Healthy Pond Collaborative
Healthy Ponds = Healthy Bays
The Healthy Pond Collaborative (HPC) is a consortium of local non-profit organizations, the government, UF/IFAS Extension, and neighborhoods with a mission to improve local water quality by focusing on healthy pond management throughout Sarasota County. With funding from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, HPC has gained momentum by educating communities on best practices for stormwater pond management and providing grants to plant native Florida plants in community ponds.
Overview
With over 6,600 ponds in Sarasota County that consistently impact red tide, water quality, and our groundwater supply, there’s a new initiative taking place in residential communities: stormwater pond education and enhancement. Healthy stormwater ponds have several key components that are often overlooked, but when implemented correctly can save homeowners thousands of dollars and drastically improve water quality.
Funded by the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation in September 2021 until present, the HPC has had some great achievements:
Some of our 2024 to 2025 highlights include the creation of 35.7 miles of new shoreline plantings throughout 32 ponds in the county, and that number is growing. We visited 68 communities in both Manatee and Sarasota Counties to give advice on healthy pond maintenance, and awarded 32 grants for 201,069 aquatic plant stocks! 15 more communities have already been approved for a grant in 2026. We also partnered with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program to enhance the entrance pond at G.T. Bray Park in Bradenton.
The pond monitoring program is done by Suncoast Waterkeeper staff with UF/IFAS extension agents. Data collection runs from April through September, which is the growing season of aquatic plants. Several water quality parameters are measured to understand if the stormwater ponds are able to effectively reduce downstream pollution.
Equally crucial to restoring ponds, HPC has created a guide to help individuals and Homeowners Associations. The “Healthy Ponds Guide: The Essential Guide to Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Neighborhood Stormwater Ponds in Southwest Florida,” walks readers through the step-by-step process of reclaiming their stormwater pond and managing it effectively. You can download the manual at https://tampabay.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/HEALTHY-PONDS-GUIDE-2022-12-screen-view.pdf.
Problem
Stormwater Ponds do not meet state pollution reduction criteria
As Florida continues to grow and build, managing stormwater runoff to minimize property flooding and protect water quality becomes ever more important. Most of the rain that falls on developed areas will be captured by one of Florida's 76,000+ stormwater ponds designed and built for managing stormwater. How well these stormwater ponds capture and treat polluted water depends on how well they are managed. Every property owner and tenant has a role in protecting water quality, and the Healthy Pond Collaborative aims to raise awareness on how to correctly manage a community pond.
Stormwater ponds are supposed to act as nutrient sinks. The presence of buffer zones, littoral zones, and many diverse aquatic plant species can effectively take up nutrients coming into the pond and prevent pollution in downstream waters.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are measured in each pond during the monitoring season because these are the key nutrients for fueling algae blooms, which affect human health and Florida wildlife in and around the water. Plants in the pond will take up nutrients, potentially preventing them from being available for algae in the pond and downstream in Sarasota Bay. All of our local waterways are interconnected. We aim to protect our coastal areas and beaches, which are home to thriving marine ecosystems and popular among thousands of residents and tourists.
Solution
Working with a group of stakeholders, a community engagement program has been operating in Sarasota and Manatee Counties to bring to light pond management strategies that will reduce downstream pollution, build habitat, and protect shorelines from erosion.
The Healthy Pond Collaborative has technical experts who can work with your community to build a strong stormwater pond management program that accomplishes these goals. Contact us for more information at [email protected]. We invite you to utilize county resources by visiting the UF/IFAS page on healthy ponds https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota/natural-resources/water-resources/healthy-ponds/.
