Lee County postpones wastewater treatment plant application approval

Right now, the request to approve an application for a proposed Lee County wastewater treatment plant is being delayed for a week.

For Jennifer Bruns, her family and their horses, having them sloshing through pasture is a reality.

“We bought the property four years ago and it was bone dry in August,” Bruns said. “Then, three years ago, we started to see the water rising.”

The Bruns are not alone. Britt Gladwell has lived there for around 30 years, with what she said was restrictive drainage in the area.

Gladwell is a cattle rancher and leases the land, which is also the site for a proposed solid waste transfer and wastewater reclamation facilities.

“I don’t know how this makes this a designated site or a suitable site,” Gladwell said.

Neighbors fear because they live on DRGR land, meaning homes are spread apart to help restore the aquifer.

“As you can see, there’s a natural flow way; the only drainage we have in this part of the county is behind me, is one,” Gladwell said. “The other one’s just to the west, flows underneath Alico Road.”

The public zoning hearing for the sites is on Tuesday. That is when Lee County will deliver its final push for the wastewater treatment plan.

Site plans show retention lakes, but neighbors worry because of land constraints.

“It cannot be absorbed in the ground,” Gladwell said. “It’s got to run off.”

The question for these folks is where?