Rivercrest Park

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Rivercrest Park is a true community park located in South Seminole Heights, a historic and diverse neighborhood in Tampa. Offering incredible beauty and tranquility, as well as easy access to the Hillsborough River with a great kayak launch, this park remains a popular and well loved place, particularly within the Seminole Heights community. Early in the mornings, you can hear the peacocks hollering across the river, which paired with the spanish moss, the shady trees, and the slow moving river make for a particularly beautiful experience. The late environmental champion and former Hillsborough County Commissioner and Tampa City Councilmember Jan Platt lived just up the river from the park. Photo: Ross Mantle, Tampa Bay Times

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WATER QUALITY

Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on June 21st, 2019. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

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MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

Water at all sites is sampled for enterococcus, a coliform bacteria that indicates fecal pollution. Water is tested every Wednesday and the results are posted every Friday. Test results are expressed as Most Probable Number (MPN) of enterococci cfu (colony forming units) per 100 ml. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper utilizes the standardized state and federal criteria to protect public health in recreational waters. A water quality monitoring site is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the test results show enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml. A site is marked Red when it has a Poor standing, meaning the test results show enterococci counts that exceed the beach action value (BAV) of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality. A site is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

All water quality results are posted online and are publicly available. Weekly water quality reports are also distributed via email on Fridays as soon as the data has been analyzed (sign up here to receive water quality notifications). Any additional questions about Tampa Bay Waterkeeper's Water Quality Monitoring Program or our results can be addressed to Andrew Hayslip, andy@tampabaywaterkeeper.

Tampa Bay Waterkeeper's water samples are analyzed at Benchmark EnviroAnalytics, Inc., a NELAP accredited lab. In addition, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper maintains Swim Guide sites using Florida Department of Health's (DOH) enterococcus testing data. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper will also mark beaches red if information comes from other sources indicating that the water is unsafe, for example if a county or a municipality closes a beach because of a local sewage leak.

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. DOH monitoring results are collected weekly on Mondays and results are posted to the Florida Healthy Beaches website on Wednesday. The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are: Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water; Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and; Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water. The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria. Additionally, we are currently experiencing an unprecedented red tide event that will continue to affect your ability to recreate safely in the watershed. Check with your local Department of Health or with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for the latest information about red tide.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Rivercrest Park

Tampa, Florida

Managed by Tampa Bay Waterkeeper

WATER QUALITY

Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on June 21st, 2019. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Beach	Location	Water Quality
Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Historical Status
Cypress Point Park South Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Current Status
Cypress Point Park North Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Historical Status
Davis Island Beach Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Historical Status

Other Beaches Near This One

Beach	Location	Water Quality
Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Historical Status
Cypress Point Park South Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Current Status
Cypress Point Park North Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Historical Status
Davis Island Beach Tampa, Florida	Tampa, Florida	Historical Status

Swim Guide
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* The RBC Foundation

Swim Guide shares the best information we have at the moment you ask for it. Always obey signs at the beach or advisories from official government agencies. Stay alert and check for other swimming hazards such as dangerous currents and tides. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe.

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	Green means the beach’s most recent test results met relevant water quality standards.

	Red means the beach’s most recent test results failed to meet water quality standards.

	Grey means water quality information for the beach is too old (more than 7 days old) to be considered current, or that info is unavailable, or unreliable.

	Green means the beach passed water quality tests 95% of the time or more.

	Yellow means the beach passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time.

	Red means the beach failed water quality tests 40% of the time or more.

	Green means the beach has historically excellent or pristine water quality, but there is no current data.

	Red means the water at the site has water quality issues or there is an emergency.

	Grey means there is no current water quality information, the beach is under construction, there has been an event that has rendered water quality information unreliable or unavailable.