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Canals and Dredging
Cape Coral canals: Gulf access or freshwater?
SE Cape Coral:
• Most lead to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Most lead to the Caloosahatchee River (the further north, the
longer the ride to get to open water).
• Some are landlocked (freshwater and/or lake access only).
• Most canals east of Del Prado Boulevard provide direct
Gulf access (no bridges to navigate under).
• Some canals require you to exit through a boat lift or lock to
access open water (SW of Chiquita Blvd).
SW Cape Coral:
• Most canals provide access to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Some are only freshwater access.
• Some require you to exit through a boat lift/lock to get to open water.
NE Cape Coral:
• All are landlocked – meaning freshwater only –
They do not provide Gulf access.
• Some provide access to large bodies of water.
NW Cape Coral:
• Canals west of Burnt Store Road provide Gulf access.
• Canals east of Burnt Store Road are freshwater (no Gulf access).
• Canals west of Old Burnt Store Road provide direct Gulf access (no bridges to go under).
Water Control Structures
Within these canals, there are
approximately 27 water control
structures (weirs) designed to:
·Control the amount and timing of
freshwater discharge to adjacent
marine waters.
·Create freshwater reservoirs to
supply secondary irrigation demands.
·Regulate flood levels throughout
the city.
·Provide storm water runoff.
Be sure to ask us for a canal owner’s manual.
The importance of canal dredging
The City of Cape Coral has one of the largest active canal dredging
programs in the country. The dredging process removes silt and helps
maintain the water quality of the salt water access canal system.
Dredging also helps navigability in the waterways, and may take six to
eight weeks for one segment of an 80-ft. canal. Each year the city
schedules specific canals for dredging activity. See www.capecoral.net,
the city’s web site, for more information.
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