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Health advisory issued for Simmons Park Beach

The beach will be resampled in a week, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County said.

TAMPA, Fla. — A public health advisory has been issued for Simmons Park Beach after high bacteria levels turned up in samples, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County reports.

Samples taken were above the threshold for enterococci bacteria, health officials stated. The advisory should serve as a potential risk to the bathing public and swimming is not recommended at Simmons Park Beach located near Ruskin, Florida.

Resampling will be conducted in a week. Once it's safe, the advisory will be lifted.

The presence of enteric bacteria, or enterococci, is an indication of fecal pollution, FDOH says.

"An advisory is issued when the beach action value is 70.5 or higher," health leaders explain in a release. "This is set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County has been conducting coastal beach water quality monitoring at nine sites once every two weeks since August 2000, and weekly since August 5, 2002, through the Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program."    

For anyone interested in learning more, visit the Florida Department of Health's Beach Water Quality website. To review the beach water sampling results for reporting counties, click on the county name.

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