Cape Coral’s 400-mile canal system is a definitive feature of our City and one of our most vital economic assets.  Our canals offer residents waterfront living and recreation.  The canals also protect our homes from floods, enhance property values, supply us with irrigation water, and attract wildlife to our City.  Cape Coral’s citizens recognize the canal system’s impact on their quality of life and are highly protective of our aquatic assets.  This protective attitude is our canal network’s first line of defense against pollution.  Calls from alert residents are usually the first indication of a canal-related problem.  Our citizens’ concern for their canals has led to the formation of the Cape Coral Canalwatch Volunteer Program.

The Canalwatch program, created in 1995, is a proactive component of the City’s canal management effort.  Canalwatch volunteers act as sentinels for any emerging problems in the canal system.  Each month, volunteers collect environmental data and water samples throughout our City.  The samples and data are then brought to Cape Coral’s water quality laboratory for analysis.  This volunteer monitoring process effectively screens large portions of our City for potential canal problems.  Click here for a map of Canalwatch sites (pdf format).

We always welcome new volunteers!  If you’re interested, please call Harry or Kim at 574-0785.

Canalwatch volunteer taking a secchi disk reading.

Canalwatch bottles ready to be distributed.