Originally published in Gulfshore Business by Evan Williams on February 24, 2026
The Department of Agriculture awarded Fort Myers a $6 million grant to help clean up polluted canals and creeks throughout the city.
The funding is part of ongoing efforts to address elevated bacteria levels in waterways, such as Manuel’s Branch and Billy’s Creek, which flow through commercial and residential neighborhoods and parks before reaching the Caloosahatchee River.
“We believe there could be real water quality improvements associated with that project,” said Fort Myers Environmental Compliance Manager Justin Mahon, who announced the grant at a City Council workshop Feb. 23.
After water-quality testing in 2024 and 2025 by the nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper detected potentially dangerous levels of human fecal bacteria in Manuel’s Branch, the Fort Myers Environmental Advisory Board discussed the issue at a January meeting. The board asked city staff to provide regular updates to Council on pollution monitoring and mitigation efforts in the canal system.
Elevated bacteria levels have been a problem for decades. According to a Waterkeeper report, testing for HF183, a human DNA marker, and sucralose, an artificial sweetener, indicated human wastewater in canals. But city staff said their own testing has not shown a positive result for HF183 since June 2023 and they don’t test for sucralose because it’s also found in trash. City tests also measure nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants.
A sewage spill of more than 180,000 gallons into Manuel’s Branch in 2020 prompted increased monitoring. Fort Myers adopted a pollution-reduction plan based on Florida Department of Environmental Protection standards, but the measures proved insufficient. City testing over the past year shows that Manuel’s Branch and other canals exceed the DEP’s E. coli threshold for recreational freshwater — 410 colony-forming units in 10% or more of samples during any 30-day period.
“That’s what they want to see in any system in the state,” Mahon said. “We are far above that, but that is the number that’s set.”
Original Story