All Clear at Picnic Island Beach

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents eager to dive back into the water at Picnic Island Beach have officially been given the all clear to do so from the Hillsborough County Health Department.

The health department announced Wednesday, Oct. 12 it had lifted an advisory that was put in place following water testing on Oct. 3. Samples taken Oct. 3 came back higher than recommended for enterococci bacteria.

The bacteria found in sampling normally lives in the intestinal tracts of humans of animals. The bacteria may cause disease in humans, infections and rashes, the agency wrote in an email to media.

“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 said.

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 also 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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