TEST TEST TEST Benthic Monitoring for the Monroe County Canal Remediation Project
Many residential canals in the Florida Keys are unhealthy with low oxygen levels,
murky water, and harmful chemical conditions that have resulted in waters unsuitable for
swimming and many sea critters. To fix these problems the US-EPA, Monroe County, cities
within the Florida Keys, and even homeowner associations are helping to fund restoration
efforts. The first stage of restoration includes the experimental installation of remediation
technologies that could potentially improve canal conditions. Those technologies that are the
most effective and cost-efficient can be installed in more canals across the keys. This first
stage will assess the effectiveness of the different technologies by comparing canals with
installed technologies against nearby, unaltered controls over a period of three years. The
effectiveness of remediation technologies will be determined by using organisms, including
seagrass, macroalgae, and fish that are commonly used to judge water quality in south Florida.
We are also taking sediment samples to understand the source and composition of the
accumulated organic material in the canal bottoms. Check out our work in the demonstration
canals mapped below or visit the Monroe County's
website on the project.
We have recently added six canals in Islamorada to our monitoring. These will be monitored
as sewage changes from septic to municipal sewage.