Bayshore Boulevard: Flooding gunks up Hillsborough Bay
Signs warning of contamination should be gone by today, because the water quality has improved.
By JANET ZINK
Published August 20, 2004
It makes for great waterfront running, biking and strolling.
But you may want to think twice about enjoying Bayshore Boulevard after a heavy rain.
Signs posted in the past few weeks warned people not to stand, swim or fish in the water.
The advisory came after flooding caused sewage to flow into Hillsborough Bay. Tests showed the water was contaminated, so the city put up signs to keep people out.
The signs were the first time city officials have notified people to stay out of the water along Bayshore and mark a new policy of letting people know when the water may pose a health risk, said Ralph Metcalf, director of Tampa's wastewater department.
"We're trying to be more careful," he said.
The city began taking down the signs as daily monitoring revealed that the water quality was returning to normal, he said. Metcalf expected all of them to be removed by today. Such signs often appear on public beaches when stormwater runoff makes the water unsafe, but city officials didn't think it was necessary to post such warnings along Bayshore.
"It's not a swimming area," Metcalf said.
Still, there is access to the water, and you never know when someone might choose to step into it, he said.
"People are asking and want to know," he said. "We tend to err on the side of doing too much."
After major rains, he said, it's not unusual for excess stormwater to find its way into the wastewater system through pipe connections and manholes and cause a backup of water in the streets. If it's a small amount, the water can be removed with pumps. Too much water, and it flows into the Hillsborough Bay, prompting the tests.
