Update: Repeat testing shows the water is now under the maximum contaminant level for E. coli bacteria. "We expect to have the W.P. Franklin beach open to swimming and wading by the end of the day (Thursday)."
Foul water has closed the popular Caloosahatchee beach at the W.P. Franklin Lock in east Lee County after tests showed unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, which indicate fecal contamination.
"Public safety is always our primary concern," said Tammy Cleveland of the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the lock and surrounding recreation area. "We will let the public know as soon as possible when we are able to reopen the beach for their enjoyment."
Over the last two years, the Corps has closed the beach 28 times, more commonly in the wet months when seasonal rains sweep across the landscape, washing contaminants into the river. The most recent high bacteria counts, however, started during a dry spell, even before last Sunday's rain, Corps spokeswoman Erica Skolte said.
The beach will reopen once tests show the water is again safe, Skolte said; the next sampling is scheduled for Thursday. Until then, anglers, sunbathers, picnickers and birders can still use the recreation area but should avoid the water.
The riverfront beach isn't the only place in Lee County with water woes.
Cape Coral's Bimini Basin tested so high for fecal bacteria that an annual cardboard boat regatta was canceled, and bacteria levels in Fort Myers Billy's Creek remain dangerously high.
Taken together, they point to a crisis with potentially disastrous long-term regional effects, Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani said. "I wonder how many jobs would be lost if tourism took a nose dive because area waters were not safe."