Brunch for the Bay Update

Brunch for the Bay is on!  

Join Suncoast Waterkeeper on October 15 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act with an afternoon filled with food, fun, friends, and great information.  All Details here

Suncoast Waterkeeper will direct a portion of its proceeds raised at Brunch for the Bay on October 15 to Hurricane Ian environmental recovery efforts.  We are working with community partners to ensure our resources bolster environmental recovery that lends to increased resiliency.

There is still time to purchase tickets.

Thank you, together, we can protect the Suncoast.

1. Volunteer Clean-Up

Join Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association, one of Suncoast Waterkeeper's Environmental Working Group partners in north Sarasota, to assist the elderly through a community clean up on Saturday, October 22, at 9 AM.  Bring water, gardening gloves, and rakes (if you have one); we will remove debris.  Please meet us at Bay First Bank at 1782 MLK Way, Sarasota, FL 34234.

2. Contribute

When we lost power, we also lost all the food stored in our refrigerators and freezers.  Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association is working to take the sting out of that loss by collecting gift cards from any grocery store (Publix, Walmart, etc.) and water (because of boil water notices) to distribute to neighbors. Please consider donating to Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association.  If you are interested in donating, please contact the Association President, Mary Butler, at mary40butler@....

3. Assist Local Food Producers 

I attended Manatee County Extension's Water School this week, where I learned that many local farmers and ranchers experienced heavy losses.  Manatee County Extension noted the importance of eating local and contributing to the relief efforts for food producers in our area.  You can help with this effort by donating to the Farm Bureau's Hurricane Ian Relief Fund.

If you have a need, please let us know.  We are working with community partners to aid recovery.  

Finally, remember to be careful in our local waters as they work to recover from the unprecedented amount of pollution that entered from Hurricane Ian.  Suncoast Waterkeeper will be back out sampling early next week to report the conditions of local waters on our website and social media.

Sincerely,

Abbey Tyrna

Executive Director & Waterkeeper

Suncoast Waterkeeper

http://www.suncoastwaterkeeper.org/

Suncoast Waterkeeper · PO Box 1028, Sarasota, FL 34230, United States

 

Environment and Energy: Bloom, Sellers at CONA 1.10.20

Justin Bloom of Suncoast Waterkeeper spoke about the fish farming operation proposed for offshore of Sarasota - an EPA hearing is set for Jan. 28th at the Mote Wave Center, 5:30 pm. More on this here.

And Sean Sellers of the Suncoast Climate Justice Coalition spoke about what can be done to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030, and who is getting behind this effort. Sarasota is one of 10 cities in Florida to have committed to government 100% renewable by 2030.


Click here or on the video below for the entire meeting:

This link will take you to Sean Sellers' full power point presentation on the perils facing a world that isn't quick enough on the uptake for renewable energy.

Bee Ridge Wastewater Settlement Agreement Finalized

This email today from Justin Bloom, attorney for Suncoast Waterkeeper and additional plaintiffs whose wastewater lawsuit will bring advanced wastewater treatment to Sarasota County.

Bloom wrote:

Today the Federal Judge approved our settlement and dismissed the case, while retaining jurisdiction to allow us to ensure that the County follows through on the many commitments made within the settlement.  In 14 days, they start facing stipulated penalties for new spills - and failures to follow-through on all the commitment (injunctive relief) items set forth in the settlement.   

On behalf of Suncoast Waterkeeper, our co-plaintiffs Ecological Rights Foundation, Our Children's Earth Foundation, our stellar lead counsel, Kaki Schmidt, I thank you for your time and your willingness to step up and help fight to protect our waterways.  It is a big win.

Below is the title page followed by the key rulings and the key monitoring of the upgrade to the county's wastewater system at Bee Ridge Extension, which is due for completion by 2025.

We as a community owe a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Bloom and his team for their essential intervention into a longstanding ecologic and infrastructure disgrace.

• Stipulated Order of Dismissal and Court's Retention of Supervision

• Attachment A to Stipulated Order

Digest for the week ending 4.6.19

Bee Ridge wastewater treatment plant

The FDEP (Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection) has issued a Consent Order to Sarasota County. It requires Sarasota to move to Advanced Water Treatment, to rid our canals and bays of nitrogen-rich discharges that feed Karenia Brevis -- Red Tide.

        How did we get into this mess? NPR has a clue.

        FDEP Draft Consent Order

        Cathy Antunes talks to Waterkeeper Justin Bloom about the mess.

