Sarasota Bay is a large lagoon located on the southwest Florida coast south of Tampa Bay. The bay enters Anna Maria Sound at Cortez to the north and Little Sarasota Bay to the south. The bay is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by three tidal inlets, Longboat Pass (between Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key); New Pass (between Longboat Key and Lido Key); and Big Pass (between Lido Key and Siesta Key). Three streams enter the bay. Bowlees Creek is an urbanized waterway. Whitaker Bayou discharges stormwater and the City of Sarasota's sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent. Phillippi Creek, another urbanized waterway, enters the bay near its southern outlet. Other prominent landmarks include Stephens Point near the University of South Florida campus, Bird Key, City Island, Bishop Point on Longboat Key, Buttonwood Harbor behind the point, and channel markers of the inland waterway.