Cape Coral objects to North Fort Myers injection well

A feud between Cape Coral and two state agencies has accusations flying of bad science, water pollution and putting money before environmental concerns.

In the middle are Cape residents who could face contaminated drinking water and increased water bills from higher operating costs from the city’s water utility.

The fight stems from a Florida Governmental Utility Authority’s proposal to dig a shallow injection well to remove surplus treated wastewater from its North Fort Myers plant. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of intent to issue a permit for the well on April 27.

City Manager John Szerlag said the city has objected to the proposed well numerous times and has concerns the state DEP is ignoring environmental concerns. The FGUA counters the environmental concerns are overblown and the city altered at the last minute a potential agreement which would have prevented the need for the well.