How to Use This Dashboard
This interactive dashboard shows bacteria monitoring results for waterways throughout Fort Lauderdale. Each site is tested regularly for enterococci, a group of bacteria used as an indicator of potential fecal contamination in marine and recreational waters.
What Are Enterococci?
Enterococci are bacteria that commonly live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Because of this, their presence in surface waters can indicate potential contamination by fecal waste.
Fecal sources of enterococci can include wastewater treatment plant effluent, leaking septic systems, stormwater runoff, sewage discharged or dumped from recreational boats, domestic animal and wildlife waste, and runoff associated with manure or sewage.
However, not all enterococci in surface waters necessarily come from a recent fecal source. Natural, non-fecal sources can also contribute enterococci to the environment, including plants, sand, soil, and sediments. These sources can contribute to a natural background level of enterococci in waterways, which can vary depending on local environmental and meteorological conditions.
For this reason, an elevated enterococci result does not by itself identify the source of contamination. Results should be considered together with factors such as rainfall, stormwater runoff, tides, and other environmental conditions.
Understanding the Results
Sites are classified into three categories based on their most recent enterococci count, measured in CFU/100 mL (colony-forming units per 100 milliliters):
Normal : Below 70 CFU/100 mL
Elevated : 70–130 CFU/100 mL
Exceeding : Above 130 CFU/100 mL
These thresholds represent two different water quality standards. The 70 CFU/100 mL Healthy Beaches standard is designed to protect people recreating in the water, including swimmers and paddlers. The 130 CFU/100 mL FDEP Class III water quality standard is the state's regulatory standard for the waterway itself.
FDEP Class III waters are designated for recreation, fish consumption, and the propagation and maintenance of a healthy, well-balanced population of fish and wildlife.
A site classified as Elevated has exceeded the Healthy Beaches standard but remains within the FDEP Class III water quality standard. A site classified as Exceeding has exceeded both standards.
Navigating the Map
Under “Sampling Locations,” each dot represents a monitoring site: green for Normal, orange for Elevated, and red for Exceeding. Click on any dot to view that site's latest results, including the most recent bacteria count, sample date, average result, and passing rate.
The Normal Sites, Elevated Sites, and Exceeding Sites buttons located directly above “Latest Results by Site” on the bottom right of the dashboard can be used to filter the monitoring locations. Selecting a button will display only the sites within that category. To remove a filter, click the selected button again before selecting another category.