Precautionary No-Swim Advisory lifted for Virginia Key

The no-swim advisory that came back on a larger scale is now lifted

Mercedes Halliburton, Managing Editor

October 16, 2023

A no-swim advisory sign posted across the street from MAST Academy.

The no-swim advisory issued for Virginia Key and other areas on Oct. 15 after a power outage at the Ocean Outfall Pump Station in the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant at Virginia Key was lifted Oct. 20.

Approximately 3 million gallons of treated/chlorinated liquid waste had overflowed from the pump station, a portion entering Shrimper’s Lagoon and the rest expanding into the waters of Key Biscayne and Fisher Island.

Cautionary signs were placed in the affected areas, which Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County and the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources continuously sampled and tested as steps to lift the advisory.

All water related activities, including fishing and boating, were strongly ill-advised.

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About the Contributors

Mercedes Halliburton, Managing Editor

Mercedes Halliburton is a senior at MAST Academy. She is in her fourth year at the school, arriving in 2019 from St. Theresa Catholic School. Halliburton enjoys MAST more than her previous school because she believes that there is more freedom. Halliburton likes MAST because she enjoys swimming and water. She also enjoys reading and writing, saying that it is her favorite subject. Her least favorite subject is math, and her hardest year was junior year. She doesn’t have a least favorite teacher and she likes most of the teachers. She also likes MAST because it has a nice view and is so close to the beach. Even though MAST is fun, Halliburton claims it is also a challenging school with many hard classes.

Kamilah Gurdián, Editor in Chief

Kamilah Gurdián is a senior at MAST Academy. As of 2023, she is starting her third year as a student at MAST at the age of 17. She used to attend iPrep Academy North during her freshmen year, but wanted to attend MAST since she was in Grade 5. Along with her, her younger brother who’s in Grade 7 attends MAST as well. She a first-generation immigrant in America and her mom is from Colombia and her dad is from Nicaragua. She is interested in math as a future career and takes multiple math classes.