MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

W621
Little Sarasota Bay Water Quality Management Plan
Project Type SWIM
AOR(s)
Flood Protection, Water Quality, Natural Systems
Basin(s) Manasota
Cooperator(s)
Project Manager GARCIA, LIZANNE
Task Manager(s)
Sarasota County, Sarasota County Watershed Management
LOPEZ, MANNY
Status Ongoing
Description
This project will develop a water quality management plan for Little Sarasota Bay that includes the Little Sarasota Bay,
Elligraw Bayou, Holiday Bayou, Clower Creek, Catfish Creek, North Creek, South Creek and direct runoff to the bay
from Siesta Key and Casey Key. The plan will focus on water resource issues such as restoration of historic or more
natural hydrologic regimes in the basin, and improvements to water quality and habitat. Through this plan, the County
and District will work with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and its partners to develop water quality and habitat
restoration goals and identify projects that will assist in meeting these goals. The plan will include short term and long
term projects for improvements that may include wastewater reuse, stormwater reuse, smart growth, revised land
development standards, sediment control, wetland or floodplain restoration, flood level abatement, aquifer protection,
and restoration of natural flow regimes. The County will post deliverables and reports on the Sarasota County Water
Atlas website. Additionally, the plan will identify the monitoring needed to evaluate the progress made toward meeting
the established goals.
Benefits
Development of this plan will assist the District in its update of the SWIM Plan for Sarasota Bay by developing pollutant
load reduction goals and specific projects to meet those goals. Implementation of the plan by Sarasota County and
others will result in protecting and restoring water quality and natural systems within the watershed of Little Sarasota
Bay.
Costs
The total estimated project cost for this development of the Water Quality Management Plan is $600,000. This will be
a multi-year funded project. The current FY2009 cost is $100,000, with the Sarasota County and the District each
contributing half ($50,000). The District share is split between the Manasota Basin Board ($25,000) and State SWIM
($25,000). The FY2009 funds will be used to compile and evaluate all existing studies, studies, models and data,
identify pollutant sources and develop a data collection plan. The FY2010 funding is $300,000, with the County
contributing half ($150,000) and requesting half from the District ($150,000). At their April 15, 2009 meeting, the
Manasota Basin Board approved amending its FY2009 budget to include reallocating State SWIM funds to cover
50 percent of the District's FY2010 costs ($75,000). The other half of the funds ($75,000) are included in the
Manasota Basin Board's FY2010 budget. It is anticipated that the County will request the remainder of the funds
($100,000) during the FY2011 cooperative funding cycle. District funds shown in the table include staff salaries.
Additional Information
Since 1950, approximately 40 percent of Sarasota Bay's intertidal wetland habitat has been lost due to development
and reduction in water quality. This resulted in a decline in the aesthetic, recreational, and commercial value of the
bay, as well as a loss of habitat for native plants and animals. The SWIM Plans for Sarasota Bay outline goals to
restore habitat throughout the bay areas and reduce pollutant loads entering the bays. The objectives of this project
are consistent with these goals.
021 - Manasota Basin 105