Tide tables sarasota12/19/2023 ![]() ![]() “The nutrient loads coming into Southwest Florida's waters are two-to-three times what they were at predevelopment,” said Tomasko.Īnd the state of Florida recommends reducing nutrient loads by 23% within a 15-year period, although he said nothing significant has been done to achieve that goal. "And if it never gets cold again, then it could be that we're going to actually be more sensitive to nutrient loads.”Īlong with temperature, nutrients from over-fertilized lawns, grass clippings, dog poop, and sewage from leaky septic tanks are known to feed toxic red tide algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico. "Which means the water temperature can help speed up the growth of algae," he said. If the climate continues to get hotter, Tomasko said, the bay may never drop below 68 degrees. Sarasota Bay used to be hotter than 68 degrees about nine months of the year - now it's increased to 10 months. David Tomasko, with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, said said heavy rainfall from Hurricane Irma in 2017 was followed by a severe red tide event that lasted into early 2019.Įven with the positive improvements, Tomasko said warmer waters and heat waves will likely continue to be an issue. WUSF A dead fish is seen onshore in 2018. Tomasko said he doesn’t anticipate any issues that would prevent these de-listings from being formally approved. This isn’t official however, until the Florida Department of Environmental Protection secretary signs off on them. It’s also costing the City of Sarasota and the Southwest Florida Water Management District $3 million for the nearly complete regional stormwater treatment project at Bobby Jones golf course, which treats 9 square miles of the Phillippi Creek watershed.Īs a result of these efforts and more, Florida is expected to take five area water bodies off of its nutrient polluted water body list: Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Bowlees Creek, Roberts Bay, and Blackburn Bay. Environmental Protection Agency, is currently spending $250 million on the Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant to increase its capacity by 50% and reduce the nitrogen content in its effluent by 75% to 90%. Sarasota County, with the help of the U.S. Manatee County recently spent $25 million on upgrades to reduce nitrogen concentrations by 40% at their Southwest Water Reclamation Facility.ĭavid Tomasko, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Our worst water quality is when our wastewater infrastructure failed us," he said.īetween 20, Tomasko said over 400 million gallons of wastewater flowed into Sarasota Bay.īut municipalities in the area collectively are spending over $300 million to upgrade wastewater treatment plants and large regional stormwater infrastructure. Our worse water quality was not because we had stormwater runoff. “Our worst water quality was not because it rained a lot. Tomasko said stormwater and other factors can affect water quality in the bay, but wastewater overflow causes the most damage. Sarasota Bay's water quality is improving, and scientists say it's due to upgrades to the surrounding area's wastewater infrastructure.ĭavid Tomasko, with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, was one of several experts who spoke during a red tide panel discussion Monday at the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus. ![]()
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