Originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 22, 2024
Once a taken-for-granted bankable asset, Southwest Florida’s degraded water quality is now a critical, contentious topic..
Water issues here have people scrambling for solutions.
A recent Chamber of Southwest Florida event was a case in point. Five stakeholders from very different sectors gathered Wednesday to offer insights on challenges and solutions to a crowd of more than 100.
That the event was organized by a chamber of commerce was telling. In recent decades, water woes have gone from something to be glossed over or minimized to a challenge to be confronted squarely by the business community.
Perspectives differed. While most of the five panelists rated the state of the region’s water a solid C – seven out of 10 – Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce gave it a failing four.
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Filling the ‘education deficit’
Calusa Waterkeeper Capt. Codty Pierce heads a nonprofit, largely volunteer group that monitors and advocates for “drinkable, fishable, swimmable” water. A major challenge, the Florida native and fishing guide says, is the ongoing flood of newcomers who have little idea about how the region works, waterwise. “There’s an education deficit. Most folks come to Florida because we like the climate and they’re not up to date on the challenges. Our main priority is trying to educate those folks … One person does make a difference.”
His four-out-of-10 failing grade comes from his close-up contact with the region’s water woes, monitoring for fecal bacteria, chasing pollution sources and working to clean up the river, creeks and coast. “This is coming from a person who’s lived in Lee County his entire life. I’ve made a living from our natural resources,” he said. “I am here to give you an option.”
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