Calusa Waterkeeper Tests for Source of Billy’s Creek Contamination

Fecal bacteria contamination in Billy’s Creek has been a concern for years, and a local group, Calusa Waterkeeper, is working to fix the problem. They hope new testing will help determine where the bacteria is coming from.

Billy’s Creek winds from Fort Myers to the Caloosahatchee, but fecal bacteria has been plaguing this waterway for at least two decades.

A City of Fort Myers Central Wastewater Treatment Facility sits along the river off Michigan Avenue, behind the Fort Myers Cemetary.

Ed Shinouskis, a ranger with the Calusa Waterkeeper said, “When my wife Chris and I moved down here four years ago, we thought we were moving to paradise … Lo and behold, we realized that there’s quite a few environmental issues.”

Shinouskis grew up in Flint, Michigan and says he’s familiar with water quality issues.

He and his wife help Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani sample fecal bacteria in Billy’s Creek.