WATER QUALITY PROGRAM
IS YOUR WATER CLEAN?
Tampa Bay Waterkeeper tests and reports the bacteria levels of your favorite waterways bi-weekly. TBWK has partnered with USF Water Institute to show the bacteria monitoring data from TBWK's testing results, the Department of Health’s (DOH's) Healthy Beaches testing results, and the City of St. Petersburg Environmental Compliance Division's testing results.
Units used to report bacteria monitoring results may be Colony-Forming Units (CFU) or Most Probable Number (MPN) or Membrane Filter (MF) based on the analysis method. All of these units represent the number of bacteria estimated to be present within a 100-milliliter sample of water.
EPA has set the following standards for water considered safe for swimming, which are used by DOH and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper:
0-70 CFU/MPN per 100 mL enterococci per sample: Safe for swimming
70+ CFU/MPN per 100 mL enterococci per sample: Not safe for swimming
HOW DO I FIND THE LATEST WATER QUALITY RESULTS?
Check out the Tampa Bay Water Atlas! You can access the Recreational Water Quality Map here or just keep scrolling.
The Recreational Water Quality Map shows fixed coastal monitoring sites as well as inland or coastal locations where water quality conditions have recently been reported. They may include red tide/ harmful algal blooms, bacteria, or pollution. Each site when clicked provides the Sample Location, Date, Result, Status, and Description. As well as providing a chart with historical data.
WATER QUALITY LEGEND:
Current Status: Water Quality results are displayed on the map by color.

Green = Beach met water quality standards (0-35 CFU/MPN per 100 mL enterococci per sample)

Yellow = Beach has moderately met water quality standards (36-70 CFU/MPN per 100 mL enterococci per sample)

Red Circle = Beach failed to meet water quality standards (70+ CFU/MPN per 100 mL enterococci per sample)