County crews begin algae removal in North Fort Myers

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AECOM crews start cleaning up algae from canals in North Fort Myers Friday. Photo: WINK News

Friday is the day that crews finally start clearing toxic blue-green algae from SWFL waterways.

The cleanup company, AECOM, arrived on scene Friday morning in North Fort Myers.

Crews say there are two steps to cleaning up the mess: collection of algae then treatment.

A boat is responsible for skimming the algae, sucking it up through hoses that connect to a tanker. Then the algae is taken offsite to a water treatment plant where they separate the algae from the reusable water.

The remaining algae is then shipped to a landfill.

It’s a tedious process for crews but neighbors are hoping this algae cleanup test is the solution they’ve been waiting for.

“The air smells like manure,” said resident Trudy Kosarich. “It’s really troubling because we love being outside.”

Now Lee County says it’s only going to take a few days to clean the section of Waterway estates.

AECOM will then pack up their equipment and move to another area with a high concentration of algae.

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