A bay-wide monitoring program developed for the Estuary Program. Sarasota Bay Project.

Abstract

In July, 1988, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Thomas convened a National Estuary Program (NEP) Management Conference for Sarasota Bay, Florida. Governor Bob Martinez designated the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (FDER) as lead agency for the project, and FDER and EPA entered into a cooperative agreement for program planning and development for the Sarasota Bay NEP in August, 1988. The scope of work details the activities and tasks which were undertaken to initiate the Sarasota Bay NEP, which include: establishment of a Project Office; appointment of Management Conference committees; development of an information management system; design of a Bay-wide monitoring program; creation of a public participation program; and preparation of work plans and quality assurance plans. This document addresses the requirement for a bay-wide monitoring program.