No-swim advisory lifted for Bird Key Park

Health Department officials have lifted a no-swim advisory posted earlier in the week for Bird Key Park, along Ringling Causeway. 

Follow-up testing to the Tuesday water sampling indicated a return to normal levels of the enterococcus bacteria, the Health Department said on Friday morning.  

According to a news release, “enterococcus bacteria can come from a variety of natural and human-made sources. These include pet waste, livestock, birds, land-dwelling and marine wildlife, stormwater runoff, and human sewage from failed septic systems and sewage spills.”

No spills have been reported within one mile of beach in the last weeks.

A team determined the likely source was a wrack line of decaying algae along the shoreline. Wrack lines, which provide food for shorebirds and wildlife, act as natural bacteria reservoirs.

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County monitors water quality weekly at 16 sites along Sarasota’s 34 miles of beaches. The intent of this program is to provide county residents and visitors with accurate, up-to-date information on the water quality at our beaches. Click here for beach water testing results.