Health Advisories Issued For 3 Hillsborough Beaches

Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay area residents with outdoor plans over the upcoming weekend might want to avoid three local beaches.

The Hillsborough County Health Department has issued advisories for three beaches after water samples taken on Monday tested high for enterococci bacteria. The affected beaches are:

• Simmons Beach, 2401 19th Ave. N.W., Ruskin
• Picnic Island Beach, 7409 Picnic Island Blvd., Tampa
• Davis Islands Beach, 864 Severn Ave., Tampa

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

New samples will be taken on Monday, June 13. If the water tests within a satisfactory range at that time, the health advisories will be lifted.

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.

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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