Picnic Island Beach Fails Water Testing

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents and visitors with big beach plans over the next few days may want to think twice about diving into the water at Picnic Island. The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County issued an advisory for the beach following unsatisfactory bacteriological testing results.

“This should be considered a potential risk to the bathing public,” Steve Huard, spokesman for the department, wrote in a Wednesday email to media. The department intends to sample the water again on Monday. Until then, swimmers are being advised to steer clear.

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The testing is designed to measure the levels of enteric bacteria found in the water. Enteric bacteria are normally found within the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Enterococci bacteria is known to cause disease, infections and rashes in humans. When water samples test high for enterococci, the results indicate “fecal pollution, which may come from storm water runoff, pets, wildlife and sewage,” the health department's email noted.

Picnic Island Beach is located at 7409 Picnic Island Blvd. The city of Tampa’s three other beaches remain open to the swimming public. They are: Ben T. Davis, 7740 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway; Cypress Point Park, 5620 W. Cypress St; and Davis Islands Seaplane Basin, 864 Severn Ave.

Meanwhile, officials in Pinellas County have announced that all four beaches closed last week due to poor testing results are free and clear for swimmers. The City of St. Petersburg had closed down its Northshore, Maximo and Lassing Park beaches. All three reopened over the weekend. The advisory issued for Fort De Soto Park’s North Beach was lifted on Tuesday.

Folks who want to check on the conditions at other beaches along the Gulf Coast before they head out over the weekend will find online tools available to help them. Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory conducts year-round monitoring of Bay area waters. To check out Mote’s reporting system, visit www.VisitBeaches.org.

The Florida Department of Health also runs the Healthy Beaches Program to keep track of water conditions throughout the state. That program focuses on reporting the results of water quality tests performed on a regular basis at beaches across the state. The results are published regularly on the FDOH website based on individual county testing and reporting programs.

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