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

L611
Sarasota County - Watershed Plan: Roberts Bay
Project Type Cooperative Funding
AOR(s)
Flood Protection, Water Quality, Natural Systems
Basin(s) Manasota
Cooperator(s)
Sarasota County
Project Manager LOPEZ, MANNY
Task Manager(s)
Status Ongoing
HEYL, MIKE, GARCIA, LIZANNE
Description
The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive Watershed Plan for Roberts Bay. The plan will focus on
water resources issues such as restoration of historic or more natural hydrologic regimes in Roberts Bay, and
improvements to water quality and habitat restoration. The plan will attempt to identify ways to reduce flow volumes
into the Bay, and thereby assist in reducing pollutant loads and improving water quality. The Roberts Bay watershed
includes two localities of concern with regard to documented declining water quality trends: Increasing trends of
historic chlorophyll a levels at Roberts Bay, and elevated nutrient levels based on Trophic State Index (TSI) for West
Clark Lake. Conditions at both of these localities indicate a need to reduce nutrient loading from the watershed. An
essential element of the project will be updating and improving the existing AdICPR flood model and pollutant loading
model.
Benefits
Development of the plan will allow the County to consolidate and update goals and objectives from the District's SWIM
Plan and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) into one strategy that would include comprehensive monitoring of
water quality and pollutant loads, detailed mapping, flood and pollutant load modeling, and prioritized practical project
proposals to improve water quality, restore natural run-off regimes, provide water supply, and protect natural
resources.
Costs
The total cost for plan development is $600,000. The District's share is $300,000, and the County's share is $300,000.
The District's share is funded by the Manasota Basin Board over two fiscal years: FY2007 ($150,000) and FY2008
($150,000). The FY2007 budget is $300,000, with the District and County each contributing half ($150,000). For
FY2007, the District's share is split between the Manasota Basin Board ($75,000) and the State's Water Protection
and Sustainability Trust Fund ($75,000). The FY2008 budget is $300,000 with the County and the District each
contributing half ($150,000). The District's FY2008 share is funded entirely by the Manasota Basin Board. The District
funding amounts shown in the table include staff salaries, travel and central garage charges.
Additional Information
Development of the plan will include formation of a watershed stakeholders group working through the Neighborhood
Environmental Stewardship Team (NEST) program to encourage public participation in the process. The completed
plan will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners for adoption, and 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.
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