OUR WATER & ENVIRONMENT
Clean water is essential to enjoying the sport of sailing and boating in general. At Edison Sailing Center, the safety and enjoyment of our sailors is our top priority.
Like many excellent watersport destinations throughout the world, Southwest Florida has its share of water quality challenges and impacts from pollution. In addition to localized activities, the Caloosahatchee River has historically been used by water managers as a primary “outlet” to discharge excess quantities of water from Lake Okeechobee, far up-river from Fort Myers. This has the effect of transporting much more water and pollution from other parts of the state then would naturally be here. Major weather events like Hurricanes Irma and Ian drive these decisions that contribute to harmful algal blooms in Southwest Florida. As a result, we have had to postpone and cancel an event in the past, namely during the summer and fall of 2018. We’re hopeful that’s behind us.
Over the last several decades, an unprecedented amount of funding and projects have been authorized throughout South Florida to address water quality concerns. In general, we live in paradise and enjoy great access to the Caloosahatchee River!
Learn More About Water Quality
Local Resources & Dashboards
SCCF Caloosahatchee Conditions
From salinity to flow rates, and much more data, the weekly Conditions Report from SCCF is a great way to keep tabs on what's happening on the Caloosahatchee River.
FDEP Algae Bloom Dashboard
Algal bloom sampling is performed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and bloom status can be found in this on-demand dashboard and interactive map.
FDOH Healthy Beaches
The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and Lee County monitor many public beaches for bacteria, including our location at North Shore Park.
