Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus John Cassani was invited to give a presentation on the Basin Management Plan at the January meeting of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association.
Cassani began by saying it has been his experience that Pine Islanders are typically more informed on issues pertaining to water quality than anyone. There are two BMAPS available in Lee County, he said. One is called the Everglades Westcoast and the other is the Caloosahatchee BMAP, both addressing low dissolved oxygen and nutrients as a causative agent.
“(Caloosahatchee BMAP) started out as the Estuary–Caloosahatchee Estuary BMAP and in 2019 — it was pretty much consensus to include the rest of the impaired water bodies in the fresh water river — that would be upstream of the Franklin Lock, so they now call it the Caloosahatchee Watershed BMAP … it includes all the impairments all the way up to the lake,” Cassani said.
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