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Results of a study into the environmental impact of rock mining led a judge in 2006 to curtail that activity in Miami-Dade County.

A follow-up study raises even more serious concerns about mining’s impact on water supplies. The U.S. Geological Survey finds pollution can get to groundwater faster and last longer, perhaps for decades, than previously estimated.

While one scientific view holds that the geology of Lee County is different and protected from Miami-Dade conditions, the new data indicate a development size-up for the Lee County density reduction/groundwater resource (DRGR) area ought to be expanded.

As an official of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida says of the new study, “The bottom line is it indicates our watersheds are at greater risk than we would have believed before. ... It really stresses the need for wellfield protection.”

Lee County officials are looking to strike the right balance between environmental protection and development in that area that includes parts of Bonita Springs and Estero. Knowing what that means for this and future generations seems to deserve a place in that balance, which also needs to consider our need for rock and fill.

The bottom line of the Conservancy seems right on: “We’re talking about nothing less than our drinking water supply.”