It was recognized, unfortunately, due to its condition as being one of the most polluted and endangered rivers in the nation. This designation allowed its importance as a critical waterway in the Southwest Florida region to be highlighted.
At the mouth of the Caloosahatchee there are important estuarine habitats. Much of the health and vitality of the river is dependent on the health and vitality of Lake Okeechobee.
The Caloosahatchee, which never historically connected to Lake Okeechobee, was dredged to allow for water which previously flowed south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades to be redirected to the west out of the Caloosahatchee to the Gulf of Mexico. The river has long been a water resource for urban and agricultural use for the region, and is currently used to supply public drinking water to the City of Fort Myers.
Over time, massive discharges of nutrient enriched water from Lake Okeechobee – at times up to 69,000 gallons per second – have wreaked havoc on the river habitats and downstream estuaries. Although a large portion of the problem is attributed to these harmfully large releases of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee, the Conservancy’s 2011 Estuaries Report Card also noted that a large proportion of the river’s nutrient pollution comes from its stormwater runoff watershed.