Testing Shows Sarasota County Beaches Clean, Untainted by BP Oil Spill

In the period immediately following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, various agencies conducted sampling in our area. In addition to the large interagency effort, Sarasota County Water Quality Planning took samples from water and sediment on the beaches and oyster tissue near the mouths of creeks. This comprehensive, local sampling initiative was accomplished to protect the citizens and resources of the County.

If BP oil had come here, this strong set of background data would have been compared to data from oil-impacted areas to make a compelling case for BP's responsibility. In the absence of oil spill impacts, the data shows us that our community is remarkably free of these common pollutants and reminds us to continue with our successful environmental protection and enhancement programs.