How We Monitor

SCWK conducts regular monitoring of bacteria concentrations in 19 recreational sites throughout the Suncoast. In July 2025, we expanded our program to include sites all the way down to Lemon Bay. Our samples are analyzed by the NELAP-certified laboratory called Benchmark EnviroAnalytical in Palmetto.  The results are posted weekly on our social media feeds, our Water Reporter map, and the Water Atlas recreational water quality map.

This long-term monitoring project has been possible because of generous grant funding and support from the Mote Scientific Foundation, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation.

We are looking for more recreational sites in southern Sarasota County to monitor. Send an email to [email protected] with your suggested monitoring site, and we’ll get back to you!

Don’t see an area that you would like monitored? For $200 per month, we can add your location to our list of monitoring sites. Get in touch with us at [email protected]. 

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  1. Collection of Samples

    We have two Water Quality & Pollution Specialists who are in the field every week. Water samples are collected using aseptic techniques to avoid contamination and tampering. They also take note of the environmental conditions, such as wind velocity, tidal stage and height, rainfall in the past 24 hours, salinity, water pH, and the presence of decaying vegetation (“wrack”) in the sampling area. We are in the process of adopting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) checklist to evaluate the potential pollution sources at each site. It is important that we evaluate the bacterial sources on a case-by-case basis, because each location and waterbody has a unique set of inputs. The potential bacterial sources we typically look out for include wildlife that can be a source of fecal bacteria, like dogs, birds, and horses, flowing stormwater pipes, sewage spills or bypasses, and unregulated mooring boats. 

  2. Lab Examination

    The collected water samples are processed by Benchmark EnviroAnalytical to quantify the Enterococci bacteria in each 100 milliliter (mL) water sample. This testing process takes approximately 48 hours to complete.

  3. Results & Updates

    Once the laboratory methods and reports are completed, they will send us the results back. We post the results on our Facebook and Instagram pages every Friday. This allows followers to stay updated and informed about water quality conditions in their area. We also email our local stakeholders, which includes staff from Manatee County, Sarasota County, the Florida Department of Health, other non-profit organizations, and media outlets, with the weekly report.