Rain hasn't raised bacteria levels in bay

Recent storms have not caused problems as they did last summer, when waste washed into the water and beaches had to be closed.

By BRYAN GILMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 16, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Last summer the city repeatedly closed its beaches after rainstorms.

The reason city officials gave was that stormwater washed animal waste into Tampa Bay, raising bacteria levels so much that the water was unsafe for swimming.

With that explanation, it might seem that a long spell without rain would allow more scat than usual to accumulate on the land, and that the first rain would wash it all into the bay, fouling the water something awful.

But if you think so, you don't know guano, according to the city's bacteria czar.

The water quality at Maximo and North Shore beaches is fine after two weekend thunderstorms, according to bacterial tests completed Thursday, said Fred Crafa, water quality assessment manager.

The total and fecal coliform bacterial levels at Maximo beach were minuscule, and North Shore Beach's levels were less than a quarter of the nastiness threshold at which the city closes the beach.

It seems that bacteria in animal waste not immediately washed out to sea just fades away.

"It diminishes real quickly," Crafa said, skilled at discussing the topic in polite circles with delicacy. "Sunlight and that type of thing come into play. Once a dog deposits material on a greenway, it rapidly decomposes."

Plus, both beaches received well under an inch of rain last weekend. Usually it takes at least an inch to make the bacteria counts spike, Crafa said.

It turns out that a group of four young adults and their pet iguana had nothing bacterial to fear Wednesday while they swam in Tampa Bay.

"Ever since our first day here, there's been all this seaweed, and it's been all funky," Charles Hall, 22, observed with a shrug.

"I think it's gross," said his friend Samantha Russell, 19.

Rotting seaweed lay on the beach, and floating mats of blue-green algae have been spotted offshore near the beach. But even though the algae may smell and even look like the stuff that raises the bacterial count, it poses no hazard, Crafa said.

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