East County Water Control District (ECWCD) welcomed 14 members of the 2010 Leadership Lehigh class, a program which provides organized training for Lehigh’s future leaders, to its new office building last month. Leadership Lehigh provides hands on training where participants view systems up close, work together to achieve a unique knowledge of resources and services available in our area, region and state.

The 14-member class learned of ECWCD’s programs which manage protect, improve and preserve the natural resources within Lehigh Acres and the western portion of Hendry County in a fiscally responsible manner, said Carla Ulakovic, a community project specialist with ECWCD.

The water control district staff is working to raise awareness of the District’s many programs from canal cleaning to rights-of-way maintenance, to flood and drainage control, to aquatic plant control and National Pollution Elimination Discharge System programs covering a 110 square-mile area.

This square-mile radius includes 311 miles of canals, 20 lakes, 360 culvert crossings, 22 bridges, 66 water control structures, and 1298 preserve acres – including the 598 acres at Harns Marsh.