Water quality testing sites determined
Locations have been determined for pick up and drop off locations for the “What’s in the Water” project, which involves individuals collecting water samples to study the non-point source pollution coming from Fort Myers Beach and going into the Gulf and Estero Bay.
Mound House Education Coordinator Penny Jarrett said they have revised their project to include 100 sites to be tested, rather than 200.
“We can increase the sites if we get more volunteers,” she said. “I’m hopeful at this point that we will have enough volunteers to get some really good data.”
The sites are mapped out to include both the Gulf of Mexico and the Estero Bay side of Fort Myers Beach at about a half a mile apart.
“There are mile sections and people disperse from there and go out and get their samples,” she explained.
Since the registration went live on the town’s website last week, 15 volunteers have signed up to participate in the “What’s in the Water” project.
“I did meet with the fourth-grade teacher at Beach Elementary and she is very keen on the project,” Jarrett said, which involves encouraging parents and the students who attend the school to participate. “I was really excited about that. The school has a flyer that I made and they are sending that out to let parents know.”
In addition, the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation has shown interest in helping as well.
“I think it’s generating enough interest,” Jarrett said of the project.
“What’s in the Water,” is a joint project of the Mound House, Florida Gulf Coast University and NOAA. The dry season collection will take place from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18.
Those who would like to lend a helping hand for the island-wide water testing should register at www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/FormCenter/Water-Quality-Testing3/Water-Quality-Testing-Volunteer-37.
Once registered, volunteers will need to pick up their collection bottles and instructions from either Bay Oaks Recreation parking lot from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, or at Newton Park picnic tables from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15.
Volunteers are also being recruited to help with handing out supplies at the pick-up locations.
Once the samples are collected on May 18, they need to be promptly brought to Fish-Tale Marina outside Ship Store, the Mound House by the kayak shed, or to the Bay Oaks parking lot. The samples need to be brought to these two locations to be put into a cooler.
The water samples will be collected at a depth of approximately 18 inches under the surface level on the Gulf side and at the end of the canal on the Estero Bay side.
Florida Gulf Coast University will process the water samples at the Mound House from noon to 2 p.m. for those interested in learning about water-quality research.
The students will have tables set up to test one of the two bottles from each sample site to process color dissolved organic matter. The other water sample will be frozen and sent to the FGCU lab for orthophosphate, nitrate/nitrite and ammonium analysis.
Another sampling will be done during the rainy season with a date yet to be determined. The data from each water assessment will be analyzed and sites that show the highest level of nutrients will be identified as hot spots. The land around the hot spots will be looked at to see what kinds of recommendations could be given to modify the existing landscape. The hope is that those hot spots would be altered or modified to include native plants for the landscaping.
The “What’s in the Water” project came about after Jarrett read about an opportunity to apply for the Planet Stewardship Education Program, which is offered through NOAA. She applied for the project because she personally witnessed how the red tide impacted the beach last summer, the “lost summer.”
Since Jarrett is not a water quality scientist but rather an environmental science educator, she met with the Vester Marine & Environmental Science Research Field Station Director Dr. Michael Parsons to talk about the project. That conversation led to doing an island-wide baseline data, one in the dry season and the other in the wet season.
Florida Gulf Coast University is donating their services by supplying the equipment, water-sampling bottles, coolers and laboratory analysis, which is needed to complete the water-quality testing.
Up to $2,500 will be received from NOAA to carry out the project, which includes student water-quality education kits and native plants.