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Lee Closes a Water Plant; Blame Algae and Salt water

intrusion in Caloosahatchee

Story Created: May 19, 2011 at 2:44 PM America/New_York

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Lee county is closing its water plant at Olga

because of algae and high salt levels in the

Calooshatchee River. Officials are

blaming the algae on hot and dry weather,

and the salinity on intrustion from the gulf.

"We don't want our customers to have taste

or odor issues," said Tom Hill, Assistant

Dir. of Lee Utilities. "We can handle the

algae pretty well, but the salinity is another

issue. It's best to just shut down that plant

and increase water production at the other

plant in the northeast part of the county."

The salt water is intruding upriver because

the S. Fl. Water Management District has

not released fresh water from Lake Okeechobee for some time. It has not done that because of the low levels in the

lake -- it's about 2 feet below the normal for this time of year.

Hill denies any anger toward the water district. "It's mother nature, and mother nature is not always playing fair. 

Droughts happen," he told WINK News.

However, this week two Lee Co. Commissioners flew to Atlanta. They met with top officials of the Army Corps of

Engineers in an effort to get the corps to pressure the water district to release water into the river at more regular

intervals. Commissioner Ray Judah told WINK: the district should have been releasing fresh water last November,

before the current dry period really got bad. He says the district needs to find ways to make sure there are regular flows

of fresh water into the river.

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Lee Closes a Water Plant; Blame Algae and Salt water intrusion in Caloosahatchee Page 2 of 2

http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2011-05-19/Lee-Closes-a-Water-Plant-Blame-... 12/21/2011