Water-Related News

Water quality experts talk swimming, exposure to bacteria during Q and A session

Hurricane Ian and a red tide bloom combined to create dangerous conditions in coastal waters in Lee and Collier counties this year, and some water quality experts say they still would avoid swimming at many local beaches.

Ian made landfall on Sept. 28, crushing the Fort Myers-Naples area with powerful winds and raging storm surge. Cars were washed into canals, commercial seafaring boats were pushed a quarter-mile inland, and many water treatment plants were compromised.

The aftermath meant local waters were contaminated with chemicals and other pollutants, and there is still a lot of flotsam in many rivers, canals and bays.

Bacteria from sewage and septic systems as well as red tide (Karenia brevis) caused health officials to issues swim advisories, most of which have been lifted in recent weeks.

But with many questions remaining about Southwest Florida's water quality, it can be difficult to decide whether or not to dip your toes into the Gulf of Mexico over the holidays and into the new year.

So [the Fort Myers News-Press] asked two water quality scientists with decades of experience in Southwest Florida if they would enter local waters, fish or paddle and where.