Advisories Active for 2 Hillsborough County Beaches

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents and visitors may want to think twice before diving into the waters at two Hillsborough County beaches. The Hillsborough County Health Department issued an advisory for Ben T. Davis Beach Tuesday as a warning remained in effect for E.G. Simmons Park.

According to the health department, water samples taken on Monday from Ben T. Davis Beach, 7740 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa, tested beyond the recommended threshold for enterococci bacteria.

“This should be considered a potential risk to the bathing public,” an email from the agency said.

Meanwhile, E.G. Simmons Park, 2401 19th Ave. N.W. in Ruskin, has been under an advisory since Sept. 14, the agency noted. Resampling on Monday did not produce satisfactory results, so the advisory there remains in place.

The next scheduled sampling date is Monday, Oct. 4.

Enteric bacteria are found naturally in the intestinal tracks of animals and humans. The bacteria “may cause human disease, infections or rashes,” the agency noted. “The presence of enteric bacteria is an indication of fecal pollution, which may come from storm water runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage.”

The health department has been conducting beach water quality monitoring since August 2000. The test became a weekly undertaking involving nine sites across the county in August 2002. The state has been conducting enhanced testing in the Tampa Bay area following sewage spills in Pinellas County after Hurricane Hermine.

For more information about the Florida Department of Health’s Beach Water Quality testing program, visit the state’s website. To check on water sample results, just click on county names.

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