Nonprofit organization tests water quality in Charlotte County

One local non-profit is working to keep track of Charlotte County‘s water quality.

“Several of us have been ecologists our entire life, several of us in the area of water quality in our professional lives, and so we decided to apply that here,” said David Schutz, a retired scientist, educator and treasurer for Heal Our Harbor.

WINK News reporter Annalise Iraola spoke with Schutz about the work being done.

“We’re testing for fecal indicator bacteria. We test for nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, those are the nutrients that feed the algae, and it’s the algae that blocks the sun and causes the degradation of the harbor,” said Schutz.

After back-to-back hits by hurricanes Helene and Milton, the organization has been busy sampling.

“After the hurricanes, we noticed that fecal indicator bacteria skyrockets to the point where it’s off scale,” said Schutz. “There’s so many that it’s immeasurable, but we did find that that very quickly receded.”

That means they have returned to more normal levels.

Schutz will also tell you the work the volunteers do, supports a higher purpose.

“You have to think about the planet as being one large organism. The waters on the planet are like the blood for that organism,” said Schutz. “They carry nutrients around to feed and support the organism, and we have to be careful about what we put in there.”

Heal Our Harbor will be having a fundraiser on Nov. 9 at 1444 Sea Gull Court, Punta Gorda.