A network of primary and secondary canals serve as the stormwater drainage and flood control system for the developed areas of South Florida. Over time these canals, which drain the streets, have filled with sediments and become less effective at conveying storm water. In 2000, the Federal Emergency Management Agency appropriated $235 million dollars to perform maintenance dredging on over 200 miles of these canals in an effort to improve stormwater drainage and prevent the flooding associated with major storm events.

The Sunset Park Canal is located in Kendall, Florida, a densely populated residential community in Miami Dade County. In an effort to minimize the number of trucks required to haul away the 25,000 cubic yards of dredged sediments, the DORM’s contract specifications required on-site dewatering and drying of the dredged materials. To accomplish this task, Shoreline Foundation assembled a state-of-the-art polymer separation plant on the bank on the Sunset Canal. The process removed over 70% of the water content and greatly reduced the construction and traffic impacts on the neighborhood.

As part of the DERM DORM canal dredging maintenance program, Shoreline Foundation also provided Miami Dade County with dredging services for the Coral Way, NW 25th Street, and Westchester Canals.