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Waterkeeper study finds human-source bacterial contamination in Manuel's Branch; board urged to press city for focused testing and warnings
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Summary
Colusa Waterkeeper told Fort Myers' environmental advisory board that repeated E. coli and enterococci exceedances in Manuel's Branch include human-source markers (HF183 and sucralose). Presenters urged targeted testing, dye tests at a trailer-park lift station and stronger signage; the board proposed motions to identify a city liaison and to clear vegetation along the embankment.
Colusa Waterkeeper volunteers told the City of Fort Myers Environmental Advisory Board that Manuel's Branch is showing persistent bacterial contamination consistent with human sewage and recommended immediate, targeted follow-up.
"We've confirmed over a number of tests that there's a human source to that contamination," said Jason Pim, a board member and advocacy committee chair with Colusa Waterkeeper, summarizing the group's source-tracing report and urging more frequent, higher-resolution testing. Ken, a longtime volunteer with the group, described how teams scanned outfalls and then ran human-source assays on promising sites.
The report, the presenters said, combined standard indicator analyses (enterococci and E. coli) with human-specific markers (HF183 DNA) and sucralose screening. Ken said the group found HF183-positive results at multiple outfalls and that every HF183-positive surface-water sample they retested also showed sucralose, an artificial sweetener used as a tracer for human wastewater. He said groundwater samples at embankments were positive as well, suggesting multiple human sources rather than a single, easily isolated break.
Why this matters: Manuel's Branch runs through downtown Fort Myers past Lee Memorial Hospital, adjacent athletic fields and Manuel's Branch Community Park — locations with public contact risk, presenters said. The group told the board the creek exceeds state threshold values for indicators a majority of the time and that some exceedances are orders of magnitude above typical standards.
City staff and some board members acknowledged the history of sewage spills and the city’s existing consent order with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Environmental compliance manager Mahone said the city maintains routine E. coli sampling and that methods and indicator choices differ between the city and the nonprofit, complicating direct comparisons. "It's apples and oranges," Mahone said, noting the city’s established monthly E. coli monitoring program.
Key local findings and candidates for investigation included: - A collapsing bank adjacent to a trailer park near a lift station, where ground failure could damage sewage infrastructure and provide an intermittent pathway for human waste into the creek; presenters urged dye testing and inspection of the lift station. Ken framed the trailer park lift station as a "prime candidate" for human-source contamination. - A discharge near Canal Street immediately downstream of a city-operated lift station and retention pond; presenters reported a recent strong septic odor there and foam on the water that coincided with very high indicator counts. - Sediment accumulation upstream of a weir that creates low-oxygen conditions conducive to bacterial persistence; presenters recommended evaluating weir-related sedimentation as a factor in very high local counts.
Recommendations from the presenters included expanding human-source tracing (HF183/sucralose) at greater frequency and spatial resolution, performing a dye test at the trailer park lift station, inspecting and repairing any leaking lift-station infrastructure, and improving public signage at park access points while investigations proceed.
The Environmental Advisory Board pressed for action. One member proposed a motion "to clear heavy vegetation along embankments between Heritage Park and Manuel's Branch while maintaining legacy trees and overhead canopy," and another member moved that the city identify a liaison to work directly with Calusa Waterkeeper to coordinate data sharing and investigations. The motions were made and seconded during the meeting; no formal recorded roll-call vote appears in the transcript.
Gloria Sego, a Fort Myers resident who spoke during public comment, told the board that Manuel's Branch had been the site of the city's largest sewage spill and urged the board to elevate the watershed in council priorities so funding can follow. "As a citizen group, Calusa Waterkeeper is never going to find the money," Sego said. "We have a problem. We need to get Manuel's Creek up the chain of priorities, and then we will be able to find the money."
What happens next: Board members asked staff to present the city's stormwater and pollution-reduction efforts at a future meeting focused on Manuel's Branch (the board scheduled follow-up for the January meeting). Presenters urged more frequent human-source testing and public transparency of data; the board discussed forwarding motions and recommendations to the City Council so the city can evaluate inspection, dye testing and potential maintenance actions.
Sources and limitations: The presentation and the board exchange are based on Colusa Waterkeeper's recent study and the nonprofit's 2024–2025 sampling described to the board. Presenters emphasized they did not definitively identify a single point source and said additional testing and infrastructure inspection are required. The city noted that historical data and methods vary between agencies and that dredging or major infrastructure repair would require funding and engineering review.
The Environmental Advisory Board listed Manuel's Branch and a city stormwater monitoring update on the January agenda for follow-up.
