FDEP Announces BMAPs for Hendry Creek and Imperial River, Caloosahatchee River

FORT MYERS - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has announced adoption of two Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) in southwest Florida, one for Hendry Creek and Imperial River and the other for the Caloosahatchee River.

The plans, developed in conjunction with local stakeholders, describe the pollution reduction responsibilities of each stakeholder and includes detailed lists of projects to be implemented over the next five years. They also outline monitoring plans to track changes in water quality, measure success and inform future management decisions.

Over the first five-year phase of the Caloosahatchee River plans, stakeholders are expected to reduce approximately 148,000 pounds per year of total nitrogen, representing 40 percent of the required urban load reductions in the tidal basin. The first phase of the Hendry Creek and Imperial River plan should achieve urban load reductions of nearly 12,000 pounds of nitrogen, 66 percent of the needed urban load reductions in Hendry Creek and 45 percent of the urban load reductions required for Imperial River. Local agricultural operations will also be implementing best practices for water use and nutrient management.

To achieve these reductions, the local governments have already committed more than $18 million to invest in specific stormwater management and water control projects in Lee County, Fort Myers and Bonita Springs.

Local government investment includes:
• City of Bonita Springs: More than $500,000.
• City of Fort Myers: More than $6 million.
• Lee County: More than $12 million.