Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on November 12, 2020 Once again, two construction sites have dumped polluted stormwater into the Caloosahatchee in downtown Fort Myers. Barriers around the work sites failed to contain the dirty runoff...
Originally published in Keys News by Theresa Java on November 12, 2020 A federal judge ruled recently that water discharges from Lake Okeechobee managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are to be evaluated to make sure they’re not harmful to native and protected...
Originally published in WGCU Media by Valerie Vande Panne on November 9, 2020 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing large discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers ahead of tropical storm Eta. That could be...
What Impacts Could Tropical Storm Eta have on Lake Okeechobee and Water Releases? Originally published by WINK News on November 4, 2020 As we continue to watch Tropical Storm Eta’s track, we’re looking at the impact it could have on Southwest Florida water. If Eta...
Dramatic Images Show Lake Okeechobee Releases Meeting Gulf near Sanibel Originally published by WINK News on November 2, 2020 There are new concerns for Southwest Florida water quality. New aerial images show the Lake Okeechobee water discharges reaching the Gulf of...
Judge Orders Engineers Study Lake O Water Release Effects on Algal Blooms and Endangered Species Originally published by WINK News on October 29, 2020 Lake Okeechobee is going under the microscope to protect Florida’s endangered species and its habitat from toxic...
Originally published in The Pine Island Eagle by Paulette LeBlanc on October 28, 2020 Island resident and GPICA President Scott Wilkinson often finds himself running back and forth to Fort Myers to test the waters from Tropical Point Park in St. James City. After...
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 20 This week, John Cassani reminds us of the importance to get out and VOTE! Review our candidate questionnaires for both City of Fort Myers and City of Cape Coral...
Cape Coral seeks $2M in State Funding to Push for Chiquita Lock Removal Originally published by WINK News on October 26, 2020 The City of Cape Coral is moving forward with hopes to remove the controversial Chiquita Lock. The fight over whether the lock should be...
Water Releases from Lake Okeechobee to Begin Originally published by WINK News on October 9, 2020 The water level right now in Lake O is over 16 feet. Col. Andrew Kelly with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said releases from the lake will resume on Tuesday or...
As seen in a News-Press Op-Ed submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Florida has always had problems with water pollution during the modern era. This is not surprising considering the historic rate of population growth and landscape conversion to more intensive...
Researchers Take More Samples from Billy Creek in Fort Myers Originally published by WINK News on Septtember 30, 2020 The saga continues over water quality in a Fort Myers waterway. People are concerned about what’s in Billy Creek, so once again, researchers went out...
A partial ruling was recently reached by a federal judge on our lawsuit involving the Army Corps’ failure to assess Lake Okeechobee discharges’ impacts on downstream endangered species. In the wake of this recent decision, we received the following letter...
For many years, Calusa Waterkeeper has been advocating about alarmingly high levels of fecal indicator bacteria in Billy’s Creeks in Fort Myers. Recently our Billy’s Creek committee has engaged in a number of meetings with City of Fort Myers Council and...
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 19 This week, John Cassani informs us that the Army Corps of Engineers recently announced they may have to start discharging Lake Okeechobee water into the Caloosahatchee. Plus, there has been a recent fish kill in Bonita Springs...
Lake O Releases to Caloosahatchee Expected soon due to Water Level Originally published by WINK News on Septtember 18, 2020 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is worried about how quickly the level of Lake Okeechobee is rising, and a way to fix that is to release the...
Expert Sends Cape Coral Water Sample to be Tested for Blue-Green Algae Originally published by WINK News on Septtember 11, 2020 Neighbors who live nearby the Shaughnessey canal in Cape Coral are concerned now that it might have fallen victim to a blue-green algae...
Originally published in WGCU Media on September 10, 2020 Back in 2018 this part of the state suffered two serious harmful algal blooms at the same time. The red tide bloom offshore met the blue-green algae bloom which stretched from the Caloosahatchee River estuary...
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 18 This week, John Cassani addresses the ongoing cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in Lake Okeechobee and separate build-ups of nutrients causing Microcystis and Phormidium blooms in Cape Coral freshwater canals. Stay tuned, as we...
Fort Myers Construction Sites Under Investigation Originally published by FOX4 News on Septtember 8, 2020 Two construction sites in downtown Fort Myers are facing scrutiny from the state Department of Environmental Protection and local leaders, after photos and...
Calusa Waterkeeper and City of Fort Myers find Differing Fecal Bacteria Data Originally published by WINK News on Septtember 8, 2020 Efforts to clean up Billy’s Creek are getting a boost. The City of Fort Myers and Calusa Waterkeeper are working together...
Originally published in The News-Press by Bill Smith on September 8, 2020 Fort Myers officials went on the offensive Tuesday in an effort to counter claims that bacteria, including fecal material, is flowing from the Billy’s Creek watershed to the Caloosahatchee...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 28, 2020 Green Cape Coral canals have become as predictable as the summer rains, and this year is no exception. But while stagnant city waterways may be nothing new, the health department...
Fort Myers Construction Sites Investigated for Caloosahatchee Runoff Originally published by WINK News on August 27, 2020 The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is investigating new reports of stormwater runoff from the City Walk and Silver Hills projects...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 25, 2020 The Caloosahatchee River and estuary are in pretty good shape this summer, although algae blooms loom inland and along the coast. Lake Okeechobee has been plagued by a blue-green algae bloom this...
Fecal Contamination Level is High in Billy’s Creek Originally published by WINK News on August 17, 2020 The latest tests from Calusa Waterkeepers shows that contamination levels caused by fecal bacteria in Billy Creek remain high. Neil Wilkinson is a retired...
Originally published in Be the Change, Volume 16 – a magazine produced by Waterkeeper Alliance Florida’s waters are at a tipping point as phosphorus and nitrogen pollution and climate change combine to create a perfect storm for the increasingly frequent...
Blue-Green Algae Found in Cape Coral Canal Originally published by WINK News on August 12, 2020 Going beneath the surface to figure out what’s going on with our water. “People are now seeing it in abundance in their canals,” said Calusa Waterkeeper, John Cassani....
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 17 Join Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani with special guest Professor James Douglass from Florida Gulf Coast University on the Estero Bay tributaries as they talk water quality and...
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 16 Catch up with John Cassani and all things water quality in this episode of Words from the Waterkeeper. Updates on the significant Lake Okeechobee algae bloom along with fecal bacteria contamination in local waterways and...
