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UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 JIM McCARTHY
Canal 148 between Sea and Ocean lanes on the oceanside on Lower Matecumbe Key.
jim@keysweekly.com
long-term plan to improve water quality and reduce sediment buildup in 63 village canals could cost well over $300 million. That’s according to a recent report that ranks each canal based on restoration needs and identifies technologies recommended to improve water quality. Backfill and culvert work for a little more than 10 canals within the Port Antigua community on Lower Matecumbe Key, has an estimated cost of $41 million. Identified in the report as canal 150, it’s the project with the highest price tag and No. 23 on the rankings list. In the report prepared by Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions Inc., canals ranked at the top for restoration were based on a number of factors, which include water quality, evidence of nutrient accumulation and likelihood of toxicity. Canals discharging into Florida Bay or the Atlantic Ocean scored higher, and restoration technology, cost, homeowner interest and public benefit were also taken into account. A canal located on Lower Matecumbe Key scoring the highest is recommended to undergo weedgate, organic removal and backfilling. Estimated restoration costs for canal 147, between Leserra and Atlantic lanes, are around $2.2 million. An injection well and backfilling recommended for canal 132, the second-ranked project located between North and South drives on Plantation Key, shows costs around $2 million. Peter Frezza, village environmental resources manager, said the rankings list will evolve based on a number of factors. “It will change a lot based on the updated water quality information we receive,” he said. “We’re going to have changes in technology and homeowner interest,” he said. “These projects won't happen if we don’t have good support from residents.” Implementation of a canal restoration program started in the village in 2014 to address poor water quality canals. One of the first steps was to objectively and scientifically select canals for water quality improvements.
CANAL RESTORATION COSTS OVER $300 MILLION Report ranks projects and technologies to improve water quality
Canal 145, located between Columbus and Cortez drives, on Lower Matecumbe was a public-private partnership that saw an air curtain installed at the canal’s mouth.
THE HISTORY What began as a push to address septics and cesspits through implementation of a central wastewater system has now transitioned to canal restoration. It’s all part of the Florida legislature’s designation of the Keys as an area of critical state concern in the early 1970s. With the intent to protect the natural environment and property rights also came assurance that a Keys population could evacuate 24 hours before a Category 3 or higher storm. Work plans were adopted for Monroe County and cities with specific tasks for each local government to achieve. Each program was developed in recognition of the fact that these communities contain an important habitat that needs protection. With a central sewer system in place per a state requirement, and millions spent to get it done, municipalities including Islamorada are shifting focus to canal restoration. In 2011, the state identified the lack of dissolved oxygen in canal systems as a key issue needing to be addressed. A canal master plan was approved, which provided a framework to examine some 500 Keys canals. By 2014, Keys municipalities initiated a canal demonstration program — funded locally — to identify and implement technologies best suited to improve water quality. Five technologies were identified: organic removal, backfilling, culverts, air curtains and pumping. Meanwhile, Florida International University researchers were measuring water quality and benthic habitat improvements associated with canals within the demonstration project.
