Sarasota Impaired Waterway List Revised

Roberts and Blackburn bays are out while Hudson and Whitaker bayous are in.

Related Links:Spoil island dilemma: Save the views or the bays? One bay's problems start with a creek Seagrass in Sarasota Bay makes big comeback The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has removed the two big Sarasota County bays from its list of impaired bodies of water, citing improvements in water quality. In particular, concentrations are down for chlorophyll, which makes water murkier and generally restricts the growth of seagrass.

Meanwhile, Whitaker and Hudson bayous were added to the list for repeatedly exceeding limits on fecal coliform, having too little dissolved oxygen in their waters and for mercury found in fish. Phillippi Creek remains on the list largely because of high levels of nitrogen, which feeds the formation of chlorophyll.