10.1 Support long-term monitoring, analysis, and reporting of surface water and groundwater quality and quantity and biological indicators of water quality
Key Message: Long-term monitoring programs allow policymakers, managers, and the public improve understanding of water quality status and trends, track progress toward community goals, and support management decisions. Monitoring of water quality, quantity and biological indicators of bay health should continue. Gaps in data collection and knowledge should be identified and filled.
Importance
Monitoring is essential for protecting and improving water quality in Sarasota County. Long-term datasets enable assessment of current conditions, diagnosis of problems, and evaluation of restoration efforts like septic-to-sewer conversions and stormwater retrofits. These data help distinguish natural variability from human-driven trends, track nutrient loads and reductions, and support evidence-based decision-making.
Biological indicators—such as macroalgae, seagrass, scallops, oysters, and fish—are sensitive to environmental changes and provide insight into ecosystem responses. Together, chemical, physical, and biological data offer a more complete picture of ecosystem health. Monitoring gaps, however, limit the ability to detect local trends and evaluate project effectiveness (see Chapter 10.2).
Overview
Under Clean Water Act stormwater permit requirements, Sarasota County and municipalities conduct water quality monitoring, analysis, and reporting. Sarasota County’s Stormwater Environmental Utility leads these efforts, supported by partnerships with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) and Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP). These programs provide ongoing guidance through their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans and Monitoring Strategies.
Regional networks such as the Regional Ambient Monitoring Program (RAMP) and the Coastal Charlotte Harbor Monitoring Network (CCHMN) ensure consistent protocols across agencies and adherence to state data quality standards. Water quality data are uploaded to FDEP’s Watershed Information Network (WIN), a public database.
Sarasota County monitors freshwater, brackish, and marine waters (Figure 10.1.1). Sampling occurs at 480 estuarine stations—12 per area across 40 areas (five in each of eight bay segments). One station in each area is sampled each month, so each station is sampled annually. Monthly water quality samples are also collected at fixed stations in tidal creeks, with parameters measured both in the field and in laboratories (Table 10.1.1).
Figure 10.1.1. Water quality and water flow monitoring stations in Sarasota County. Source: Sarasota County Water Atlas
Table 10.1.1 Parameters monitored by Sarasota County Government in estuaries and tidal creeks. Source: Adapted from SBEP 2022.
Water quantity data—including streamflow and surface and groundwater levels—are collected by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Rainfall is monitored by Sarasota County, SWFWMD, and USGS.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute responds to red tide with intensive water sampling. Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
The Sarasota County Water Atlas and CHNEP Water Atlas provide public access to these data through interactive dashboards and mapping tools (see Chapter 9.4). In 2024, the redesigned CHNEP Water Atlas 2.0 launched, offering real-time water quality dashboards for individual waterbodies that compare current data to indicator thresholds.
Water quality data, though primarily collected to meet stormwater permit requirements, have been used in research to examine environmental change. For example, a 2024 study linked anthropogenic nutrient loading to intensified red tide events (Tomasko et al. 2024), while another used 22 years of data to document eutrophication and macroalgae proliferation in the Charlotte Harbor estuary system (Medina et al. 2025). These findings help demonstrate the long-term value of monitoring and its role in evaluating the cost-effectiveness of nitrogen reduction strategies.
Biological indicators like seagrass, macroalgae, scallops, oysters, fish, and dolphins are also tracked by local, state, and nonprofit organizations. Bioindicator organisms are sensitive to changes in water quality and can reveal more about the dynamics of ecosystem health than chemical indicators alone. Macroalgae, which absorb and store nutrients, may release them rapidly during die-off events, contributing to episodic nutrient spikes. Regular monitoring of macroalgae biomass at dozens of sites by Sarasota County and SBEP enhances understanding of nutrient cycling and risks associated with sudden die-offs.
