Siesta Key Grand Canal project receives grants, hopes for others

A group of Siesta Key residents hopes to improve the canal’s water quality through the installation of mini reefs.

After installing more than 100 mini reefs throughout the Grand Canal, the Siesta Key Association won a grant to help continue its work with the hopes of more to come.

The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, a nonprofit focused on reversing a decades-long decline in the health of Sarasota Bay, awarded SKA about $1,500 to continue its work and add an aeration system to the canal.

It also received $500 from the IBM employee volunteer program, which allows retired IBM employees to volunteer hours to receive money toward a nonprofit.

The mini reefs, created and installed by Ocean Habitats, are passive devices installed under docks to attract marine species that naturally improve water quality.

Once established, each reef can host enough life to filter 30,000 gallons of water daily. Just over 113 reefs — or about 11% of the canal’s capacity — have been installed at 84 homes since December 2020.