Water-Related News

Lee Commissioners approve design contract for water quality project at Lakes Regional Park

FORT MYERS – The Lee Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to award a contract to Johnson Engineering for the design of water quality improvements at Lakes Regional Park.

The project is intended to improve the quality of the water flowing from Lakes Park into Hendry Creek through the construction of an alum treatment facility. Based on water conditions, the treatment facility will add alum to the West Lake, which will bind with and settle out excess nutrients and algae.

Excess water from Lakes Park, 7330 Gladiolus Drive, discharges into the Hendry Creek West Branch and eventually flows into Estero Bay. The watershed of the West Branch includes the urbanized areas west of Summerlin Road and north of Lakes Park. Hendry Creek West Branch is a tributary to the Hendry Creek, which has a Total Maximum Daily Load for total nitrogen and is subject to a State of Florida Basin Management Action Plan.

The design contract is for $598,575 and project has received a $475,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The design phase is expected to take about a year.

For more information on Lee County’s efforts to protect and improve water quality, visit https://www.leegov.com/water.