Two TBEP-sponsored research initiatives slated to begin in the coming year will help address public health concerns associated with swimming and shellfishing harvesting in Tampa Bay.

One project will survey environmental and health department officials in Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties to learn what criteria they use in deciding when to close beaches to swimming, and what sampling techniques they employ to test water quality. This information may be used to develop uniform standards for beach closures throughout the bay region, as recommended in Charting The Course, the management plan for Tampa Bay. According to public health experts, consistent standards throughout the region would safeguard public health and maximize recreational use of the bay while helping to identify the specific causes of water quality problems at bay beaches.

Information gathered during the survey also will be used to prepare a GIS-based map showing baywide public health "hot spots" -- areas that repeatedly experience bacterial contamination warranting health advisories. The $5,000 survey and mapping effort will be implemented by the Florida Marine Research Institute.

The second project will expand an ongoing effort by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the University of South Florida to determine where microbial indicators and pathogens are found in Tampa Bay, and in what concentrations. With $40,000 from TBEP, the research team also will develop methods for identifying specific sources of waterborne bacteria or viruses in the watershed, such as septic tanks, sludge fields, feedlots and other agricultural practices, and even natural sources. Bullfrog Creek in south Hillsborough County was chosen as the test site for this effort because its watershed contains many potential sources of contamination, but results of the pilot study will be applicable throughout the bay.

Both projects were developed and recommended by TBEP's Public Health Working Group, which includes members of the Program's Technical Advisory Committee as well as other scientists, public health officials and citizens interested in bay-related health and safety issues. The work is being financed by grants awarded to the TBEP by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through Vice President Al Gore's Clean Water Initiative, which targets projects that address public health concerns related to water pollution.

The TBEP projects are part of a nationwide effort to identify, assess and reduce health risks associated with recreational uses of our coastal waters. In fact, the nation's environmental spotlight is increasingly focused on the relationship between water pollution and human health, as scientific evidence linking diseases to water pollution continues to grow and the popularity of swimming, snorkeling, windsurfing and other activities that place people in direct contact with the water continues to rise.

On the federal level, EPA has developed a new program to assist local governments in providing information about beach pollution. The Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure and Health (BEACH) Program focuses on four specific areas:

• Improving the scientific and policy foundations in support of state and local actions.
• Providing improved test methods and indicators to better protect the health of beachgoers in a more timely and comprehensive manner.
• Developing better predictive models to help notify the public of potential risks.
• Enhancing the public's right-to-know about the safety of water at local beaches by establishing a national beach contamination database, called BEACH WATCH (website at http://www.epa.gov/OST/beaches)

The Tampa Bay region may play a key role in developing more reliable indicators for determining when a beach should be placed off-limits to swimming. Traditionally, the presence of fecal coliform in a waterway has been used to decide when swimming, shellfish harvesting and other activities should be restricted. However, new studies indicate that fecal coliform may not be an accurate gauge of health hazards in warm climates like Florida's, since it occurs naturally on vegetation in tropical areas without cold temperatures to keep it in check. Thus, continued use of fecal coliform as the trigger for beach closures may result in unnecessary restrictions on swimming -- sullying Florida's status as a premier tourist destination with clean, healthy beaches.

The TBEP-supported research projects will help identify alternative indicators that might be more reliable in Florida waters. Additionally, Pinellas County is one of five Florida counties selected to participate in a bi-weekly sampling program to test the feasibility of using enterococcus (another bacteria typically found in mammals) instead of coliform as a health sentinel. This work is being financed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Florida Department of Community Affairs and the Florida Department of Health.

Pinellas County government, the Pinellas County Health Department and the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Convention and Visitors Bureau also are seeking research funds to enable USF scientists to identify and test specific indicators appropriate for Florida and other southeastern states.

INSET BOX "Is It Safe To Swim?," a fact sheet that addresses health concerns associated with swimming in Tampa Bay, is available free from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Request a copy by phone at (727) 893-2765 or e-mail us at tbnep@tampabayrpc.org.