Seagrass meadows—critical habitats and key indicators of water quality—require sunlight for photosynthesis, making water clarity essential. Nutrient-fueled algal blooms can block sunlight and inhibit growth. Restoration targets and water quality criteria have been developed for bay segments (Janicki et al. 2008; Janicki 2010), and SBEP incorporates these into its annual Ecosystem Health Report Card.
Aerial seagrass surveys are conducted biennially by SWFWMD, with field surveys by FDEP and Sarasota County. While seagrass expanded from 1988 to 2018, major declines occurred through 2022 due to wastewater overflows, red tide, and Hurricane Ian. Recovery was observed in 2024 (Figure 10.1.2), though Roberts Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Blackburn Bay and Lemon Bay remain below recommended target levels remain below target levels.
Figure 10.1.2. Seagrass gains and losses for all of Sarasota’s Bays from 1988 to 2024, including Palma Sola, Sarasota, Roberts, Little Sarasota, and Blackburn. Source: Southwest Florida Water Management District
As top predators, dolphins reflect the health of the broader bay ecosystem. The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program conducts the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population, including monitoring of prey fish and environmental conditions (Wells et al. 2025). These long-term datasets are invaluable, as is the cultural value of sustaining the Sarasota Bay dolphin population with healthy water quality.
Approach
Sarasota County, USGS, and SWFWMD should continue to monitor surface and groundwater quality and quantity. Programs should be regularly evaluated and refined to close sampling gaps (see Chapter 10.2). Monitoring of bioindicators—including seagrass, macroalgae, scallops, oysters, fish, and dolphins—should also continue. Sarasota County should support the Water Atlas, and CHNEP should maintain the CHNEP Water Atlas, ensuring public access to data and visualization tools (see Chapter 9.4).
Further value can be realized by expanding analysis of long-term monitoring data to identify pollution hotspots, calculate nutrient loads, and estimate the return on investment (e.g., cost per pound of nitrogen reduced) for best management practices (BMPs) (see Chapter 1.1, Chapter 1.2, Chapter 2.1, Chapter 2.2, Chapter 2.4, Chapter 3.1, Chapter 3.2, Chapter 4.1, Chapter 5.1, Chapter 6.1, Chapter 6.2, Chapter 8.1, and Chapter 8.2).
With local advancements in data science—such as New College of Florida’s Data Science Master’s Program—these large datasets can be efficiently processed and analyzed. Collaborations between government and academic institutions should be fostered and funded to leverage modern analytical tools, including generative AI.
Resources
Sarasota County Stormwater Environmental Utility
Sarasota County Water Atlas
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership
CHNEP Water Atlas 2.0
Sarasota County Watershed Models and Maps
New College of Florida Data Science Program
Status
Implementation
Performance Measure
- Number of surface water quality or quantity monitoring stations
- Number of groundwater quality monitoring stations
- Number of nitrogen oxide air quality monitoring stations in Sarasota County
- Continuation of seagrass, macroalgae, scallop, oyster, fish and dolphin monitoring
Experts or Leads
Paul Semenec, Stormwater Manager, Sarasota County Stormwater Environmental Utility
Jon Perry, ESA
Ryan Gandy, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Jennifer Hecker, Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership
Stephen Suau, PE, Carbon Life LLC
Shawn Landry, Director of the UFS Water Institute
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Chris Anastasiou, Southwest Florida Water Management District
New College of Florida Data Science faculty and graduate students
Cost Estimate
$100,000-$1,000,000
Related Activities
Chapter 1.1, Chapter 1.2, Chapter 2.1, Chapter 2.2, Chapter 2.4, Chapter 3.1, Chapter 3.2, Chapter 4.1, Chapter 5.1, Chapter 6.1, Chapter 6.2, Chapter 8.1, Chapter 8.2, Chapter 9.4, Chapter 10.2
Other Monitoring Activities
10.2 Review existing monitoring programs, fill monitoring gaps, and identify pollution sources
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