Lee Commissioners vote to expand bacteria testing in Lee County waterways

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Portion of Billy's Creek where cleanup is underway. (Credit: WINK News)
Portion of Billy’s Creek where cleanup is underway. (Credit: WINK News)

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted today, Nov. 5, to approve a project with Florida Atlantic University to provide enhanced bacterial testing and analysis of various Lee County waterways.

The testing and analysis will provide a strong understanding of potential sources of human waste bacteria in surface waters in several areas, countywide, with known septic tank coverage. The study will take approximately 18 months to complete.

County staff will negotiate the final scope and agreement with FAU.

This will be an extension of similar work FAU is currently conducting in the North Fort Myers area of the Caloosahatchee Estuary. Lee County first contracted with FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in 2017 and in June the Board approved another year of the research. Based on the first-year results of the Caloosahatchee study, the Board has expanded it to include other waterways in Lee County.

For more information on Lee County Natural Resources’ efforts to protect and improve water quality, log on to http://www.leegov.com/naturalresources/WaterQuality.

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