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
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.
Is it safe to go in the water at Fort Myers Beach? Tests had shown poor water quality
Florida determines beach water quality based on Enterococcus levels. A measurement of 70.5 or more cells per milliliter of water is classified as “poor” and may trigger a public health advisory. The Sept. 17 sample showed greater than 2,010 Enterococci per milliliter, a level Calusa Waterkeeper emeritus John Cassani called “very high.”
Fort Myers Beach fecal bacteria: Don’t go in the water at Bowditch Point, officials say
Stay out of the water at Fort Myers Beach’s Bowditch Point Park, warns Lee County’s health department: There’s too much fecal bacteria – more than 28 times the safety threshold – and it might make you sick.
Tests flag Fort Myers drinking water in November. City tells residents in July
When drinking water tests showed positive for coliform back in November the city missed it, then asked the state to dismiss the results. The state said ‘no way’ and eight months later residents heard.
Alva residents worry over new housing plan’s strain on Fort Myers sewage
The Fort Myers Central Facility has not been updated since 1985, and it’s currently under a consent order from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to upgrade. Despite this, Lee County commissioners approved the facility to service the new homes.
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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.