PRESS
RELEASE: June 11, 2015
DEP HOSTS MEETING TO CONTINUE RESTORATION FOR EVERGLADES WEST COAST BASIN
~Basin includes Gordon River, Hendry Creek and
Imperial River ~
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The
Florida Department of Environmental Protection will hold a meeting on June 16 to discuss water
quality restoration for the Everglades West Coast Basin. Representatives will
review current and potential future monitoring efforts and provide updates on
ongoing restoration activities.
“Department staff and stakeholders have invested significant
time and effort into the restoration of this basin,” said Tom Frick, director
of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “We want to keep
the lines of communication open as we continue to return these waters to
health.”
The Everglades West Coast Basin is impacted by low
levels of dissolved oxygen, often linked to an excess of nutrients in the
water. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous are
naturally present in the water and necessary for the healthy growth of plant
and animal life; however, an excess of nutrients can lead to water quality problems like rapid growth of algal mats, habitat smothering and oxygen depletion in the water. To
combat this imbalance, DEP adopted a five-year restoration plan to reduce
nutrients and restore water quality in the basin. The restoration plan is
approaching the third year of implementation.
The Everglades West Coast Basin restoration plan focuses on two
waterbodies in this basin - Hendry Creek and Imperial River. The Hendry Creek
watershed is located in southwest Lee County. The Imperial River
watershed is also located in Lee County and within the city of Bonita Springs.
For more meeting details and agenda, click here.
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