MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Dozens of golf courses in Manatee County use a state-funded program called Operation Cleansweep, which helps discard old and unusable pesticides.

The program allows inspections to be made to make sure everything is in order and contained properly, especially the chemicals used to treat the courses.

“At a lot of golf courses, you’ll find chemicals and pesticides that get left behind. We usually find a lot of used containers—items that really can’t be used,” said Jannette Cisneros, who is a Manatee County Environmental Specialist.

Cisneros looks over more than 50 golf courses through the county.

“Currently, I probably do three to four golf course inspections a week,” she said.

“(Operation Cleansweep) allows golf courses to save money on disposing of anything that could be hazardous. That’s expensive to do, and this program allows them to get rid of anything that could impact our stormwater,” she said.

Marty Harris, Superintendent at Manatee County Golf Course, believes the program is a big help.

“This way, everything is taken care of, safely disposed of, and doesn’t provide any detriment to the environment,” he said.

Now, the focus is on spreading the word to newer courses.

“There are currently two golf course facilities that are open or opening up in Myakka, and they’re located right on the Myakka River. So again, this is why we go out to these sites—to make sure that pesticides and similar chemicals don’t harm our waterways,” said Cisneros.

Cisneros will continue her mission of ensuring everything is properly maintained—but she’ll also spread the word about a program that helps both golf courses and the environment.

Manatee County says that because of their inspection program, all golf courses have increased their compliance rate.