PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, water quality has been a point of concern for residents and local environmentalists.
"I would say, I wouldn't go swimming right now, even at the beach in St. Pete, because who knows what's floating out there," said John Robinson, a fisherman.
Robinson has been fishing at Clam Bayou Nature Park for years and said the water isn't as clean as usual.
"Peoples' septic tanks and sewage systems and regular sanitary sewers have all overflowed into the water…and the bay will clean itself out, but it'll take a couple of months," said Robinson.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton had a huge impact on the Tampa Bay waterways.
"Hurricanes are always pretty hard on water quality because we have a lot of rainfall, and with that rainfall comes a lot of things like sanitary sewer overflows, wastewater pollution into those waterways," said Maya Burke with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.
Tampa Bay Waterkeeper surveyed the water at the end of October and identified above-average fecal pollution from stormwater runoff and sewage.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that there are feces in the water, but there are the bacteria that can be associated with sewage," said Burke.
A bacteria that Burke is concerned about is Vibrio, a flesh-eating bacteria found in the water.
"That's something we've been keeping an eye out for here in Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and Manatee County," said Burke.
She said there's been an uptick in cases since Hurricane Helene.
"You should be going and being informed before you go out on those waterways; that means checking winds and tides but also checking things like fecal indicator bacteria or algae blooms that may or may not be present," she said.
People who live around the area said they are continuing to partake in their regular water activities, but they are being cautious.
"I don't go barefoot or wade in the water with any sores because of that," said Robinson.
Burke said it is okay to get in the water, but people should be aware of the conditions beforehand.
She said the water is improving day by day.
"It'll come back in, I don't know, a couple of months; by January, it should be pretty good," said Robinson.
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