Canal Restoration

Canal Restoration

To find out which canal you are on, please do the following steps:

1. Download the free Google Earth software. 

2. Open this document once Google Earth is downloaded on your computer. Double click on the downloaded file "Monroe_County_Residential_Canals.kmz" which will automatically open in Google Earth. 

3. Put your address in the search toolbar on the top left of the program and click search. Click on the feature that is surrounding your canal and a box will pop up with the associated canal name, depth, ranking, etc.

Contact Us

  1. Rhonda Haag headshot

    Rhonda Haag

    Chief Resilience Officer
    Email: Rhonda Haag
    Phone: 305-453-8774

  2. Sustainability

    Physical Address
    102050 Overseas Highway
    Key Largo, FL 33037

    Phone: 305-453-8774

    Directory

The new plan ranks 96 canals in unincorporated Monroe County with poor or fair water quality ratings that do not meet minimum state standards for water quality. Governor Desantis’ office proposed the work program to help provide accountability in implementing canal restoration projects.  The newly adopted Administration Commission Rule 28-20.140, F.A.C., amends the County Comprehensive Plan to include a 10-year Canal Restoration Implementation work program. Like other tasks in the County’s work program, lack of progress on the new canal restoration tasks will reduce 20 percent of the County’s Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO) allocations.

The County is under a deadline to formalize the canal selection and ranking criteria by June of this year to include it in the County’s update to the State. The selection criteria may be modified as more canal information becomes available. The selection criteria include various environmental factors such as the amount of dissolved oxygen in canals, nutrient accumulation, depth of canals, connectivity to nearshore waters, and the number of parcels along the canal. It also uses a second set of financial criteria to rank canals to take the best advantage of the County’s limited financial resources.  

Canal remediation techniques include organic removal, backfilling, culverts, weed gates, and gravity-fed injection wells to improve dissolved oxygen and the overall water quality of the canals. The technologies were tested in several pilot projects within the County, Marathon, and Islamorada. 

The Monroe County BOCC approved a series of canal restoration demonstration projects. The results will be used to further define restoration costs and for information in future grant applications to state and federal sources.

The Canal Advisory Committee meetings are noticed in the Florida Administrative Register (FAR).

Early Notice & Public Review of Proposed Activity 
in a 100-year Floodplain

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) awarded Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds to the State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). The DEO awarded Monroe County (2) two CDBG-MIT grants (IR036 & IR045) for two (2) projects located within Monroe County and each located in the 100-year floodplain. 
This is to give notice that the following proposed projects under the HUD, CDBG-MIT grant program will be available to all agencies, groups, and individuals, who have an interest, to have an opportunity to review the project plans and express their opinions/concerns about the projects.  Written/verbal comments must be received by Monroe County by June 14, 2023.


1. IR036 - The "Rock Harbor Breakwater Repair" project is located within Rock Harbor on the Atlantic side of Key Largo and runs perpendicular to Cuda, Grouper, Bonito and Lobster Lanes in Monroe County, Florida.

IR036 Rock Harbor Breakwater Repair - EARLY NOTICE
Early Notice for a Proposed Activity in a 100-year floodplain (English)  
Aviso anticipado y revisión pública de una propuesta Actividad en una llanura aluvial de 100 años (Espanol) 
IR036 Rock Harbor Breakwater Repair - Project Plan, Public Review

2. IR045 - The "Tavernier Breakwater Repair" project is located within Tavernier and runs between Orange Blossom and Stinger Roads in Monroe County, Florida. 

IR045 Tavernier Breakwater Repair - EARLY NOTICE
Notice for a Proposed Activity in a 100-year floodplain (English) 
Aviso anticipado y revisión pública de una propuesta Actividad en una llanura aluvial de 100 años (Espanol)
IR045 Tavernier Breakwater Repair - Project Plan, Public Review

Written and/or verbal communication must be received by Monroe County at the following mailing/email address and/or phone number by June 14, 2023.

Monroe County Board of County Commissioners
Attn: Roman Gastesi, County Administrator
c/o:  Rhonda Haag, Chief Resiliency Officer
1100 Simonton Street, Room 2-205
Key West, FL  33040
Email: haag-rhonda@monroecounty-fl.gov
Phone: (305) 395-9928, during the hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Technical Information and Presentations

Additional Information