Lee County Water Facts • Why Should I Care

Our river and estuary are being sacrificed; and our residents, visitors and even our economy—not to mention our environmental assets and wildlife--are paying the price. Unless action starts to back up rhetoric, we will be facing more summers of algae in the river, red tide in the Gulf and dead things in our bays and on our beaches. If it continues, it won’t be long before there’s no reason at all to come to Southwest Florida—and residents can kiss their livelihoods, quality of life and property values goodbye.

–Bob Janes
Lee County Commissioner, District 1

SFWMD Takes Next Step in Land Acquisition for Everglades Restoration
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board has voted 4 to 3 to accept a proposal to acquire more than 180,000 acres of agricultural land for Everglades restoration. Read more...

State, U.S. Sugar Agree on Everglades Land Deal
The board of the nation’s largest producer of cane sugar has agreed to sell nearly 300 square miles of farmland to the state of Florida for Everglades restoration. Read more...

Commentary: Big Sugar Deal -- Bold or Reckless?
The latest version of Florida's Big Sugar buyout was described by Gov. Charlie Crist as “nothing short of miraculous.'' Actually, it's not miraculous. Not yet. Read more...

News about water quality issues is happening every day. Here are just a few recent highlights.

One way to truly understand the impact that freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee are having on Lee County is to hear your neighbors’ experiences. Those who live on or near the Caloosahatchee River are really seeing the effects first-hand. Here are their stories.

To tell us your tale, email us at mywaterstory@leegov.com. And thanks for taking time to help us better understand the scope of what’s happening to us all.

South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force:

http://www.sfrestore.org

South Florida Water Management District:

http://www.sfwmd.gov

Phosphorus [P]:

An element or nutrient required for energy production in living organisms; distributed into the environment mostly as phosphates by agricultural runoff and life cycles; frequently the limiting factor for growth of microbes and plants.

Blue-Green Algae:

A type of algae natural to our area that blooms in the climatic and nutrient conditions it finds favorable.

Clicking a photo will open up a slide show of the photos from this section.