Florida DEP brings stormwater discussion to Naples Botanical Garden

Stormwater management may seem like a dry issue, but Southwest Florida residents' attention on water quality turns nutrient removal and flood prevention into everyday topics.

Adding to the ongoing dialogue, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection hosted a "monthly meetup" at the Naples Botanical Garden on Wednesday. Three presenters at the workshop discussed challenges the area faces in managing stormwater and potential solutions to remove nutrients.

Steve Preston, of Collier County's stormwater management team, described the initial attempts to deal with stormwater in Southwest Florida as a "ditch and drain" approach.

"Instead of just ditching and draining, we’ve got the control structures in canals to stop water," Preston said of today's practices. "Think of the canals as elongated reservoirs."

Controlling the water within the canals through these structures provides the opportunity for flood control, wetlands preservation and stormwater treatment, he said.