FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Roland Ottolini, Lee County Natural Resources Management
                (941) 479-8127

FORT MYERS, Fla. (December 14, 2001) – The Board of Lee County Commissioners will consider approval Tuesday (Dec. 18) of the initial contract for building a marsh that will filter and cleanse the water running through the Ten Mile Canal in southern Lee County that eventually empties into Estero Bay.

The $300,000 contract is for ECT Environmental Consulting & Technology to provide professional engineering and environmental services for the design, permitting and construction of the project. Ten Mile Canal runs north to south through much of Lee County, collecting drainage and runoff along the way. Studies have shown that stormwater runoff carries nutrients, metals and other pollutants and is a significant factor in the health of our natural creeks, rivers and estuaries.

The project is one of several steps being taken to mitigate county public works projects in the southern part of Lee County and take a more comprehensive approach to the mitigation and permitting of those projects. Other steps have included panther habitat mapping, stepped up water quality testing and purchases of environmentally sensitive lands through such programs as Conservation 2020 and the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW).

The project also is being done in partnership with the private sector through an organization called the Water Conservation and Enhancement Council, which was formed earlier this year. The 15-to-20 acre marsh – to be built east of the canal and south of Daniels Road – is intended to have dense vegetation that will filter out pollutants from water diverted to it before they reach Mullock Creek and Estero Bay. Ten Mile Canal runs from the Hansen Street area in Fort Myers to Mullock Creek near San Carlos Park.

The $2.8 million project is included in the county’s capital construction budget. The private sector is expected to contribute $500,000 toward the cost and the South Florida Water Management District may reimburse another $800,000.

Using the Ten Mile Canal Filter Marsh as a pilot project, the county hopes to develop a Master Natural Resources Preservation/Mitigation Plan to proactively address potential cumulative impacts to the county’s natural resources such as water supply, water quality and wildlife habitat due to existing and future development including both private and public works projects.

The Board of Lee County Commissioners will be discussing such a strategy at its January 7 Management and Planning meeting.

A proactive and comprehensive approach could address environmental concerns through implementation of retrofit and restoration-type projects instead of engaging in the continual technical debates and legal challenges on a case-by-case basis that now characterizes the process.