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
Billy’s Creek Enterococci Sampling Results, January 2020
Poor results at every station on Billy’s Creek this month. Extremely high contamination at the Ortiz and Ortiz Circle stations as is almost always the case. Thanks to retired engineers and CWK Rangers Chris and Ed Shinouskis for their help collecting and analyzing samples.
Billy’s Creek Enterococci Sampling Results, December 2019
Calusa Waterkeeper sampling results for enterococci bacteria at Billy’s Creek in Ft. Myers on 12-15-19. Serious contamination persists. The dredging this year did not mitigate the bacterial contamination.
Fecal Matter Bacteria Pollutes Billy’s Creek at High Rates
Waterways are contaminated with fecal matter, including creeks and rivers that are in some neighbor’s backyards. John Cassani said Billy’s Creek and Estero Bay are polluted with fecal matter, along with bacteria at alarming rates. “We’re seeing levels frequently over a thousand,” Cassani said.
Billy’s Creek Dredging Project may Relieve Flooding on the Troubled Tributary, but Fecal Pollution Remains a Worry
Even as dredges suck bottom muck while earthmovers level it out at an impromptu staging area at Fort Myers’ Shady Oaks Park, Calusa Waterkeeper’s samples of Billy’s Creek continue to show levels of fecal bacteria well beyond what would close a public beach.
A Dry Spell in SWFL Leads to Lower Enterococci Bacteria Levels around Lee County
With the exception of Billy’s Creek, it’s good to see fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) decline to low levels. Some residents have contacted CWK recently to indicate improving water clarity as well. These sample results are from May 21, 2019 ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend.
Alarming Bacteria Sampling Results from Billy’s Creek
Bacteria sampling results from Billy’s Creek show serious contamination, especially in the upper reaches. The result from station BC-9, near Ortiz Avenue is the highest we have seen since sampling began: 172 times the EPA Beach Action Value of 70 MPN.
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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.