Impaired Waters

An impaired water body is one that is so polluted that it doesn’t meet its designated uses, which include recreation, drinking and shellfish harvesting. Forty-eight of Lee County’s waterways are listed as impaired.

Florida's waterbody classifications are defined as:
1 - Potable water supplies
2 - Shellfish propagation or harvesting
3F - Recreation, propagation, and maintenance of a healthy, well-balanced population of fish and wildlife in fresh water 3M - Recreation, propagation, and maintenance of a healthy, well-balanced population of fish and wildlife in marine water
4 - Agricultural water supplies
5 - Navigation, utility, and industrial use
TMDL status (the number in parentheses after each parameter):
1 - Attains all designated uses
2 - Attains some designated uses and insufficient or no information or data are present to determine if remaining uses are attained
3a - No data and information are present to determine if any designated use is attained
3b - Some data and information are present but not enough to determine if any designated use is attained
3c - Enough data and information are present to determine that one or more designated uses may not be attained according to the Planning List methodology
4a - Impaired for one or more designated uses but does not require TMDL development because a TMDL has already been completed.
4b - Impaired for one or more designated uses but does not require TMDL development because the water will attain water quality standards due to existing or proposed measures.
4c - Impaired for one or more criteria or designated uses but does not require TMDL development because impairment is not caused by a pollutant.
4d - The waterbody does not meet applicable criteria, but no pollutant can be identified thus a TMDL will not be developed at this time.
4e - Impaired, but recently completed or on-going restoration activities are underway to restore the designated uses of the waterbody.
5 - Water quality standards are not attained and a TMDL is required.
NOTE: our water bodies will only have status numbers 4a, 4c, 4d and 5.