"Healthy Beaches," a new countywide public awareness program sponsored by the Pinellas County Health Department, will provide a variety of information about the connection between water quality and human health.

Program coordinator Paul Stanek at the Pinellas Health Department will oversee the campaign to educate citizens about the health risks associated with saltwater recreation and measures the county is taking to ensure the safety of beachgoers. The program will provide information about specific diseases associated with contaminated water and how to reduce the risks of illness; assist officials in identifying research needs to improve beach sampling; coordinate the county's beach monitoring program; and educate citizens about ways they can help to keep beaches healthy.

"Through the Healthy Beaches program and the research efforts that are underway, we hope to make Pinellas a world-class center for public health and beaches,"said Mike Flanery, P.E., director of environmental engineering for the Pinellas County Health Department.

The program, which addresses all forms of recreational water use, will also provide information especially for prospective visitors to the region on a Web site still being developed. Officials hope that providing information about Pinellas' comprehensive beach monitoring program will reassure tourists and residents alike of the safety of local beaches, preserving the county's reputation as a first-rate vacation destination.

Pinellas County monitors water quality monthly at 50 sites in the bay, the Intracoastal Waterway and along the Gulf. The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County monitors 52 sites monthly in and around Tampa Bay. This monitoring data shows that area beaches meet health standards for recreational use most of the time, although unexpected events, such as red tides or stormwater and sewage overflows caused by excessive rainfall, can cause bacteria counts to rise and force temporary closures. Earlier this year, for example, several swimming beaches in Tampa Bay were closed when torrential rains spawned by the El Nino event overloaded sewer systems, forcing officials to discharge excess flows into the bay.

While beaches along Tampa Bay are more vulnerable to bacterial contaminaton because of poor water circulation and the presence of large volumes of runoff from the land, beaches along the Gulf of Mexico rarely experience bacterial problems.

Preserving the beach and bay environment by reducing or preventing pollution is a key to keeping beaches healthy.

"You can't very well have good human health without good environmental health," Flanery said.

In fact, the most common sources of disease-causing microorganisms are human-related; they include sewage overflows, polluted stormwater runoff, sewage treatment plant malfunctions, boating wastes, and malfunctioning septic tanks. Residents can help by preventing pet wastes from entering surface waters or storm drains; reducing chemical and fertilizer use in their yards; conserving water so that less runoff is generated; and routinely inspecting and cleaning out septic systems.

For information about Healthy Beaches, contact program coordinator Paul Stanek at 538-7277, extension 134.

The Tampa Bay Estuary program is offering small grants of up to $5,000 for bay-related education and outreach projects proposed by citizens groups and organizations in Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties.

Proposals will be accepted in the following categories:

• stormwater pollution
• habitat restoration and protection
• boater/angler education
• general bay awareness

A total of $20,000 is available for grants ranging from $500-$5,000. Applications will be reviewed by an advisory panel of educators and citizens, and grants awarded based on a competitive ranking process.

Application packets are available by writing to Bay Grants, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, MS I-1/NEP, 100 8th Ave. S.E., St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or by calling (727) 893-2765. Applicants must submit an Intent to Reply form by September 20. Completed proposals are due November 1, and selections will be announced December 1.

Through its Bay Mini-Grant Program, TBEP has awarded more than $50,000 in small grants to civic organizations, schools and communities for projects to educate and involve citizens in bay improvement. Previous mini-grants have financed such projects as the design and distribution of an educational brochure on Brazilian peppers; a slide show and brochure demonstrating the cost-benefits to companies of using native plant landscaping; production of a video by high schol students demontrating how to restore a damaged bay habitat; and installation of navigational buoys at Egmont Key to steer boaters away from scarred seagrass beds.

