the greater supply would encourage even more urban development which would 

 replace or damage the few remaining natural areas of the Keys. As a deter- 

 rent, the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority and the Farmer's Home Administration 

 agreed that any new construction in a 1,620 ha (4,000 acres) area throughout 

 the Keys would not be supplied with fresh water (Horvath 1981). 



Waste treatment facilities capable of properly treating and disposing of 

 solids and liquids are vital for the public health of the Keys community. New 

 regional wastewater and solid waste plants were prepared in 1974, when there 

 were about 200 private package plants (small sewage treatment plants) that 

 served the commercial establishments and residential areas. The percentage 

 that used individual septic tanks in unincorporated areas was 95 for the upper 

 Keys, 80 for the middle Keys, and 57 for the lower Keys. In Key West, un- 

 treated wastes were discharged into the Gulf Stream through a 4,700 ft outfall 

 pipe. Since 1974, the capacity of the waste handling facilities of the Keys 

 has increased, but accurate information is not available at this time. 



Climatic Factors 



The physical characteristics of the Florida Keys (small coral islands, 

 90% below 5-ft elevation, maximum 18 ft) provide little protection from hurri- 

 canes or tropical storms. Sixteen major hurricanes have struck the Florida 

 Keys since 1900 (Table 3). The two of exceptional force were the Labor Day 

 Hurricane in 1935 and Hurricane Donna in 1960. Both of these hurricanes had 

 wind gusts of over 180 mph and forced water levels about 13 ft above sea 

 1 evel . 



Table 3. Major hurricanes affecting the Florida Keys (Basil lie et al . 1980). 



Date Coastal area affected 



1906, Oct. 11-20 Florida Keys and Miami 



1909, Oct. 6-15 Florida Keys and Miami 



1910, Oct. 11-13 Key West to Tampa Bay and Jacksonville 



1911, Aug. 9-14 Key West to Pensacola 

 1919, Sept. 2-14 Florida Keys 



1929, Sept. 22-Oct. 4 Florida Keys to Tampa Bay 



1935, Aug. 31-Sept. 8 Florida Keys to Cedar Key 



1935, Oct. 30-Nov. 8 West Palm Beach to Miami and Key West to 



Ft. Myers 

 1941, Oct. 4-12 Miami to Florida Keys and Everglades to 



Cedar Key 

 1945, Sept. 12-19 Florida Keys to Miami and northeast coast 



1947, Oct. 9-15 Key West to Miami 



1948, Sept. 19-25 Key West to Ft. Myers and Ft. Pierce 

 1948, Oct. 4-8 Florida Keys to Ft. Lauderdale 

 1950, Sept. 1-7 Key West to Cedar Key 



1960, Sept. 9-11 Florida Keys and south gulf coast 



1965, Aug. 27-Sept. 12 Florida Keys and Louisiana 



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