Biscayne Bay, known in Miami-Dade as "the crown jewel of our environment," is "at a tipping point" and gasping for life, according to a 33-page grand jury report released last week. “Without corrective action, the declining quality of this body of water may become irreversible.”

The grand jury, convened by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, began its work last November.

WLRN and The Miami Herald report that the document warns a myriad of factors threaten the health of the bay and the tourism economy it helps support. "Everything from the aging wastewater infrastructure of Miami-Dade County to private septic tanks, the Turkey Point nuclear power plant and the continued presence of single-use plastics" are named as contributors to the Bay's current health.

And that, claims news sources, is just the list of things local and state officials might be able to address. There are other factors.

The report notes, “The entire balance is further threatened by rising sea levels.”