No matter where people live, whether on the coast or inland, their daily actions directly influence the health of Sarasota Bay. We’re all interconnected through the system of tributaries that link our yards to the Bay.
Some of the water from the land reaches the Bay through the ground, but most of it is carried by creeks and streams via stormwater runoff. When rainfall washes across the watershed, it collects the debris and residue of our daily lives and becomes stormwater runoff.
Stormwater carries pollution from a host of sources: atmospheric deposition in the rain; chemical pollution from power plants and cars; leachate from septic tanks; runoff from our roads and our driveways; runoff from our yards with excess fertilizers and pesticides; pet waste, etc. Virtually all surface pollution ends up going down various drains which is a serious pollution risk for our local Bay waters.
Estimated Water Use Report (2009)
This comprehensive report summarizes freshwater use in the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The report is used as a data source for a variety of water supply planning and management purposes. In addition to reporting total water use, six water use categories are analyzed: public supply, domestic self-supply, recreational and aesthetic, agricultural, mining/dewatering, and industrial/commercial. Click here to open the report.