Key West Real Estate: Canal Cleanup Begins in The Keys

Monroe County has begun work on two canals, part of a major $5 million restoration project to improve the water quality within the canals of the Keys. The first project is being done in Key Largo’s Sexton Cove Canal 29. There are two canals being cleaned up in Big Pine Key, between Witters and Bailey Lanes and also between Avenues I and J. Each project has its own focus regarding what needs to be done to clean up the canals. Monroe County began the canal restoration projects back in 2013, seeking to find better techniques to improve the water quality within more than 100 canals which were found to have major environmental issues.

At the Sexton Cove Canal on Key Largo, the issue at hand is an over-dredged waterway. It will take a few months of work to add in enough dirt and rocks to lessen the depth of the canal. Currently, the canal ranges from 20-34 feet deep, which is too deep to keep the water quality acceptable within a canal that has very little tidal flow. Without the regular influx and circulation of tidal waters coming into the canal, the oxygen level has plummeted and can’t be elevated without some intervention. By making the canal shallower, it will enable stagnant water to be flushed more readily out of the canal, keeping the oxygen levels where they should be to help maintain a healthier ecosystem within the canal. It is anticipated by Monroe County, that the project will be completed in June.

The opposite holds true for the two canals on Big Pine Key, they are currently too shallow and need to be deeper. There is an overabundance of decaying vegetation that has to be removed to promote better water quality. With the regular currents of these canals and average wind direction, a layer of decaying seaweed has piled up, which consumes more oxygen than is able to be replaced naturally. The restoration project will use a barge mounted vacuum to remove the sediment from the canals. From there, the material will be dried and sifted to salvage any good fill dirt that can be gleaned from the dredged materials. Once the dredging is completed, there will be a 6 inch layer of sand placed along the bottom of the canals, providing a new base for sea life.

As these and other Canal Restoration Projects get completed, the Keys will be a better place than before, improved water quality brings us and the environment improved lives. If you are in the market for a new home and a better place to live, and are looking at the Key West area, my team and I are here to help you with all the processes involved in finding the home of your dreams. Please contact me, Jimmy Lane, for all of your realestate needs.