Naples residents worry about runoff water, capital improvements needed

People in Naples are concerned about excessive runoff in their neighborhoods.

When it rains, there’s a lot of extra runoff, said Nick Lucchesi, a Naples resident.

People are not just worried about the amount of water but also the quality of water.

“Just driving by the water purification plant,” said Shelia Mackenzie, a Naples resident. “Oh my gosh, the smell. You just think OK, if it smells that bad going by where they’re supposed to be purifying, what’s going into our water.”

The city identified more than $159 million worth of capital improvements designed to ensure the city’s water quality. The improvements will also protect shoreline habitat like sea turtles and birds.

One of the city’s projects includes $17 million to remove stormwater pipes from beaches to build a system that filters the water, cleans it up and pumps it further out to sea.

“This is really going to help protect sea turtles, it’s going to help protect beach erosion and of course improve the water quality,” said Greg Stakaluse Naples’ director of Streets and Stormwater Development.

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