The upcoming planning workshop about the future of our public lands near the Celery Fields (the Quads) is open to new ideas -- alternatives to heavy industry included -- but don't plan to propose them at the workshop -- Send them in advance, says lead planner Steve Kirk.

This coming Monday, CONA Sarasota will look at a new city of Sarasota transportation plan. 

Celery Fields Recreation Area

Breaking News hitting the proverbial fan

Sarasota County has repeatedly discharged excess reclaimed water from the Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment Facility to surface waters in the Phillippi Creek watershed since at least 2013, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune (Wed. 3.20.19).

Other waterways have been impacted, including Cow Pen Slough, Dona Bay, and Sarasota Bay. Sarasota is now facing a potential lawsuit from environmental advocates.

The letter from Suncoast Waterkeeper states:

"These spills have sent raw sewage streaming into streets, storm drains and/or adjacent surface waters, posing serious public health threats and creating a severe nuisance in exposing substantial numbers of people to raw sewage,” the letter states. “These spills have been caused by a variety of poor or inadequate system maintenance, operation, repair, replacement and rehabilitation practices."

According to the County’s own information, this direct discharge has occurred continuously since Dec. 12, 2018 at an average rate of between 2.5 million and 3 million gallons each day, with an average nitrogen concentration of 17.9 milligrams per Liter. That concentration is more than ten times the state's maximum acceptable limit of 1.65 mg per Liter.

Dead fish on Sarasota beaches in 2018-19

The resulting nitrogen load from this extended “event” is over 33,000 pounds -- virtually the same magnitude as the County's 2016 estimate for all of the septic systems in the Phillippi Creek watershed for an entire year.

According to stormwater experts, this is a serious matter, and does real damage to the County’s reputation and credibility. Given the scientific evidence that nitrogen is a key fuel source for red tide, it is not acceptable that this has been occurring since 2013. While all the while Sarasota County Government has touted to the public its commitment to water quality. Someone needs to be held accountable.

The Suncoast Waterkeeper has identified this long term and blatant violation and sent a Notice of Intent to File Suit under the Clean Water Act to Sarasota County on Feb. 20, 2019. We fully support their efforts as someone needs to be looking out for the best interest of the County’s residents.

Herald Tribune story

Suncoast Waterkeeper Notice of Intent

Suncoast Waterkeeper

Bee Ridge Water Treatment Plant
(courtesy Sarasota Herald Tribune)

Waterkeeper to address Red Tide at CONA Sarasota

Sarasota County Council of  Neighborhood Associations - CONA       Monday, February 11, 2019           -  monthly meeting  -       how we feed red tide          On February 11, 2019, please join CONA-Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, to hear the executive director of Suncoast Waterkeeper, Justin Bloom, discuss factors fueling red tide that potentially, are within our control and steps that may be taken to reverse our contributions to the exacerbation of the natural cycle into the protracted toxic calamity we have been experiencing.                  Suncoast Waterkeeper is a Sarasota-based nonprofit that seeks to protect and restore waterways in our community and beyond, through enforcement, fieldwork, advocacy, and environmental education for the benefit of the communities that rely upon these precious coastal resources. It is one of more than 300 waterkeeper programs around the world. Waterkeepers are a combination of watchdog, investigator, scientist, educator, and legal advocate, protecting rights to clean water and empowering citizens to defend their waterways.             CONA will hold a series of programs related to red tide in order to encourage community action to reduce factors. Understanding all of the factors may lead to the identification of actions the community can take to reduce red tide and point to the best timetable for actions as we tackle the reduction of red tide.                          Following a traditional half-hour social beforehand, the meeting will open with brief neighborhood updates about their issues, including Chris Bales on Arbor Lake Preserve, Ben Cannon on Bath and Racquet Club, Sura Kochman on Siesta Promenade, and Tom Matrullo on the Celery Fields and Fresh Start.                                                                             See www.conasarasota.org/meetings.html for more information.                 social 6:30 p.m. -  meeting 7:00 p.m.          neighbors helping neighborhoods since 1961                                                          CONA meetings are free and open to the public as well as members of the more than seventy associations the organization represents and its individual members. Unless otherwise noted, the meetings are held at the Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota, which is at the intersection of Tamiami Trail, south of the Municipal Auditorium. Parking and the entrance are reached from Van Wezel Way. Socials precede the meetings at 6:30 p.m., the meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.                       For additional information about CONA and our schedule of upcoming meetings,  please see the CONA web site copyright © 2019 Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations  all rights reserved