Fecal pollution coming from storm water runoff, officials say

Throughout most of the summer, something has made the water at a few beach parks unsafe for swimming — and it isn’t oil.

Every week, the Okaloosa County Health Department tests 12 beachfront parks for fecal and intestinal bacteria. For seven of the last 11 weeks, the department issued a health advisory for at least one of the parks.

Storm water runoff is the major culprit, according to county officials. After heavy rain, the runoff picks up fecal matter and empties it at certain points along Choctawhatchee Bay.

Okaloosa’s growth has outpaced its aging, decaying storm water drainage system, which would have to be upgraded to keep the pollution out of the bay. But costly improvements may be impossible without residents opening up their wallets.

The Florida Healthy Beaches Program has been testing waters for fecal bacteria since 2000. Okaloosa tends to have a higher number of advisories than most of the rest of the state, said David Polk, the state’s healthy beaches coordinator. One factor is geography — several areas in the bay have a low “flushing rate,” meaning the water is relatively stagnant.

“It would be a chance for things to build up, runoff and other sources of pollution,” Polk said.

Most of the fecal matter that washes into the bay comes from pets and wildlife, said county Health Director Dr. Karen Chapman. Occasionally, human waste is spilled when boaters illegally empty their sewage tanks. Sewer systems and treatment plants are not a problem, she said.

Okaloosa’s south end has grown over the years. More paved roads have left fewer areas for storm water to soak into the ground, which causes “excessive” runoff into the bay, Chapman said.

“Until such time as storm water management is addressed, we will continue to see poor water quality,” she said.

John Hofstad, the county’s public works director, said Okaloosa’s storm water drainage system was developed before regulatory standards began to kick in during the 1980s.

“But you still have the old infrastructure in the ground,” he said. “It’s aging and it’s falling apart.”

Between 2003 and 2004, public works developed a master plan for storm water drainage that identified an “immediate need” of $50 million, Hofstad said. The plan included enlarging retention ponds and restoring wetlands, which filter fecal matter.

In 2006, a proposed 1-cent sales tax would have generated $235 million over five years and paid for the storm water work. Okaloosa voters rejected the tax by a 2-to-1 margin.

Hofstad said the $2 million set aside in the county’s 2011 budget for storm water projects is “largely insufficient.” He said he plans to present funding options to county commissioners by the end of the year that will include a storm water utility and a gas tax.

Commissioner Don Amunds said he wouldn’t support either measure. He said residents can’t afford more taxes and fees given the economic climate.

“You can’t keep hitting people when they’re down,” he said.

People who swim in water under an advisory risk bacterial infection. Shaun May, the health department’s director of environmental health, said flu-like symptoms such as malaise, fever and nausea may take time to set in. He said many infections go unreported because people think they have a 24-hour bug.

The health department urges people to be aware of the advisories, which are posted on signs at each park.

“They have to make their own choices,” May said.

For more information about health advisories, go to www.healthyokaloosa.com.