Marco Island Canal Science — C-HAWQ
C-HAWQ
C-HAWQ Coastal Habitat & Water Quality Initiative
Free & Open to the Public
Independent Canal Water Quality Research
Marco Island, Florida

Real answers about Marco Island's canal water quality start here.

Free water testing is still running at Marco Island docks through November 5 — about 15 minutes, and your reading becomes part of the record for the canals.

Marco Island's canals have been on Florida's impaired waters list since 2019, and residents have been asking why for just as long. C-HAWQ works with independent university researchers to answer that question with data. The Canal Science Symposium and the three workshops that followed are all recorded below, and free dock testing continues through November 5.

C-HAWQ is a nonprofit and doesn't advocate for any single fix. We provide the independent research that helps municipalities make the best decisions for their communities.

Contribute Your Data
Free Water Quality Testing

Right at your dock, about 15 minutes — no equipment or experience needed. Booking is open through November 5.

At your dock · ~15 minutes · Through Nov 5

Your reading is citizen science — it helps build the full picture for Marco Island's canals.

Book Your Testing Visit
Free testing is available to Marco Island residents only — you must live on the island to qualify.
Watch the Recording
Canal Science Symposium

Held August 28 at the Marco Island Public Library. Four researchers presented what the data shows about the canals — the full session is below.

The presentations cover where the nitrogen in the canals is coming from, what the monitoring data shows, and which options the science supports. Watch it and judge the evidence for yourself.

In collaboration with
The Collier County Public Library does not sponsor or endorse this program.
Watch the Sessions
Workshops

Three free sessions ran in September at the Marco Island Center for the Arts, each digging into one piece of the canal science. All three were recorded in full.

Habitat & Native Vegetation

What native shoreline plants do for canal water quality — and how to put them to work along your own seawall.

Held September 2
Marco Island Center for the Arts
Citizen Science

How resident testing visits are building a live water quality map of Marco Island's canals — and how to add your own.

Held September 9
Marco Island Center for the Arts
Fisheries & Habitat

How canal water quality shapes the fishery you run on — and where the fix starts.

Held September 16
Marco Island Center for the Arts