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Sarasota County Water Atlas

Recreational Water Quality Map

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This map shows fixed coastal monitoring sites as well as inland or coastal locations where adverse water quality conditions have recently been reported. The latter may include red tide/harmful algal blooms, bacteria, or pollution. View Datasources.
Display Filters

Use the checkboxes below to show/hide monitoring locations on the interactive map.

Red Tide Monitoring
Bacteria Monitoring
Pollution Reports

About

The Sarasota Recreational Water Quality Map displays important information about Sarasota's local waterways. To protect public health, harmful algal blooms and bacteria sampling results are reported for beaches: where the public is in contact with tidal waters, and non-beaches: where the public may contact water bodies through fishing, boasting, kayaking, and other activities. Additional information such as pollution releases are displayed for the health and safety of recreational users. Every effort has been made to include the latest sampling results available from the data sources represented.

To report water quality issues not represented here, please use the Report Pollution form on this website or contact Sarasota County Air and Water Quality by phone or email: (941) 861-5000 or ReportPollution@scgov.net.

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Datasources

Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring
  • FWC Red Tide Monitoring — These data from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission represent the most recent eight (8) days of sampling location points for the phytoplankton that causes red tide, Karenia brevis. These data are exported daily at 4:45 PM Eastern Time from the HAB Database, which provides information on the presence and absence of Karenia brevis. More Information »
  • Algal Bloom Sampling Status — FDEP's and partner agencies' real-time sampling updates for harmful algal blooms (HABs) throughout Florida. Data are filtered to show results for the most recent 4 months. More Information »
Bacteria Monitoring

Units used to report bacteria monitoring results may be Colony-Forming Units (CFU) or Most Probable Number (MPN) or Membrane Filter (MF) based on the analysis method. All of these units represent the number of bacteria estimated to be present within a 100-milliliter sample of water.

  • Florida Healthy Beaches program (FLHEALTH) — The Florida Healthy Beaches program is administered by the Florida Department of Health and its county health departments. It protects beachgoers from conditions unsuitable for swimming by sampling beach water and providing accurate and up-to-date explanations of the results. Sampling is performed biweekly to detect Enterococcus bacteria, which can come from a variety of natural and human-made sources. These include pet waste, livestock, birds, land-dwelling and marine wildlife, stormwater runoff, and human sewage from failed septic systems and sewage spills. These data are also made available on the Florida Department of Health website. More information » Download Historic Data

    Value Qualifiers:

    • U: Less than 4 colonies are present.
    • B: Additional qualifiers may apply to the reported data.
    • Z: "too numerous to count" The number of colonies present prevented an actual count. The data reported is an estimate based on the maximum number of colonies that can be counted on a plate times the dilution used.
  • Suncoast Waterkeeper® (Suncoast_Waterkeeper) — Suncoast Waterkeeper (@suncoastwaterkeepers) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global network of over 350 grassroots leaders in six continents protecting everyone's right to clean water. Suncoast Waterkeeper protects and restores local waters by combining rigorous water quality monitoring with legal action, public education, and grassroots advocacy. Our science-based program identifies pollution, informs the public about safe recreation areas, and drives solutions that reduce harmful discharges. We build community power by training volunteers to report pollution and encouraging civic engagement on water quality issues. Backed by expertise in law, science, and policy, we ensure environmental protections are enforced and polluters are held accountable. Download Historic Data
Public Notices of Pollution
  • Section 403.077, Florida Statutes, defines a "reportable release" and requires the reporting of any "release or discharge of a substance from an installation to the air, land, or waters of the state which is discovered by the owner or operator of the installation, which is not authorized by law,and which is reportable to the State Watch Office within the Division of Emergency Management pursuant to any department rule, permit, order, or variance." The incidents shown here were reported to the State of Florida by public agencies and private facilities via a form on the FDEP website. Results show all notices of pollution provided by the FDEP datasource in the last 30 days. More information »

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  • USF Water Institute
  • Sarasota County