The sun is shining, the water looks glassy and smooth on Sarasota Bay, and the smell of sewage is gone from the air. But don't be fooled.
Just a week ago, 17 million gallons of waste overflowed here after heavy rain and flooding from Hurricane Debby.
On Wednesday morning, Abbey Tyrna rolled up her pant legs and waded out far enough to reach elbow-deep in the brownish green water to test how much poop remains.
"Last week, we found lots of fresh water moving into this bay, which carried with it a lot of sewage. So we did find high levels of fecal indicator bacteria," said Tyrna, executive director of the nonprofit Suncoast Waterkeeper.
Anything greater than 71 units of this enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of tidal water would be considered unsafe for swimming, according to state water quality standards.
If you swallow this water, you could get diarrhea, vomiting, a rash or worse.
Last week's water test, on Aug, 7, at Sarasota Bay by Marina Jack showed 2,143 — or 30 times higher than the safe limits.
Results from Aug. 12, released Friday, show 1,722. Still far too high.
"The bay is still not safe for recreational activities," Tyrna said.
After testing 11 locations around the bay, Suncoast Waterkeeper issued a no-swim advisory for 10 of them, mostly those areas closest to shore, including Indian Beach, Palma Sola Causeway North and Robinson Preserve.
Longboat Key's Bayfront Park is the only area Suncoast Waterkeeper deemed safe for swimming.
Tyrna said the warm ocean waters have meant poor water quality in the bay and high levels of disease-causing bacteria, even prior to Debby's deluge.
"We did a sampling event one week before the storm, and all sites that we went to had high enterococci levels. And really that's a factor of warmer water. Warmer water can make bacteria just reproduce like crazy," Tyrna said.
Each week, Suncoast Waterkeeper, which relies on donations and has a staff of two people, tests 11 locations around Sarasota Bay and sends the data to the state.
Tyrna also posts the results on social media.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health tests water quality at beaches.
The latest data show levels of human and animal waste are well below harmful limits at most beaches, including Venice, Lido and Siesta Key, meaning the water is safe for swimming.
Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for local authorities to close beaches due to water quality problems.
"In the law, it says it's recommended, and this bill would have changed it to 'required,' " Tyrna explained.
Some health departments do close beaches when bacteria is too high, some don't.
Tyrna said she and other community advocates would like to see better reporting of water quality issues so the public can understand the dangers.
Tyrna said she is in talks with the Multicultural Health Institute in Sarasota and the Department of Health about how to proceed.
"There should be a centralized reporting system where people can report their sicknesses so that it can be understood how water quality is impacting visitors and residents. But there isn't such a tool right now."
