Community Action Plan:
Billy’s Creek, Fort Myers
Executive Summary
The Billy’s Creek Community Action Plan (BC-CAP) serves as a call to action for restoring a local tributary, Billy’s Creek. From its early history to the present day, memories and life experiences intersect and continue to affirm the significant role Billy’s Creek holds in the greater Fort Myers community. Throughout the process of writing the Billy’s Creek Community Action Plan (BC-CAP), oral histories were collected in an effort to understand the place Billy’s Creek holds in the hearts of the people who live here. Shared with us were stories of learning to swim in the once white, sandy-bottom creek; teaching youth about the local environment with school trips to the creek; and, most popularly, fishing alongside family and friends.
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Billy’s Creek Oral History Project
Our stories are what connect us to each other and our environment. Therefore, Calusa Waterkeeper is collecting oral histories from community members to amplify the historical, cultural, and recreational significance that Billy’s Creek has had in our lives.
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Related News Stories
Fecal Bacteria
Fecal bacteria remains elevated in Fort Myers canal, city says
After nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper found potentially dangerous levels of human fecal bacteria in Manuel’s Branch, an urban canal and creek in Fort Myers, the city’s Environmental Advisory Board heard an update on efforts to monitor and address the problem.
Fort Myers laid out response to fecal bacteria concerns at Manuel’s Branch
Manuel’s Branch had been an issue since at least 2021, when the Department of Environmental Protection found that the city failed to address long-term elevated levels of bacteria.
Group eager to help city with polluted creek, but can it be saved?
Manuel’s Branch’s fecal bacteria levels regularly test far above state safety standards according to both government data and independent testing. The problem is not new.
Calusa Waterkeepers push city to act after finding fecal contamination in creek
Calusa Waterkeeper is calling on the city of Fort Myers to take immediate action after their independent testing revealed persistent human fecal contamination in Manuel’s Branch, a popular recreational waterway that flows through downtown Fort Myers.
Calusa Waterkeeper Finds Evidence of Human Fecal Contamination in Manuel’s Branch After Two-Year Investigation
A two-year investigation by local environmental group Calusa Waterkeeper has found evidence of human-source fecal contamination in Manuel’s Branch, a small urban creek located just south of Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers.
Calusa Waterkeeper Publishes Human Source Tracking Investigation of Fecal Bacteria Pollution in Fort Myers Waterbody
Calusa Waterkeeper volunteers and staff have collected evidence of persistent human sources of fecal contamination to Manuel’s Branch. The group will be presenting to the City of Fort Myers Environmental Advisory Board on December 2nd, 2025.
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Priority Issues
Harmful Algal Blooms
Cyanobacteria & Red Tide
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and Karenia brevis (red tide) have been making major impacts on Southwest Florida.
Lake Okeechobee Discharges
Revise System Operating Manual
The Caloosahatchee River often suffers from too much freshwater in the wet season, and not enough freshwater in the dry season.
Cape Coral Spreader Canals
Nutrient & Sediment Loading
The City of Cape Coral is working to remove large storm-water barriers to make recreational boating more convenient.
Bacteria Monitoring
Fecal Bacteria
Calusa Waterkeeper has been at the forefront of monitoring this Fort Myers tributary for fecal bacteria indicators.