**As required by the structure of our grant, this is the second of several educational newsletters to be provided* Click here for the PDF of this article with links to sources:
Our land-based activities directly influence our waterways: ●Construction changes the flow of water across the land. ●Every chemical and piece of debris on the land has the potential to find its way into our waterways. With the ongoing transformation of Sarasota, is water quality in our area improving? The answer seems to depend on geographic location, transitions through time, and unique events. In our neighborhood, the quality of runoff into Phillippi Creek has improved through time. Prior to 2006, our household wastewater was treated in a wastewater treatment plant located between Pine Valley Drive and Hyde Park Street, and then discharged directly into Phillippi Creek. Numerous constituents in this discharge violated water quality standards. Eventually, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), in an effort to enforce state water quality standards, issued a Consent Order that our isolated wastewater plant in 2006.Subsequently, our neighborhood wastewater was pumped to a centralized facility, the Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant, from a new lift station constructed in the location of the old plant. This resulted in an immediate improvement in water quality to our portion of Philippi Creek. Today, the County reports that the remaining parameter in this area that regularly violates state water quality standards is fecal coliform, which is associated with pet waste. This is why it is so important to pick up after your pet and to dispose of the waste properly in the garbage. Why do we care about Phillippi Creek water quality? Phillippi Creek is a main contributor to Sarasota Bay, and the health of the Bay is important to our regional culture and economy. According to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP), Phillippi Creek is the "largest freshwater source to Sarasota Bay and within its over 100 miles of canals it has more fish species than any other creek from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. 45 different species of fish live and use Phillippi Creek including snook, largemouth bass, Florida gar, herring, mosquitofish, tilapia, grass shrimp, killifish, and sailfin molly in the upper part of Phillippi Creek, which is mostly dominated by man-made canals." SBEP also reports that Phillippi Creek supports120 bird species and is traveled by manatees. Manatees can regularly be spotted in the Creek near the Weber Street Bridge and Tanglewood Drive. Sarasota Bay’s importance to the regional economy cannot be overstated. What's good for recreation and habitat is good economics. The quality of our waterbodies is important to our regional economy. This is true statewide and here in Sarasota. According to an economic study of Sarasota and Manatee counties completed by the SBEP in 2014: ● Sarasota Bay related activities support 21,000 jobs ●property value uplift associated with proximity to the Bay is worth $3.6 billion ●visitors spend more than $15 million on fishing licenses, gear and boat rentals The SBEP Sarasota Bay Economic Valuation Study values Sarasota Bay resources at $11.8 billion to Manatee & Sarasota Counties. Regionally, Sarasota Bay resources are estimated to have a value of $57.9 billion for Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, Charlotte, DeSoto, Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Multiple news agencies have reported that diminished water quality and associated harmful algal blooms (red tide, for example) have resulted in diminished economic returns for our state and our local economy. This might imply that water quality is getting worse despite the elimination of point source pollution, such as occurred in our neighborhood in 2006 with the closure of the wastewater treatment plant. It suggests that more work needs to be done to address current pollution sources. How do we measure water quality? Seagrass is one indicator of water quality. Seagrass has numerous benefits. It filters water and is the base of the food chain for a majority of commercial fish species. Seagrass also stores carbon, which helps mediate the effects of climate change. Seagrass is an indicator of bay health—the more grass the more species diversity. Of note, seagrass is the primary food for manatees. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported many more Manatee deaths statewide in recent years (1,100 in 2021 and 800 in 2022). The spike in deaths are tied to inadequate supplies of their main food source: seagrass. A 2020 survey of seagrass coverage in Sarasota Bay revealed that seagrass declined by 18% in 2 years equivalent to losing 2,313 acres of seagrass. The 2022 seagrass survey showed coverage again declined—by 5% between 2020 and 2022. This decline is thought to be caused by polluted runoff full of excess nutrients that cause an overgrowth of macroalgae. These algae are a natural part of the bay ecosystem, but can shade out seagrasses when they grow in excess. Here are some of the historical pollution inputs that may have contributed to water quality decline in Sarasota Bay, and perhaps to seagrass die off: ●Sewage spills and wastewater plant discharges. For example, in June 2020 a broken pipe leading from the Town of Longboat Key to a Manatee County wastewater treatment plant spilled 26-28 million gallons of raw sewage into Sarasota Bay. ●Older subdivisions without stormwater treatment ponds—which discharge directly into waterways (Forest Lakes and South Gate, for example) ●The inefficiency of some stormwater pond designs required with each new development ●Multiple industrial discharges over decades from Piney Point, which in March 2021 released over 200 million gallons of polluted phosphate mining wastewater into the bay north of Sarasota. ●The day to day activities of each of our residents—pet waste, lawn fertilizer, etc.... And add to the effect of these historical harms the impact of Hurricane Ian in September 2022. Following Hurricane Ian, “root beer” was the term being used to describe the color of Florida waterways. The murky brown color of our waterways was a result of runoff containing dead plants and animals, fecal bacteria (think dog poop and wastewater and sewage discharges), fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fuel, and chemicals of all types. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program estimated that about 17 million gallons of contaminated wastewater discharged into Manatee County waters within a 24 hour period. The result were reports of red tide hot spots up and down the Southwest coast of Florida in 2022.This latest input from the hurricane piles on to the many previously noted concerns for water quality in the area that existed prior to Hurricane Ian. Positive changes are coming, slowly. Sarasota County plans to spend approximately $500 million dollars on Capital Improvement Projects aimed at improving water quality. Forest Lakes is currently a hub of activity associated with one of the projects. The Bahia Vista Parallel Force Main project is one piece of the puzzle by which the County can improve water quality long-term. The Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently undergoing transformation to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) to be completed in 2025. The transition to AWT will reduce the amount of nutrients –nitrogen (especially) and phosphorus-in the water being discharged. This will improve our bay’s water quality and the quality of life for the organisms within the bay. Tied directly to the Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment facility are the force main lines running from the South Gate Master Lift Pump Station along Hyde Park Street in the back of Forest Lakes. Those transmission mains are now reaching capacity and the Bahia Vista ParallelForce Main project is underway to increase the capacity of the transmission lines. The project is scheduled for completion in May 2024. And following, the South Gate Master Lift Pump Station will undergo further improvements. Another water quality project in our neighborhood is the Sarasota County Neighborhood Initiative Grant awarded to Forest Lakes to implement water quality and habitat improvements to the Tanglewood ditch. This has involved the removal of nuisance and exotic species, and the planting of native species within a portion of the ditch. Native plants will stabilizethe area anduptake nutrients as water flows over them. Thisis anticipated to improve the quality ofwaterflowing from both South Gate and Forest Lakes through the ditch into Phillippi Creek. This is important, since we are older developments that have no way of treating stormwater flowing from our driveways and roads before it leaves our neighborhoods. So, beyond what the state and county governments are doing, what can you do to improve water quality within your immediate realm of influence? ●Plant native plants ●Fertilize only if you must and do so only after September 30th as specified by the County's Fertilizer Ordinance ●Maintain your vehicle to prevent leaks ●Dispose of all chemicalsappropriately ●Reroute drain spouts so that they discharge over vegetation rather than over concrete ●Pick up pet waste ●Pick up garbage / trash / litter in our neighborhood ●Volunteer with the Forest Lakes/Sarasota County Grant project to help maintain the planted native plants by emailing your interest toflccehoa@gmail.com
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