CARLA ULAKOVIC An ECWCD employee removes trash from one of the canals in Lehigh.

East County Water Control District (ECWCD) is asking residents to help combat pollution in Lehigh Acres.

Every cigarette butt or fast food cup thrown out of a car window; every old prescription flushed down the drain; and every leaky vehicle, all have lasting, and negative impacts on the environment.

“From October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013, ECWCD staff removed more than 49,000 pounds of trash from Lehigh Acres waterways and rights-of-way,” said David E. Lindsay, ECWCD manager. “The trash and household hazardous materials that we are finding throughout the community are items that can be picked up at residents’ curbsides or taken to Lee County’s Household Chemical Waste facility with great ease, but instead people are dumping these materials on vacant lots, and at the ends of roads and canals.”

ECWCD staff maintains and manages Lehigh Acres canals, waterways and rights-of-ways to help provide drainage, prevent flooding, improve water quality and provide recharge to aquifers. Through the vast 70,000-acre plus District, ECWCD staff is constantly monitoring water levels to determine the best way to move water through its system and protect this valuable resource.

“The district works to prevent flooding, to improve water quality by reducing pollution, to help recharge aquifers, through a variety of programs and services, but several obstacles are in place the district is 15,000 acre-feet short on water storage, the amount of septic tanks in the vast community dictate water levels in certain areas, and solid waste pollution is on the rise,” Lindsay said.

In the U.S. about three-fourths of the fresh water withdrawn each year comes from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc., – one-fourth comes from groundwater aquifers. Groundwater is water which seeps into the ground through porous materials. It then fills pores and fractures in layers of underground rock and is held underground in aquifers. Aquifers are natural filters that trap sediment and other particles (like bacteria) and provide natural purification of the ground water flowing through them. Aquifers provide us freshwater that makes up for surface water lost from drought-depleted lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.

As Lehigh Acres continues to develop, more of the natural landscape is replaced by impervious, solid, surfaces, such as roads, houses, parking lots, and buildings that reduce the amount of water that absorbs into the ground and recharges our aquifers and there is an increase in runoff to ditches and streams. This provides an increased need for water storage.

A 2007 study by ADA Engineering found that if faced with a “100-year storm” Lehigh Acres would be 15,000 acre-feet, equivalent to a reservoir four-square-miles, four feet deep, short of storage which would result in extensive flooding. Additionally, the increase in development leads to an increase in potential pollutants. As water from rainfall flows over the landscape, it picks up contaminants from many different sources; this is called non-point source pollution.

These sources comes from oil, pet waste, pesticide, herbicide, fertilizer, sediment, and any other contaminants that ends up on the ground naturally or from human activity. Stormwater picks up these contaminants as it washes over yards, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, and fields and deposits them into Lehigh Acres’ canals, lakes, etc. Nutrient pollution in our waterways comes from various sources including fertilizer, septic tank failure, runoff, human impacts, etc.

“One gallon of motor oil can contaminate, one million gallons of water,” noted Lindsay. “There are disposal sites that will take this material at no charge we reaching out to educate residents in hopes that they will make more responsible choices.”

Residents can help by being aware of and practicing the following responsible methods:

– Dispose of oil and household chemicals properly.

The public can keep reduce water pollution by keeping oils and chemicals out of our local waterways by maintaining vehicles to reduce leaks; never pouring any materials down a storm drain or toilet; and utilizing hazardous waste drop off sites. Residential Household Chemical Waste is accepted at the Lee County Solid Waste Division’s HCW drop-off facility located at 6441 Topaz Court in Fort Myers, off Metro Parkway. This facility is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and every first Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon (except holidays). For more information, visit www.leegov.com/gov/dept/SolidWaste/.

– Pick up pet waste.

By simply picking up pet waste, and disposing of it in trash cans you are helping to reduce the nutrient and E coli nonpoint source pollution. Do not discard pet waste in canals, lakes or other waterways.

– Use fertilizer wisely.

The Lee County Fertilizer Ordinance is in place to help reduce nutrient pollution. According to the ordinance, Fertilizers containing Nitrogen (N) & Phosphorus (P) shall not be applied June 1 to September 30. Fertilizers should not have Phosphorus content of more than 0.25 pounds P2O5/1000 ft. two per application nor exceed 0.50 lbs. P2O5/1000 ft. two per year and the Nitrogen content should be no less than 50 percent slow release nitrogen is required. No more than four pounds of nitrogen per 1000 ft., two in any calendar year. Homeowners are encouraged to follow the practices outlined and referenced in the ordinance and to seek education with the Lee County Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Landscape Program, however education is not currently mandatory. For more information, you can visit online at: www.lee-ounty.com/gov/dept/NaturalResources/WaterQuality/Pages/FertilizeSmart.aspx.