SARASOTA, Fla. — The storm cleanup continues in Sarasota County's inland neighborhoods like Pinecraft and Laurel Meadows where Hurricane Debby flooded. But now there is an added focus on concerns about the storm's possible impact on water quality in the region.
"I would definitely attest to the fact that it is not as clean as it usually is," Jared Green of Siesta Key Jet Skis said.
Green, who coordinates watercraft recreation activity said nearly two weeks after Hurricane Debby, he noticed that the water had still not cleared up in the intercoastal waterways.
"It's a little darker, definitely has a weird tint to it, like it has a lot more freshwater or other materials in. It looks more like Philippi Creek water here than it normally would look like regular intercoastal water," Green explained.
He said the tourists who call to inquire about recreational activities on the water or have booked tour rides have asked questions about the condition of the water.
"Don't go in the water when it looks like this. Don't go waterskiing, don't go kite surfing, don't go sailboarding in Sarasota Bay probably for another two weeks at least because our bacteria levels are really high right now," Dave Tomasko of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program said.
Along with the runoff from nearly 16 inches of rain, various municipalities have reported sewage spills caused by the storm including the city of Sarasota with 17 million gallons after some pipes experienced some clogging.
Local environmentalists said all that just ends up in the bay and area rivers and creeks.
"You have got bottles, you've got dog poop, grass clippings, overwhelmed wastewater. We have so much material washed into the bay that it is consuming oxygen as it decays so we're seeing fish in the lower bay," Tomasko added.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota sampled 15 of the 16 beaches this past week and said all passed but Casperson, which remains closed and inaccessible.
"Everything that we do really revolves around the water, you know, whether the tides looking OK out there, that's how we make our livelihood so we've got to figure all that stuff out to figure out if it's OK for us to be able to send people out," Green said.
To learn more about the sample results from local beaches visit FDOH-Sarasota's Healthy Beaches page.