that construction industries provide approximately 5% of all the Keys' employ- 

 ment, personal income, and gross sales (Florida Department of Administration 

 1974). 



Table 2. The percentage of services and retail sales attributed to the mili- 

 tary in Key West (Florida Department of Administration 1974). 



Expenditure Percentage 



City electric system (sale to military bases) 36 



Commercial banks (military only) 40 



Savings and Loan Association 30 



Automobile sales 65 



Recreation outlets (military and civil service) 80 



Food sales (military and civil service) 60 



Clothing sales (military and civil service) 50 



Newspaper sales 32 



Saltwater commercial fish landings in Monroe County in 1973 were about 

 16% of the State total, (see chapter on the commercial and sport fisheries 

 for statistics). The sizeable shrimp fishing grounds near Dry Tortugas, 

 105 km (65 mi) west of Key West, are of particular importance. The quality of 

 sport fishing in the Florida Keys is famous throughout the United States and 

 is a major attraction to tourists. 



Public Services 



The increasing population in Monroe County has placed severe demands on 

 the freshwater supply, wastewater treatment, and transportation facilities. 

 The delivery of urban services to a string of islands tied together by a ser- 

 ies of bridges is more susceptible to interruption than most areas. The Keys, 

 because of their location and low-lying topography, are especially vulnerable 

 to tropical storms and hurricanes. 



Supplying fresh water is perhaps the most important public service in the 

 Keys. The high salinity of the aquifer underlying the Keys requires desalina- 

 tion. The new desalination plant at Stock Island, near Key West produces 

 about 3 mgal/d. The primary source of fresh water is the mainland. It is 

 delivered by an 18-inch pipeline that follows U.S. Hwy. 1 from Florida City 

 to Key West. This pipeline was constructed in 1940 and has a capacity of 

 6.2 mgal/d. The 40-year-old pipeline is currently (1981) being replaced by a 

 24-inch pipeline that will deliver 13.5 mgal/d. The new pipeline will extend 

 to Marathon in early 1982, and to Key West in 1985 (Personal communication 

 Bruce Adams, SFWMD 21 September 1981). 



In the event of a breakdown in the supply of fresh water from Florida 

 City, there is a 3-day supply at the present level of usage stored in 

 30 mgal/d storage tanks. The water supply is a limiting factor to population 

 growth. In 1979, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Fed- 

 eration were opposed to the new pipeline and new desalination plant because 



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