Each year we conduct surveys, water quality is one of the top concerns of citizens. There are numerous water quality issues out there, but health advisories are ones that are of high interest. Health advisories are issued by the Department of Health when the fecal bacteria Enterococcus concentrations are too high – 71 colonies/100ml of sample. If the department records a number of 71 colonies (or higher) a second sample is checked. If this too is above this threshold – an advisory is issued.
Enterococcal bacteria are found in the digestive tracts of birds and mammals. They find their way into the environment when these animals defecate – so, finding these bacteria is in itself, not alarming. However, high levels are an indication of high levels of fecal waste and a health risk. So, samples are taken at beaches where people swim and recreate. Not all swimming beaches are monitored at the same frequency. Sampling and analyzing is costly and sampling beaches where people swim a lot, and during the time of year they are swimming, is more cost effective.
In the Pensacola area 13 sites are monitored. Three (Ft. Pickens, Opal Beach, and Johnson’s Beach) are monitored only during the summer. Seven (Bayou Chico, Bayou Grande, Big Lagoon State Park, Quietwater Beach, Park East, Park West, and Casino Beach) are monitored during the spring and summer. The remaining three (Bayou Texar, Bruce Beach, Sanders Beach) are monitored year-round. Since not all bodies of water are monitored at the same frequency, we compare not how many advisories are issued, but rather what percent of the samples collected required an advisory.
Over the last decade most of the sites along Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key have had no advisories issued. The higher frequencies are in the local bayous where the percents are usually at, or above, 30% of the samples.
Below are the data for these beaches at the end of the 3rd quarter in 2024.
| Body of Water | No. of samples collected | No. of advisories issued | % of samples that required an advisory |
| Big Lagoon SP | 17 | 0 | .00 |
| Johnson’s Beach | 8 | 0 | .00 |
| Ft. Pickens | 8 | 0 | .00 |
| Park West | 17 | 1 | .06 |
| Quietwater Beach | 16 | 1 | .06 |
| Casio Beach | 17 | 0 | .00 |
| Park East | 17 | 0 | .00 |
| Opal Beach | 8 | 0 | .00 |
| Bayou Grande | 16 | 2 | .13 |
| Bayou Chico | 13 | 8 | .62 |
| Sanders Beach | 39 | 4 | .10 |
| Bruce Beach | 39 | 12 | .31 |
| Bayou Texar | 40 | 8 | .20 |
At this point in 2024 – Bayou Chico required an advisory for 62% of its samples – the highest.
This is followed by Bruce Beach (31%), Bayou Texar (20%), Bayou Grande (13%), and Sanders Beach (10%). Both Park West and Quietwater required a health advisory for 6% of their samples, all others were 0%.
We will post the 4th quarter/annual report in December.
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