Water quality a topic of interest at Captiva Community Panel

On Dec. 13, Rae Ann Wessel, natural resource policy director at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Congressman elect Francis Rooney joined forces to give the public an update on Southwest Florida's ongoing water quality issues. Wessel focused on giving the public the history of Lake Okeechobee's water flow, discussed storage plans and clarified what's science and what's a myth when it comes to the lake. Wessel said that the timing of the meeting couldn't have been more perfect.

"It's a really opportune time with Congressman elect Rooney coming into office. We have some really good opportunities to move things forward," Wessel said.

Wessel said that the landscape of Lake Okeechobee changed in the 1880s once Hamilton Disston arrived and channelized a connection between the Caloosahatchee, the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Okeechobee.