City of Sanibel Engineer Oisin Dolley, PE, along with Jordan Varble, PE of Johnson Engineering, presented the first real draft of the Surface Water Management Master Plan to City Council on July 30, 2025. To provide a summary, the plan states these facts:
1. The island is essentially a bowl. The system fills and overflows; it doesn’t drain dry. Two interior freshwater basins outflow to Pine Island Sound via weirs, and saltwater intrusion occurs when freshwater decreases. It is necessary to retain as much rainwater as possible to maintain the freshwater wetland ecosystem.
2. Hurricane Ian severely damaged the island’s infrastructure. Culverts, inlets, and swales were buried, leaving the island more vulnerable to riverine flooding…