by Michael Barnaby

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most beaches in America aren’t monitored regularly for water quality. And according to an Associated Press report, there were 6,160 beach closings and advisories nationwide in 1999, with 70 percent due to bacteria associated with sewage or polluted runoff -- even with drought conditions slowing runoff.

In Florida, with over seven hundred miles of coastline to monitor, beach water safety is both a public health and economic concern. (Fort Myers recently placed among the top ten winter destinations in the nation, along with Orlando, Las Vegas, Phoenix, New York City, Denver, Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco).

In 1998, the state began an eleven county pilot project monitoring the water quality at selected beaches throughout the state. Through this 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. These are bacteria that we normally carry within our intestinal tract, and dispose of through sewers and septic systems. But their presence in beach water signals pollution, which may come from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage. If they are present in high concentrations in recreational waters and ingested while swimming, or enter the skin through a cut or sore, they can cause disease, infections and rashes.

According to Professional Engineer Gary Maier of the Lee County Health Department, "Our Environmental Engineering division launched a coastal beach water sampling program last August. We collect samples once every two weeks from 13 popular area beaches, including Fort Myers Beach, Blind Pass, Boca Grande, Bonita Beach, Lovers Key and others throughout the county." These water samples are analyzed for both enterococci and fecal coliform bacteria at the health department’s Environmental Health laboratory on Danley Drive. To date, Lee County has not had any high bacterial concentrations. But should this occur, Environmental Engineering will issue health advisories or warnings.

So in answer to the question "Are Lee County’s beaches safe", the answer to date is ‘Yes’. 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."