Monroe County Approves Continuing The Development of Its Canal Restoration Program

MARATHON, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved continuing with the development of its canal restoration program during a special meeting Monday at the Marathon Government Center. The 5-0 decision was made after the Commission was presented with the early results of seven restoration demonstration projects that showed improved water quality and provided information gathered on which techniques work better.

It’s a massive undertaking to address the problem: 229 manmade canals in unincorporated Monroe County are impaired and do not meet State water quality standards. The approximate cost for restoring these canals is daunting at $671 million.

On Monday, the BOCC approved a resolution to spend $1.5 million in state funding, which comes from the Florida Keys Stewardship Act that was passed early in the year, on canal restoration. It also approved using some RESTORE Act funds, which come from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements, on canal restoration.

The BOCC next approved using up to $2 million of Stewardship and RESTORE funds during FY 2017 on the restoration of six additional canals.

The $1.5 million in Stewardship funds would be used for a backfilling project on a canal in Key Largo (either Canal 75 or 76) that has been identified as one of the most impaired by the Monroe County Canal Management Master Plan.

Four canals in Key Largo (No. 48, 59, 79 and 80) are slated for augmented aeration, a new technique that has not yet been used in the Florida Keys. But before these projects can go forward, the BOCC is requiring that there is community funding participation by the homeowners who live along those canals.

The fifth canal, No. 83, is a combination of organic removal, backfilling and an air curtain. Funding for this already is in place.

The County began its canal restoration program in 2012 and so far has spent $7 million on demonstration projects on seven of the worst canals in Monroe County. The original pilot restoration projects tested four types of technologies (backfilling, organic removal, air curtains, and culverts) or combinations of the technologies on canals in Key Largo, Big Pine Key and Geiger Key. While some of the techniques have worked better than others to date, all have shown improvement in water quality. It is still too early to tell the long-term success of each of the projects. Six of these seven canals require ongoing operation and maintenance to keep their water quality improvements.

On Monday, the BOCC also approved a resolution that directs County staff to continue with the development of a program to collect special assessments and the creation of municipal service benefit units (MSBUs) to collect funds to pay for the ongoing operation and maintenance costs for the six original canals at a combined cost of about $87,000 per year. The special assessments would be levied only on the homeowners whose properties are along these canals. There will be public hearings throughout the process before any special assessments are put in place.

The property owners on these restored canals have benefitted from improved water quality, gains in overall appearance of their property, increase in property values and improved use of the canals for fishing, swimming and other recreational uses.

Monitoring for the water quality improvement of the canal restoration projects is being conducted in the canals and 50 meters from the canal’s mouth. Commissioner Danny Kolhage said it is important to know how canal restorations, as well as other water quality efforts including advanced wastewater treatment, are affecting the nearshore waters before approving future expenditures for the canal restoration program. The Commission agreed, and directed County staff to have a scientific, peer-reviewed study done.

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