Sarasota County Water Quality Initiatives

Streams, wetlands, and living shorelines are vital habitats that not only provide shelter and food for birds and young fish, but also aid in shoreline stabilization, storm surge protection and pollution filtration from land-based runoff. Sarasota County's Public Works and Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources departments have been actively restoring shorelines in Alligator Creek, Red Bug Slough and Blackburn Point Park.

To learn more about getting involved with Sarasota County’s parks, you can fill out a  volunteer application  and select an opportunity of interest, or you can view volunteer opportunities in the county at  Volunteer Sarasota Opportunities . To stay updated about what’s happening in Red Bug Slough, you can join the Red Bug Slough quarterly email list by emailing  parksonline@scgov.net .

Spending time in nature to enjoy hiking, birding, and paddling is a favorite pastime for many Sarasota County residents and visitors. They can choose from more than 30  nature reserves  acquired through Sarasota County's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP) and Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program (NPP). These voter-approved and taxpayer-funded  land acquisition programs  are designed to acquire and protect natural lands and parklands. Since the programs were initiated in 1999, Sarasota County has protected 88 properties containing  more than 40,000 acres  of land through ESLPP, and NPP has acquired 26 properties containing 117 acres.

Acquiring and protecting these public lands ensures that the natural storage, filtration and flow of water through the area is maintained. The natural hydrology of wetlands is key for recharging the freshwater aquifer and capturing and processing nutrient pollution. There are so many other public benefits to land conservation as well, including protection of wildlife habitat, improved air quality, and expanding recreational activities.

Residents wishing to nominate land to be considered for county acquisition may submit a  land nomination form . If you’re interested in land conservation and management, consider serving as a citizen adviser on the  Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee  or volunteering to help maintain the properties through  Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources .

At the Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex, a new $750,000 upgrade is in the works for the landfill leachate storage tank. Landfill leachate is the wastewater generated from rainwater as it filters through the garbage. The leachate is then captured and removed from the bottom liner of the landfill. This upgrade, known as an aeration pretreatment system, is designed to help lower the concentration of ammonia nitrogen in the raw leachate before it is sent to the City of Venice’s East Side Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) for final treatment and disposal.

This is the first in a multi-step process to reduce the amount of ammonia nitrogen leaving the landfill and getting to the wastewater treatment plant and possibly back into the environment. The goal is to reduce ammonia nitrogen concentrations by 5% to 30% before the leachate leaves the Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex.

When driving through a typical HOA-managed neighborhood, the ubiquitous ponds are often a major eye-catcher – sometimes for the wrong reasons. Those ponds are often not fully functioning or in good condition; however, neighbors are learning that they can transform their stormwater ponds into multi-functional assets that increase their environmental benefits AND aesthetic appeal. Sarasota County’s Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team ( NEST ) has been working for years to support neighborhoods in those efforts. Recently, NEST and  UF/IFAS Extension  Sarasota County have teamed up with the Science and Environment Council ( SEC ) and Solutions to Avoid Red Tide ( START ) in a project funded by the  Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation  to collaborate with local HOAs through the Healthy Pond Collaborative (HPC) to change their stormwater ponds for the better!

Having a healthy pond includes allowing at least a 3-foot “no-mow” buffer zone around the upslope pond perimeter and incorporating native shoreline and aquatic vegetation along the slope and in the pond’s shallow littoral zone. These vegetated protected zones enable flora and fauna to gain a strong foothold around the pond, reducing erosion and nutrient pollution and increasing bank stabilization. In fact, ponds with well-managed littoral zones are significantly less likely to experience common issues such as excessive algae growth and bank erosion.

Since the initiative began in 2021, over $28,000 has been awarded to 11 Sarasota County communities to enhance their ponds and plant over 4.1 miles of littoral shoreline. Two high-visibility public pond restorations are also in the works. This has the potential to decrease the amount of nutrient pollution making its way downstream into our natural waterways, attract native wildlife and increase property values.

Learn more about  Healthy Ponds  and how to become a Clean Water Catalyst in your community with the  Green Living Toolkit . Inquire about the Healthy Ponds Collaborative by emailing Sandy Gilbert with START at sandem133@aol.com.

Florida-Friendly Landscaping ^TM  (FFL) is a method of landscape planning, based on  nine FFL principles , that can be used anywhere, from home yards to public buildings, with the goal of conserving water, reducing pollution, creating wildlife habitat and preventing erosion. FFL has been implemented by public and private property owners throughout Sarasota County and certified by  UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability  so extensively that Sarasota is a leader in the state for the number of recognized sites. Sarasota County even has a commitment in its Comprehensive Plan to use FFL principles in its own landscapes.

According to the University of Florida, the benefits of appropriately implementing FFL principles in your landscape are undeniable. For example, preventing one pound of nitrogen from reaching our waterways by reducing fertilizer use in your FFL has  an economic benefit of $500 .

To learn more about FFL and how you can get started around your own home or business, you can attend FFL  workshops  taught through  UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County’s program , or check out the  FFL Guide  and the  Green Living Toolkit .

Do you irrigate your lawn and landscape with the water from the purple pipes? If so, that reclaimed irrigation water typically already contains nutrients for plants, even after undergoing wastewater treatment.  UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County  has found that, in many neighborhoods, reclaimed water already supplies lawns with sufficient nitrogen. Adding excess nitrogen via fertilizer to your lawn may not be recommended and can very easily contribute to nitrogen pollution.

To help preserve our supply of potable water, Sarasota County encourages the use of reclaimed water for turfgrass irrigation. Reclaimed water is the resulting product of treated and disinfected wastewater, and therefore contains nutrients, such as nitrogen. Nitrogen is a key component of many turfgrass fertilizers. However, the application of excess nitrogen can result in negative impacts to our local waterways. To help avoid excess nitrogen application, those who irrigate with reclaimed water should account for the nitrogen present in their irrigation water when planning their fertilizer applications for the year.

UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County has developed a set of bay-friendly fertilizing tools to help both  residents  and  golf course superintendents  reduce their fertilizer use by calculating the amount of nitrogen being applied through reclaimed irrigation. Each tool is developed to cater to the specific irrigation and fertilization needs of its respective audience. Both tools feature an interactive service area map, a nitrogen calculator and the latest nutrient data for each water reclamation facility.

To learn more about responsibly managing your nitrogen footprint, participate in workshops led by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, such as Bay-Friendly Fertilizing and Fertilizing Effectively in Suncoast Soils.