Fort Myers receives $6 million grant to clean polluted canals

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Fort Myers has received a $6 million grant from the Department of Agriculture to clean polluted canals, including Manuel's Branch and Billy's Creek.

The grant will fund efforts to trim plants that block sunlight, a natural bacteria killer, and remove trash and bacteria.

Jason Pim, a volunteer with the Calusa Waterkeeper, worked closely on sampling water from Manuel's Branch. "Our goal as a water keeper organization is to make as many of these water bodies as possible swimmable, fishable, drinkable. That's the goal is to restore these water bodies and eliminate those risks."

The Calusa Waterkeeper has been actively involved in sampling the water and presenting findings to the city. Last year's study of Manuel's Branch detected fecal bacteria. Although there is no timeline for the cleanup, the city acknowledges that it could take a while, especially since bacteria in warm water spread rapidly.

Pim expressed optimism about the grant's impact, saying, "We're glad the city of Fort Myers will be working on some steps and projects to mitigate some of the risks. There's a lot that needs to be done. It will likely take additional efforts to eliminate the pollution sources. We look forward to collaborating on those efforts."

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