Ecological Aches for Old Tampa Bay

Old Tampa Bay north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway—about 84 miles of fish rich habitat—is suffering due to diminishing sea grass fields, increasing algae blooms, and an expanding layer of muck near Safety Harbor.

According to the Tampa Bay Tribune: “The situation has reached a critical mass and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program is spearheading a multi-million, three-year study to determine the problems in the bay that stretches north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway.”

The evaluation begins this fall and will be conducted by Janicki Environmental, a St. Petersburg consulting firm.

“The study, funded largely through a grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, will take a look at nutrient influxes, hydrologic changes and water circulation patterns and how all that affects the natural flush of the northern reaches of Tampa Bay.”

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