You are here:
SARASOTA BAY: THE COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SARASOTA BAY
Citation:
SARASOTA BAY: THE COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SARASOTA BAY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 1995.
Description:
During the past 50 years, human activities have caused a slow but steady decline in the general health of Sarasota Bay. The people of Manatee and Sarasota counties are now realizing the extent of damage that began with massive dredge-and-fill projects from 1950-60, and continued with the community's rapid growth and associated pollution. Only recently has the community noticed improvements in the Bay, largely resulting from concerted government action to improve habitat and water quality. Nitrogen pollutant loads into Sarasota Bay have been reduced by approximately 25 percent since 1989, 43 percent in the central Bay. Significant improvements in water quality and bottom habitat have been measured as a result of pollutant reduction due to improvements at the City of Sarasota and Manatee County wastewater treatment operations. The comprehensive restoration strategy proposed in this document suggests that an additional 23- percent reduction in nitrogen loads or more can be achieved through coordinated action by the community. The plan proposes to continue initiatives begun during the past give years to increase available wetland habitat, and to improve the quality and reduce the quantity of stormwater runoff. It includes recommendations for constructing a wastewater treatment system in northern Sarasota County, reclaiming wastewater on a large scale and altering landscaping to reduce pollution to meet the challenges of the :future. Still, past destruction of seagrasses and mangroves, and continuing pollution; from wastewater and stormwater, present a major challenge for the stewards of Sarasota Bay. This challenge can be met through concerted effort by the community. In this spirit, the Sarasota Bay Program recommends specific actions to restore and protect Sarasota Bay. In 1993, the Sarasota Bay Program completed the most comprehensive analysis of any estuary in Florida, documenting problems related to pollution by wastewater and stormwater, loss of wetlands and seagrasses, and conflicts in recreational use of the Bay. Results of these investigations by top estuarine scientists were presented in the "Framework for Action 1993" report and are summarized in this report.