In recognition of the vital role the ocean plays in our lives, the United Nations has declared 1998 the Year of the Ocean. The Bay Area's special connection with the saltwater realm is being highlighted in a variety of community events throughout the year.

In June, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program helped organize a regional forum on oceans at the Florida Aquarium sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institutes of Health. EPA Administrator Carol Browner provided opening remarks to the audience of nearly 100 citizens, elected officials, scientists, and others from throughout the Eastern United States who were invited to present their concerns and provide recommendations on priority problems facing our nation's coastal waters. Proceedings of the session were made available to participants at the National Ocean Conference in Monterey, California, also held in June.

Bay area students were able to watch daily panel discussions at the conference through a satellite downlink that beamed the happenings in Monterey live to the Florida Aquarium.On the final day of the conference, selected students from area schools spent the day at the aquarium, devising their own solutions to the global problems being discussed in Monterey, interacting with local coastal scientists and environmental managers, and watching live keynote speeches by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and noted marine scientist and explorer Sylvia Earle, who grew up in Dunedin.

Upcoming Year of the Ocean events in the Bay Area include the annual Coastal Cleanup, slated for September 19 from 8 a.m.-noon, when thousands of volunteers pick up plastic trash, discarded fishing line and every other imaginable form of debris from area shorelines and waterways. To participate in this annual event, call 1-800-CMC-FLOR.

More fun things to do, as well as fantastic information about ocean resources, can be found on the official Year of the Ocean Internet site at www.yoto.com.

-- Learn all you can. Read, surf the Web and experience the ocean directly.

-- Be a smart shopper. Learn more about the source and quality of your seafood.

-- Conserve water. Be careful when washing your car or watering your lawn. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk.

-- Reduce household pollutants. Cut down and properly dispose of herbicides, pesticides and cleaning products.

-- Reduce waste. Dispose of trash properly. Where possible, recycle, re-use and compost.

-- Reduce automobile pollution. Use fuel efficient vehicles or carpool. Recycle motor oil and repair oil and air conditioning leaks.

-- Protect marine wildlife. Don't dispose of fishing lines, nets or plastic items in or near the water.

-- Be considerate of marine habitats. Don't feed sea birds, mammals and turtles or disturb their nursery areas. Support protected marine areas.

-- Get involved! Take part in a beach cleanup or other marine-oriented activity.

SOURCE: NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Tampa Bay Estuary Program a Bronze Medal for Commendable Service in recognition of the adoption of Charting The Course, the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Tampa Bay.

In honoring TBEP, EPA officials noted that Charting The Course has set a national example for successful community-based environmental management. The award specifically recognizes TBEP Director Dick Eckenrod and Senior Scientist Holly Greening, as well as EPA Region IV officials Felicia Robinson, Tampa Bay Project Officer; Allan Antley, past co-chair of the TBEP Management and Policy Committee; and Bob Caplan, staff attorney.

The Bronze Medal is one of several internal awards presented annually at both the regional and headquarters level of EPA. A special ceremony was held in Atlanta on May 27 to recognize the award recipients.

15% of the population of the continental United States lives within the watersheds of the 28 National Estuary Programs.

45% percent of the nation's surface water area is contained within NEP study areas and 26% of the nation's watersheds drain into NEP estuaries.

More than 16,000 square miles of croplands lie within NEP coastal watersheds.

More than 1.5 million tons of fertilizer is sold within NEP watersheds for agricultural, commercial and residential uses.

Nearly 40% of the nation's classified shellfish beds are in NEP estuaries. More than half of those have harvest limitations because of pollution.

Through partnerships with local communities, agencies and private sector groups, the NEPs have leveraged at least $45 million in federal funds.

17 of the nation's NEPs have completed their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans, and 11 others are currently developing management plans.

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

The Great Bay Scallop Search, slated for August 22, enlists volunteers to snorkel the shallow grass beds of lower Tampa Bay in search of scallops. The popular project, now in its sixth year, helps scientists measure the success of efforts to restore scallops to Tampa Bay.

