Lehigh Acres improvement district opens CREST stormwater storage and treatment facility near Dog Canal after three construction phases
The Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District opened its Caloosahatchee River Estuary Storage and Treatment facility, known as CREST, with a ceremony on Monday, October 19, 2026. The stormwater project stores and treats canal water, and its final phase was backed by $4.06 million in grant funding, after a $2 million state grant paid for phase two.
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The Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District held an opening ceremony on Monday, October 19, for its Caloosahatchee River Estuary Storage and Treatment facility, known as CREST, a stormwater project meant to hold and clean canal water in Lehigh Acres. The ceremony was reported by Nehilah Grand-Pierre at Gulf Coast News.
The facility includes a pump station for moving water during major storms. District director David Lindsay told Gulf Coast News the pump is there for storms on the scale of Irma and Ian.
What CREST was built to do
The district's own project records describe a system built in stages. Phase II, awarded to Turnbull Environmental in December 2022 and finished February 23, 2024, built a water quality marsh, a passive park and a diversion canal that lets the district move water from Dog Canal to Hendry Canal during larger storms. A Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant of $2 million paid for that phase.
Phase III is the full build-out, backed by a further $4.06 million in grant funding. It expanded stormwater storage, including excavation of an area that had been held back as a buffer around a caracara nesting site after a permit change worked out with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It also added denser planting, road repairs and a temporary pumping system that can send more stormwater from Dog Canal into the facility in severe storms.
Where the facility is and how long it took
The district's 2024 bid notice places the site at 7875 Wheeler Road, which carries a LaBelle mailing address. Turnbull Environmental won the Phase III contract after bids closed April 11, 2024. The district first expected substantial completion by August 31, 2025, then approved a time extension that moved final completion to September 30, 2026.
What comes next for the district board
The improvement district board, which oversees canals and stormwater in this unincorporated part of Lee County, next meets in regular session on October 26 at 6 p.m., according to the district's website.
Where we read it: Nehilah Grand-Pierre at Gulf Coast News. Read their story.
The document: Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, CREST Phase III project page.
