Sarasota Bay is an estuary of national importance. To those of us fortunate enough to live near it, it is also a source of beauty and pleasure, and is a defining part of our home.
Bay runoff was the top environmental priority for members of the neighborhood, with 31/49 survey respondents specifying it as a concern. The bay contributes to our quality of life here.
The greatest threat to the bay is nitrogen. Nitrogen is prevalent in rain water, which feeds into the bay through the stormwater pipe system. Fertilizer is a major source of nitrogen. Targeting lawn care in the neighborhood is the best way to address the bay’s health. Data about Sarasota Bay is available from Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program reports.
Sarasota County Stormwater manages stormwater systems in the county. The existing map for our area is old and incomplete. Sarasota was one of the first counties in the state to establish a stormwater management system, starting in 1989. Stormwater management can deal with issues of water volume (preventing flooding) and water quality.
House gutters may drain stormwater to porous surfaces (lawn, gravel), which filter and distribute the water, or gutters may drain to impervious surfaces, which guide the stormwater directly into the street drainage system. Data collectors described gutters as draining to impervious surfaces or not. The street drainage system drains directly into the bay. Other systems guide stormwater into stormwater retention ponds. Stormwater is a major source of what is called “Non-point source pollution.”
Tree canopy may mitigate stormwater damage by catching rain as it falls and retaining it until it evaporates. The first half inch or inch of rain may be caught by tree canopy in that manner.
Sarasota County stormwater encourages you to contact them with comments and concerns.