It is being co-ordinated by Falkirk Council, British Waterways and the Central Scotland Forest Trust.
British Waterways said it was building two more fish passages as part of a white water course upgrade.
Dave Fletcher, chief executive of British Waterways, said he was looking forward to finding out the new seven wonders.
British Waterways said ground water was at its lowest level for 90 years and was taking some time to recover.
BBC: Trapped boaters on Wiltshire canal to be freed in new year
The fish tracking survey is being carried out for British Waterways by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.
Steve Higham, from British Waterways, said the investment would preserve the Grade I-listed structure designed by John Rennie and attract more visitors.
The Helix is being driven by a partnership of Falkirk Council, British Waterways Scotland and Central Scotland Forest Trust through the Helix Trust.
The project will take two years to complete but British Waterways said it will not affect canal users as it will be carried out in the winter stoppage.
The councillors see the scheme as complementing other developments such as the Fens Waterway Link, a multi-million pound project by the Environment Agency, British Waterways and Lincolnshire County Council.
British Waterways, which maintains 2, 200 miles of canals and rivers across the UK, said it could spend the cash used to recover dumped trolleys on maintaining waterways and protecting wildlife.
According to a survey of 1, 991 people, commissioned by British Waterways and conducted by Opinium Research, 86% of people believed supermarkets should pay for dumped trolleys which they own to be recovered.
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