Marco Island’s Water Quality Plan Receives Approval from State and Federal Agencies

 The City of Marco Island was notified on September 8, 2023 that both the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have approved Marco Island’s category 4e alternative water quality restoration plan. As a result, as long as the water quality meets certain thresholds at the next assessment cycle, Marco Island’s waterbody will be removed from the FDEP Verified List of impaired waterways and placed into a FDEP “4e category,” indicating there are ongoing restoration activities underway. The City submitted its (category 4e) water quality restoration plan to FDEP in June 2023. 

The key projects the City will undertake as part of the water quality plan include swale exfiltration improvements, street sweeping, median reconstruction to limit runoff, public education regarding irrigation, cleaning existing culverts to increase water flow, conducting a canal aeration pilot study, continuing water testing and water quality monitoring, among other steps that will reduce pollutants and improve water quality. Some of these projects have already begun and are ongoing. 

According to City Manager Mike McNees, “Improving water quality has been a top priority for the Marco Island City Council since 2019. Since that time, the Council has commissioned a comprehensive ‘Marco Island Nutrient Source Evaluation Project’ to guide water quality efforts. The City has also invested over $5 Million in stormwater projects as well as sought State funding for canal flushing and stormwater system improvements. Public Works Director Justin Martin has taken on this issue with great initiative, and I applaud Justin for his work with the DEP and the City Council on reaching this milestone. There remains much to be done, but this approval represents a big step toward the goal of having Marco Island waterways formally removed from any list of ‘impaired’ waters.” 

In 2019 Marco Island was listed on the FDEP list of “impaired waterways” based on total nitrogen concentrations in 2017 and 2018. In October 2019 the City hired a consulting firm, ERD, to conduct a Nutrient Source Evaluation and Assessment. Water quality data was collected from April - November 2020. In 2021, the City also developed a water quality workplan to evaluate and implement the recommendations in the ERD report. Simultaneously City staff have been working with FDEP to demonstrate ongoing restoration efforts. 

The full ERD report and analysis, the 4e plan, and the FDEP approval letter are all available on the City’s website at https://www.cityofmarcoisland.com/publicworks/page/water-quality.