Red tide emerges in lower Tampa Bay in Manatee County; Piney Point could make it worse

Red tide has emerged in the lower Tampa Bay, with water samples collected this week off Manatee County showing low to very low levels of the toxic algae. 

"The red tide conditions in these areas isnot thought to be a direct result of the Piney Point discharges,” the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement posted to Twitter. “However, elevated nutrients have the potential to exacerbate these algal blooms.” 

The latest on Piney Point: Manatee County moves forward with disposing of Piney Point wastewater in deep well

Red Tide: Has Florida red tide returned? Elevated levels reported along Sarasota County beaches

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The last major outbreak of the microorganism that tainted the turquoise Gulf waters lasted from October 2017 to February 2019. It killed countless sea creatures, including dolphins, sea turtles and manatees. While fish kills have been reported in Charlotte and Sarasota County recently due to red tide, no dead fish were found in Manatee as of Friday afternoon. 

A sample taken just off Robinson Preserve showed a low presence of red tide, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the lead agency on red tide. Low concentrations can sometimes cause respiratory irritation, possible fish kills and halt the harvest of shellfish. 

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Samples taken near the northern tip of Anna Maria Island showed very low levels. 

Over the past week, Karenia brevis, a naturally occurring toxic algae known as red tide, was detected in 70 samples in Southwest Florida, according to the FWC.

Samples from or offshore Pinellas and Manatee counites did not contain red tide. The organism's presence was found in background samples in Hillsborough County and background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County. 

Experts told the Herald-Tribune last week that the bloom appears to have emerged from Charlotte and Lee County starting in December. Winds from the south pushed the bloom northward to Sarasota, prompting local health officials to place signs at some area beaches. 

Earlier this month, 215 million gallons of nitrogen-laden water dumped from the Piney Point phosphate industrial site. Environmentalists have expressed concerns about the short and long term environmental impact. Nitrogen is especially concerning to environmentalists, as it has been shown to fuel algae blooms. 

Impact of Piney Point: Scientists tracking environmental impacts from Piney Point wastewater release

The Florida Department of Environmental protection and others have been monitoring the waterways following the discharge. 

To date, results have only detected small levels of nontoxic algae around the discharge area. 

Red tide was observed this week at medium concentrations in Charlotte Harbor. Dead fish began washing up throughout the waterway this week, with the FWC receiving five reports. 

News reports detail fish kills showing up from the mouths of the Myakka and Peace rivers, which feed into the Charlotte Harbor. 

State officials also suspect that fish kills reported in Sarasota County were related to red tide. Low to medium levels were found in samples on Longboat Key, North Lido Beach and Siesta Key Beach

Timothy Fanning covers Sarasota government for the Herald-Tribune. Reach Timothy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on Twitter: @timothyjfanning. Support the Herald-Tribune by subscribing today.