Recreational Water Quality
The city of St. Petersburg takes pride in providing safe water for our citizens for environmental health. The reports below provide information about the quality of environmental health, including ambient water quality monitoring, trends in water quality, our beaches and recreational areas monitoring programs, as well as sanitary sewers and background conditions monitoring programs.
Testing
Testing is done weekly at each of the locations on Wednesday. Results are usually posted on Thursday. If the test indicates a level of Enterococci greater than 70 colony forming units per 100 milliliters of marine water, the beach is resampled the following day. Results of the second test will be posted on Friday.
Results
2017 - Ambient Water Quality Report Card: Results of annual water quality monitoring program presented in a scientifically sound and easy to read format developed for the public, stakeholders, and the City Council.
2017 - Ambient Water Quality Report Card Trend Analysis: Analytical results of trend analysis for land-based, lake, and the estuarine data collected since 2003. The City was divided into 2 basins that drain to either Boca Ciega Bay or Middle Tampa Bay based on previous management delineations used by City or by local Inter-governmental agencies.
2017 - Water Quality Report Card: Summary of data collected for monitoring programs the City has implemented to provide critical insights to the status and trends in water for two central themes related to water quality – Environmental Health and Human Health to meet the requirements of Consent Order (OGC No. 16-1280).
Health Implications
Learn more about the Florida Healthy Beaches program.
The statewide testing program tests for enterococci, which the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended states adopt as a saltwater quality indicator. According to studies conducted by the EPA, enterococci have a greater correlation with swimming-associated gastrointestinal illness in both marine and fresh waters than other bacterial indicator organisms and are less likely to "die off" in saltwater. If an enterococci result were observed to exceed 70 colony forming units per 100 milliliters of beach water sampled and a resampling result also exceeds this value, then an "Advisory" will be issued for the sampling site.
