“There are 400 stormwater outfalls, the classic pipes you see, going from the seawall to the [Biscayne] Bay,” Russell said. “Those come directly from the in-falls that are in the streets without any filtration.” Wednesday, the city announced its partnership with the Ocean Conservancy and Ph.D. students from the University of Georgia and Florida International University to find ways to prevent plastics from entering the water, which is ultimately destroying the Biscayne Bay. “It’s a multifaceted problem,” said Melinda Paduani, a PhD student in FIU’s Earth and Environment Department. “And there’s certain kinds that you see. There’s lots of the single use plastics. So, from me looking in, it seems that those are the most problematic items.”