Key West, Florida, is a major cruise town. Huge ships full of thousands of people regularly dock at the famous port. 

Unfortunately, the city is removing water testing devices after reports showed that those ships can have a harmful impact on the surrounding water quality, according to NPR.  

What's happening?

Some changes have happened in Key West in the last five years. The city tried to ban all cruise ships, but the state wouldn't let that happen, so it settled for a deal that permits just one ship to dock per day, NPR reported.

As the outlet explained, a law mandating water quality monitoring was also passed. The College of the Florida Keys offered to run the tests and installed sensors at the surface and another near the bottom of the bay to measure the levels of various metrics and pollutants. After a year of data collection, the devices showed 32 instances of cruise ships increasing the water's turbidity above what the Environmental Protection Agency allows. 

Turbidity is the amount of mud and sediment kicked up from the floor and dispersed throughout the water. The impact of the cruise ships on this data point was on par with when hurricanes hit the area.

"We're a tourist destination and our lifeblood is the water," Key West Commissioner Sam Kaufman told NPR. 

However, after the turbidity results were reported to city officials, they voted to repeal the school's testing contract and made it remove the devices. 

In doing so, some local leaders voiced support for the cruise industry, while Mayor Dee-Dee Henriquez tried to deflect any controversy. 

"We are fully transparent," she said on local radio, per NPR. "We have nothing to hide. And we remain committed to ensuring water quality for our community."

Why is turbidity important?

While kicked-up silt from the sea floor may sound harmless, it can disrupt the entire ocean ecosystem. Cloudier water lets in less light, which is crucial for seagrasses and coral reefs. It can also clog the gills and alter the development of many types of fish, according to the EPA.

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Plus, the local government's backslide after water testing was mandated shows signs of greenwashing and favors corporate interests over a healthy planet. 

What's being done about water testing in Key West?

Luckily, the law still stands, and the city must find another way to test the bay. However, the process could take many months. In the meantime, the College of the Florida Keys will still conduct quality testing outside the city-funded program.

Want to do more for the oceans? Consider ways to vacation with the planet in mind.

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