Sarasota Tiger Bay panel addresses water quality problems

They offer their thoughts on how to tackle the issues.

A panel of community leaders and environmental experts delved into some of the water quality issues that have risen to the forefront locally and across Florida over the last year, and offered thoughts on how to tackle them Thursday during a Sarasota Tiger Bay Club event.

The spate of algae blooms that choked Florida waterways in recent months have made water quality a top concern in many communities, including Sarasota and Manatee counties, where the latest red tide bloom was one of the worst on record.

Much of the public discussion has focused on how to limit excess nutrients from flowing into water bodies and feeding algae blooms.

Among the ideas suggested Thursday: Better wastewater treatment and stormwater management and more aggressive efforts to limit farm runoff.