May 2024
FACT SHEET
Florida Keys Water Quality Improvements
Construction (C)
Congressional District: 28
1. DESCRIPTION
Per Public Law 106-554, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is authorized to provide technical and financial assistance to carryout projects for the planning, design, and construction of storm water and wastewater treatment works to improve water quality in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. As population and tourism in the Keys have increased over the years, wastewater and storm water treatment and management practices have not kept up with available technology. Nutrients from wastewater are one of the contributing factors to the decline of the water quality in both the canals and nearshore waters surrounding the Keys. The primary purpose of this effort is to improve water quality in the Florida Keys, by implementing projects within the wastewater and storm water master plans previously prepared for Monroe County and various municipalities within Monroe County, Florida. The authorized federal cost is $200 million. The federal government is reimbursing municipalities for efforts they are undertaking.
Municipalities included in the Florida Keys Water Quality Improvements Program are Key Largo, Key Colony Beach, Marathon, Islamorada, Layton, and Key West.
2. FUNDING
| Allocation thru FY23 |
$50,320,000 |
| Allocation for FY24 |
$0 |
| President’s Budget FY25 |
$0 |
3. SPONSOR
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, Florida 33416-4680
4. STATUS
Project Partnership Agreements (PPAs) have been executed for all six municipalities included within the program. To date, just over $79 million has been reimbursed back to municipalities of Monroe County for the storm water and wastewater projects they have constructed. $5.125M was provided in the FY21 work plan and was reimbursed by September 2021. In FY22 and FY23 funding received was be used to reimburse Key Largo, Islamorada and Marathon. These municipalities have remaining eligible reimbursements under the program’s initial $100M allocations. Congress has authorized an additional $100M to the FKWQIP through WRDA 2022.
