Tampa Bay Beaches Get Extra Testing After Sewage Spill

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — As St. Petersburg faces scrutiny following its need to dump millions of gallons of partially treated sewage into Tampa Bay after Hurricane Hermine blew past, the Florida Department of Health is keeping closer tabs on water at the region’s beaches.

DOH announced late Tuesday it is conducting testing that goes beyond its once-a-week monitoring at nine Pinellas County beaches and five Hillsborough County beaches.

“The department is working with the city of St. Petersburg to perform confirmatory sampling for Northshore Beach, Lassing Park and Spa Beach along with other creeks and canals in the city,” the agency noted in an email to media. “While these areas are not part of our normal Healthy Beaches monitoring program, the department is committed to keeping Florida’s waters safe.”

Routine testing of the 14 beaches the state monitors on a weekly basis only turned up problems at one site. An advisory for E.G. Simmons Park Beach in Hillsborough County’s Ruskin, which is across the Bay from St. Petersburg, was issued.

The city of St. Petersburg, the department noted, is also responsible for conducting testing in the immediate area of the sewage spill. Gov. Rick Scott, however, directed DOH to conduct “additional testing at this site,” the agency noted.

The advisory issued for Simmons Park Beach was initially issued after testing on Monday, Sept. 12. As of Tuesday, Sept. 20, DOH said the beach remains under an advisory.

Earlier this month, St. Petersburg reported to the state it had discharged more than 20 million gallons of partially treated sewage into Tampa Bay from a pipe at the Albert Whitted treatment plant.

Controlled releases of partially treated wastewater are not entirely uncommon when heavy rains flood the region, taxing sewage treatment plants beyond their capacity. Following Tropical Storm Colin in June, a similar action was also taken.

St. Petersburg’s most recent actions, however, have come under heavy criticism. A whistleblower has come forward saying a spill from the Northwest treatment plant, also related to Hurricane Hermine, was not as clean as city officials said. That spill involved 58 million gallons of sewage, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Craven Askew, the chief operator at the Northeast wastewater treatment plant, has requested federal whistle-blower protection, the paper reported.

“Public safety and the environment is suspected to be possibly in danger due to the sewer (sic) spills produced by the Albert Whitted … and Northwest spills,” the Times quoted Askew as saying.

U.S. Rep. David Jolly has said he intends to call for an investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency into the spills.

Tampa Bay area residents and visitors who wish to keep up with the state’s testing on water quality at beaches in the region, can visit the Florida Healthy Beaches Program online.

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