Last year, scallop searchers spotted 78 of the tasty mollusks, which can scoot backward with surprising swiftness when startled, disappearing instantly in the thick seagrass meadows blanketing the lower bay. Actually removing the scallops from the bay is a no-no; instead, participants merely note the number and location of any scallops they are lucky enough to find.

Scallops once flourished in Tampa Bay, but a combination of plummeting water quality and escalating commercial harvests caused their virtual disappearance from local waters in the 1960s. With water quality steadily improving, scientists now are restocking the bay with both juvenile and spawning-age scallops.

Although predation of the young scallops is high -- since they are favorite food of everything from stone crabs to snook -- the consistent totals recorded in the last two Scallop Searches have bay managers optimistic that populations are holding steady.

"It appears that the number of scallops in the bay is fairly stable, although we need several more years of monitoring before we can draw any type of conclusion," said Peter Clark, director of Tampa BayWatch, which sponsors the event along with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

Once again, the "treasure hunt" will be confined to lower portions of the bay where habitat and water quality conditions are ideally suited for scallops to flourish. Even if volunteers don't find a live scallop, they'll have a chance to explore the fascinating underwater world of the bay, Clark said. Participants will head out to their respective snorkel sites from Fort DeSoto Park in south Pinellas and return there a few hours later for a catered lunch and "Scallop Countdown."

To volunteer for the Great Bay Scallop Search, call Tampa BayWatch at 896-5320. The organization particularly needs boaters willing to carry teams of snorkelers to their survey locations.

A year-long research project in Tampa Bay sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) seeks to reduce the risk posed to sea turtles from dredging projects by learning more about where these ancient mariners go -- and why.

The study, initiated by the Corps' Waterways Experiment Station in Mississippi at the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service, uses special sensing devices and satellite tags to monitor the travels and behavior of the three sea turtle species found in Tampa Bay: loggerhead, green and Kemp's ridley. The sensing devices record how long a turtle stays underwater and how deep it swims, while the satellite tags monitor travel and migration patterns.

So far, six turtles have been captured and released back to the bay equipped with the tracking equipment. Maps showing their movements, along with general information about sea turtles, is available on the Internet at www.saj.usace.army.mil/sea turtle studies. This data also is being used to educate students through a classroom program developed by the COE and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, a Gainesville-based turtle protection group.

Most of the turtles used in the project were captured near Egmont Key at the entrance to Tampa Bay. The first, Jason, a male loggerhead, spent a considerable amount of time in Tampa Bay before heading for deeper waters in the Gulf of Mexico and eventually south to the Fort Myers area, where scientists finally lost track of him when his satellite transmitter failed.

Another loggerhead, Debbie, also swam from Tampa Bay last fall toward Fort Myers and then on to Naples before meandering back toward Tampa Bay, where she was last spotted in April.

Ken and Meghann, two Kemp's ridleys, followed a very similar pattern, zigzagging between the shoreline and deeper waters along Southwest Florida's coast.

According to sea turtle researchers, predicting the movements of sea turtles is an imprecise undertaking. Except for seasonal migrations to warmer waters, or at specific development stages of their life, turtle travels appear to have little rhyme or reason. Some individuals are relative homebodies, while others are transoceanic voyagers. However, knowing how much time turtles spend in one area, and how often they are in or near the bay's shipping channels could help save their lives by leading to modifications in future dredging projects to avoid inadvertently injuring the animals. This is important because all sea turtles are protected by federal law, and the Kemp's ridley is considered to be among the world's 10 most endangered species.

As one of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's partners in bay restoration, the Corps of Engineers earlier this year signed a joinder agreement formalizing its support for bay protection and improvement. Among the Corps' commitments is the development and implementation of a coordinated, long-term dredging and dredged material management plan for Tampa Bay. TBEP has pledged $40,000 to assist that effort.