FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Patty DiPiero, Lee County Utilities
              (239) 479-8534

FIESTA VILLAGE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT WINS STATEWIDE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN REMOVING POLLUTANTS

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 13, 2004) - Lee County's Fiesta Village Wastewater Treatment Plant has won the statewide Earle B. Phelps Award for its excellence in removing pollutants.

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners will recognize the entire staff of Fiesta Village at its May 18, 2004 Board meeting at 9:30 a.m.

This award is given annually by the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) to recognize the wastewater treatment facility that has maintained the highest removal of major pollution causing constituents prior to discharging the treated effluent to receiving waters. Fiesta Village won in the Advanced Treatment category.

The award was based on such criteria as the previous 12 months of the facility's monthly reports, the flow-weighted monthly and annual average effluent and effluent concentrations with the associated percent removal of each parameter identified in the award criteria and a schematic diagram of the treatment facility's operation or process.

Lloyd Wall, Wastewater Superintendent, and Dennis Lang, Lead Operator of Fiesta Village, accepted the award in Orlando last month at the Florida Water Resource Conference.

FWEA is the Florida Member Association of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) that provides educational and technical enhancements for water quality around the world. The FWEA is an organization of water quality professionals responsible for protecting Florida's clean water environment. They provide educational opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of water quality issues.

The county's Utilities Division serves 66,877 water and 42,975 sewer customers in portions of North, East and South Lee County. The county operates eight wastewater-treatment plants - Fort Myers Beach, Fiesta Village, Waterway Estates, Highpoint, Pine Island, San Carlos, Three Oaks, and Gateway - with a total of 24.8-million gallons of capacity per day, and seven drinking water-treatment plants - College Parkway, Corkscrew, Green Meadows, Olga, Waterway Estates, Bartow, and Pinewoods - with a combined 30.6-million gallons of capacity per day. The Utilities Division has an annual operating budget of about $30.3 million.