Bernie Mont
•8/6/2026
Lee County is completing the final design for a pilot project that will convert homes in the Ortiz Circle and Orange River Estates areas from a septic to a sewer water system. "I think the real story here is water quality and affordability," said Assistant County Manager Marc Mora, who oversees Lee County Utilities. "To convert from a septic system to the central sewer system for any of our constituents is costly. We wanted to mitigate the cost through this pilot ." Lee County received a $1.5 million state grant to fund this project. County officials intend to use it to study the affordability and efficiency of connecting neighborhoods to the central sewer system, which could inform possible future conversion projects. Mora added that connecting homes to the public sewer system could improve the water quality of nearby waterways by reducing the amount of nutrients released by aging septic tanks. "We will have cleaner water in the ground as well as flowing into our rivers and the water bodies," Mora said. The project will affect homes on Ortiz Circle, Sunkist Way, Little River Lane, Oak Tree Court, Orange Tree Court and Mineola Court. The Ortiz Circle neighborhood is near Billy's Creek. Fort Myers received a $6 million grant in February from the Department of Agriculture in part to clean the polluted canal. County officials will host meetings on Aug. 25 and 26 at the Buckingham Community Center and Schandler Hall Community Center, respectively, to answer questions about the project. Both meetings will start at 4:30 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m., and attendees can walk in at any time. County officials expect construction to start in the spring of 2027 and take about 18 to 24 months, according to a county newsletter. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
