A recent Natural Resources Defense Council report cites 11,270 beach closings and advisories in 2000, the last year for which data is available. "The principal cause for those closings was elevated levels of bacteria in the water resulting from pollution sources such as sewage and storm runoff," says Sarah Chasis of the NRDC. Eighty five percent were due to elevated bacteria counts exceeding federal swimmer safety standards.

Beach advisories issued by the Lee County Health Department, although rare, have public health and quality of life consequences. We are aware of the inconvenience a temporary closing may cause, but from a public health perspective the prevention of sickness and disease is our desired consequence.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that nationwide the most frequent sources of disease-causing micro-organisms (pathogens) are sewage overflows, polluted storm water runoff, sewage treatment plant malfunctions, boating wastes and malfunctioning septic systems. Although all of the above are potential causes, Lee County beachwater contamination is usually, although not always, related to stormwater runoff.

"When you have rain, there's runoff, and pollutants on the ground eventually run into the Gulf," explains Professional Engineer Gary Maier of the Lee County Health Department. In what is called a "first flush," stormwater containing the highest pollution load first enters our waters, with subsequent water runoff containing less, after the rainfall has "cleansed" the land.

Although there is no legally enforceable standard for water monitoring across the nation, in 1998 Florida began a pilot project monitoring water quality at selected beaches throughout the state. Through this Healthy Beaches Program, since expanded to include all coastal counties, beach water samples are collected by county health departments and analyzed for enterococci and fecal coliform bacteria, organisms that all warm-blooded animals normally carry within the intestinal tract and which wild animals, birds and pets deposit onto the ground (and humans dispose of through sewers and septic systems). But their presence in beach water signals pollution.

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection favors testing for fecal coliform, but in Lee County we also follow EPA recommendations, which adds enterococcus testing to the sampling. "Our Environmental Engineering Division collects water samples every week from 13 popular area beaches, including Fort Myers Beach, Blind Pass, Boca Grande, Bonita Beach, Lovers Key and others throughout the county," explains Maier, adding that "These samples are analyzed for both enterococci and fecal coliform bacteria at the health department’s laboratory on Danley Drive." Although advisories in our county are infrequent, we have issued some beach health advisories. Most have been short term, caused by stormwater runoff associated with heavy rainfall.

Lee County boasts 50 miles of beaches along Florida’s shoreline, and the Lee County Health Department’s goal is to ensure that all our residents and visitors safely enjoy these natural treasures. As health department epidemiologist Dr. Robert South puts it, "We are fortunate in Lee County to have recreational beaches that are safe and inviting, with warm gulf breezes and inviting waters… we truly live in Paradise."