Fort Myers water may be too salty
Drought causing high sodium levels
BY MICHELLE L. START Correspondent

Fort Myers residents on salt-restricted diets may have to cut back on drinking tap water thanks to a severe drought that is sending high levels of sodium into the Caloosahatchee River.

Lee County Utilities will be sending a notice to some 13,000 customers in mid- April explaining that sodium levels in drinking water from the Olga Water Treatment Plant have exceeded the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's limit of 160 parts-per-million.

Typical sodium levels for the area average 13.5 to 97.1 parts per million.

"The highest point we recorded was on March 26 at 171 parts-per-million," said Patricia DiPiero, spokeswoman and compliance officer for Lee County Utilities. "It is a very specific area and deals with older water treatment plants that take from the Caloosahatchee. Because of the drought, there have been no water releases from Lake Okeechobee. Salt water has been intruding on the Caloosahatchee, which is increasing the sodium and chloride levels."

The Keetch-Byram drought index measures moisture in the soil. The scale ranges from 0 to 800, which indicates severe drought conditions. Lee County is in the 700 - 749 range.

Gary Maier, an environmental engineer with the Lee County Department of Health, said most people do not think about sodium levels in their drinking water, but it is important information for those who are on restricted or reduced salt diets.

Sodium helps regulate body fluid. Too much sodium can be harmful for people with high blood pressure or heart disease.

Restrictions typically run from 2 to 4 grams of sodium a day. On food labels, sodium is typically listed in milligrams. Someone on a 4-gram-a-day diet may have 4,000 milligrams a day.

"If you think of a low sodium drink, you think of things like Diet Coke, which has 100 parts-per-million, " Maier said. "In comparison sport drinks tend to range from 225 to 450 parts-per-million. They have a lot more sodium. Milk has 500 parts per million. For the average person, it is not a problem."

DiPiero said customers do not need to boil water or take any precautions unless they are on salt-restricted diets. Then, they should consult with their doctors.

"I haven't heard anyone tell me they are tasting a difference," said DiPiero. "I guess it depends on a person's sense of taste."

Sodium levels are typically measured once a year, but are being checked once a week while the drought continues.

Summer rains are not expected to commence until the second week of June.

"Our goal is to keep the water as safe as we can," DiPiero said. ¦