NORTH PORT — Test results released by Sarasota County this week show that the mineral-rich water of Warm Mineral Springs is in fact safe for swimmers, debunking rumors that the water may be laced with toxic materials.

At a North Port City Commission meeting
Nov. 26, local diver Bill Delp said in 1982, thousands of square feet of black plastic and hundreds of feet of plastic rope were placed in the Springs, which the county and the city of North Port jointly purchased for $5.5 million in December 2010, in an effort to protect potential archaeological artifacts that may be buried underwater. He said over time, toxic material called phthalates has begun leeching out of the plastic and is affecting the mineral content of the water — causing some alarm among regular bathers of the Springs.