Best Management Practices for canals are designed to provide additional protection to Florida’s water resources. Since canals are often connected to streams, lakes or other waterbodies, forestry activities adjacent to canals have the potential to impact water quality through such connections.
For the purposes of this Manual, the term canal does not include natural streams that have been hydrologically modified by dredging or straightening to enhance their efficiency to transport water. Although such “modified streams” may have been significantly altered, they are still geographically located to receive and transport storm water and thus are connected directly to other waters. In most cases, they continue to perform important natural stream functions particularly if they have associated wetlands. For these reasons, BMPs for modified streams (including SMZ criteria) are identical to those for any other naturally occurring perennial or intermittent stream, except for maintenance activities (see Canal Maintenance section).
Canals, for the purposes of this manual, are totally man-made and generally independent from natural drainage features. As artificial systems, canals exhibit only periodic and limited characteristics of natural streams and usually receive periodic maintenance. Canals do not include forestry road-side ditches or upland field ditches.
BMPs for Canals
- During normal silvicultural operations, do not operate heavy equipment within canals or in such a manner as to result in damage to the canal bank.
- Avoid canal crossings when possible. Where necessary, construct crossings in accordance with the Stream Crossings section of this manual.
- Do not conduct bedding, chopping or other site preparation activities in such a way that results in direct surface water discharge into a canal.
- Avoid dropping logging slash in canals; remove significant amounts of logging slash from canals.
- Do not discharge pesticides not approved for aquatic use, fertilizer, or other pollutants into canals. Do not dispose of chemical containers and/or equipment rinse water in canal waters.
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