Pinellas Coastal Conditions
How healthy are our coastal waters? The Pinellas Coastal Conditions ratings provide a general picture of water quality and health based on the levels of important indicators in the water, including chlorophyll-a, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen saturation. The acceptable "healthy" values for these indicators are set by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), as required by the Federal Clean Water Act. FDEP must assess water quality for surface waters in the state at least every two years to determine if waters are "fishable and swimmable" or require improvement. The current water quality standards and associated criteria help determine whether a waterbody is passing or healthy compared to failing or impaired as defined in the Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 62-302.530, "Table: Surface Water Quality Criteria".
Coastal water segments that "Pass" indicate good water quality for the selected calendar year; however, regulatory assessment of health is based on results over seven- or ten-year periods and may differ from the single year assessment. Water values that "Fail" by exceeding the established State water quality criteria are put onto the impaired waters list and prioritized for restoration activities to improve water quality. Pinellas County implements several educational programs, structural stormwater projects, and county ordinances to address pollution and result in improved water quality. Additionally, the County partners with municipalities and other public agencies to research sources of pollution in the watershed and to implement proper management practices to improve water quality.
Sampling Design and Methods: As part of the Pinellas County ambient monitoring program, water samples are collected from four randomly selected sites within each of the regions approximately every 40 days during the rainy season, June through September, and every 51 days during the remaining "dry" season for a total of eight sampling events and 32 sites per coastal region per year. These regions cover coastal areas of Pinellas County on the Gulf beaches and portions of upper Tampa Bay.
