Monroe County BOCC Special Meeting: Canal Restoration Program

Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, 9 a.m.

Marathon Government Center

2798 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL

MARATHON, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners is holding a special meeting Nov. 14 in Marathon to discuss the County’s Canal Restoration Program. The Commission will determine if and how to proceed with a plan to restore 229 impaired canals in unincorporated Monroe County that do not meet State water quality standards. The discussion also could include how to finance the costs of implementing various components of such a program.

The County began its Canal Restoration program in 2012, when the first phase of the Masterplan was approved as a result of a $100,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.  A formal Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Canal Advisory Subcommittee was formed, which  held regular public meetings. Comprehensive testing of the County’s 500-plus canals, including those in  the municipalities, revealed 311 do not meet State water quality standards.

In early 2013 the BOCC began $5 million in demonstration projects on six 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. The projects tested for permitting ability, cost effectiveness and how well they worked at improving water quality gain.

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. Improvements to water quality in canals is also anticipated to benefit the nearshore waters.

Additional efforts now are needed to allow the County to continue the Canal Restoration Program in an attempt to begin meeting required State water quality standards. Additional monitoring is needed to evaluate the technologies used in the original demonstration canals as well as potential new technologies in order to gauge their effectiveness and make cost predictions for the future.

Following are seven questions and recommendations staff proposes to the BOCC for consideration:

  1. Shall Monroe County continue with the canal restoration program?

Staff Recommendation:  Approval. Staff has developed a conservative, incremental approach for moving forward with the restoration program.

  1. Shall the Operations and Maintenance costs for the existing completed demonstration projects be funded by an MSBU (Municipal Services Benefit Unit)?

Staff Recommendation: Approval. Staff has provided a Resolution for approval directing staff to set up an MSBU and collect special assessments for the operations and maintenance costs of the completed demonstration projects.

  1. Shall Monroe County use FY17 Florida Keys Stewardship Act funds in the amount of $1.5 million for the canal restoration program?

Staff Recommendation: Approval. Staff has provided a Resolution for approval directing that the FY17 Stewardship funds be used for the canal restoration program.

  1. Shall Monroe County use RESTORE Act funds for the canal restoration program?

Staff Recommendation: Approval.  Staff has provided a Resolution for approval directing that RESTORE funds be used for the canal restoration program.

  1. Shall Monroe County staff move forward with six new demonstration projects at an estimated cost of $2 Million, using Stewardship and RESTORE funds?

Staff Recommendation: Approval.  Staff has presented a Resolution for approval directing staff to move forward with the 6 projects.

  1. Shall Monroe County evaluate use of an MSTU to fund program management costs estimated at $1 Million to pay for master program planning, effectiveness monitoring, empirical data collection on water connectivity, outreach, program administration, design of alternative technologies and design and construction of potential new restoration projects so that the FKRAD (Florida Keys Reasonable Assurance Document) requirements can be met and a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) may be avoided?

Staff Recommendation:  Approval.  Staff has presented a Resolution for approval directing staff to continue to research and evaluate moving forward with an MSTU for such purposes.

  1. Shall Monroe County staff continue with program planning so that an evaluation can be further developed for a more accurate cost of the entire program, currently estimated at $300M-$700M, and to develop methods for overall costs savings, effective restoration technologies, more accurate site and technology data, and to continue to apply for grants to help pay for a portion of such costs?

Staff Recommendation: Approval. Staff has developed a conservative, incremental approach for moving forward with the restoration program.

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