John Morgan is Sarasota County’s Air and Water Quality supervisor. He said that environmentally friendly fertilizers contain zero nitrogen and zero phosphorus. Excess amounts of these naturally occurring nutrients can create a harmful imbalance when washed away into storm drains and carried to local water bodies.
"Reducing the amount of nutrients collected by stormwater runoff helps protect natural habitats in area waterways that receive runoff from our stormwater system," Morgan said. "We are a growing community, and it will take a community effort to reduce nutrient pollution and continue having healthy waterways, beaches and more."
Red tide algae blooms continue to persist in Southwest Florida. Karenia brevis — the scientific name for the red tide organism — was detected in 38 samples this week. It was found in background concentrations in Sarasota County and very low concentrations in Charlotte County.