW began creating artificial reefs from clean debris such as concrete pipes and steel beams. An artificial reef is a human-made, underwater structure built to encourage marine life. Since then, PCSW has deployed about 50,000 tons of reef material at 42 artificial reefs along the gulf coast from Tarpon Springs to St. Pete Beach, creating beautiful habitats for marine animals.
The Artificial Reef Program is an excellent example of how to reuse recycled material. This is yet another way in which the PCSW is getting closer to its vision of zero waste to landfill by 2050. Artificial reefs improve fishing opportunities, create new destinations for scuba diving and provide valuable underwater habitats for our marine animal friends.
PCSW has recently received an Artificial Reef Construction Grant awarded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and plans to use the grant to deploy another artificial reef.
For more information about this program, visit the Artificial Reef Program webpage or email reef@pinellas.gov. Visitors to the reefs are also encouraged to share their photos of the reefs with the county.