A step in the right direction
On June 16, the Naples City Council took another meaningful step towards advancing water quality by adopting updates to the City’s stormwater ordinance. The Conservancy has been working with City staff for the past several years, providing comments and recommendations on how the City can improve water quality and ensure more stormwater retention on new projects and redevelopment sites.
Click here to read more about our water quality work.
Having a stormwater ordinance that requires properties to sufficiently store and treats runoff before it goes into the streets, ditches and waterways is one important and proactive way to advance this goal. We appreciate the City staff’s willingness to work with all stakeholders during the ordinance drafting process – this collaborative work product could not have happened without their diligent efforts. We also applaud City Council for adopting the ordinance. Their leadership in taking the necessary steps to protect Naples, the bay, and the gulf deserve recognition.
While long-term water quality improvements cannot be solved by any one single action, each step taken is a critical part of the solution. We are encouraged by the City’s continued progress, including adopting and defending their stringent fertilizer ordinance, progress on improving beach outfalls, and adoption of this stormwater ordinance.
The Conservancy recognized the City of Naples as a leader in taking proactive measures to help protect water quality.