Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is a nonprofit organization actively working to protect the health of the Tampa Bay watershed and our community’s right to clean water through local engagement, education, and action.
Part of the global Waterkeeper Alliance and founded in 2017, the TBWK is a huge driving force supporting the improvement and preservation of our waters, and has made significant waves in the community thus far, informing the community; directly tackling local, state, and federal environmental issues; and holding polluters accountable via the Clean Water Act.
Fighting for our Watershed
The Tampa Bay Waterkeeper has grown significantly in recent years, in part because of the environmental disaster that was the Piney Point wastewater spill of March 2021. The organization has been fighting to hold those responsible accountable and to do everything possible to restore our waters and see to it that the Piney Point site is properly closed. TBWK is still in litigation involving the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and has contributed over $500,000 to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program through various legal-settlement winnings.
Other successes seen by the TBWK in 2023 alone included collecting 5,000 pounds of trash in Tampa Bay waters, engaging more than 600 local middle-school students through junior advocacy training programs, and establishing the Patrol Program, a citizen-led science initiative in partnership with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program that has provided over 2,000 customized QR stickers throughout our community. Once scanned, these QR codes immediately take you to an official site to file a report regarding environmental issues in real time. For example, if you’re out on your boat and notice a swell of pollution caught in an off-shore mangrove, having the QR code sticker available allows you to scan and submit a report instantly, notifying a representative to begin investigating and initiate aid to the affected area.
The Energy of the Community
The TBWK is an organization that doesn’t only make a lot of noise when things go wrong but also celebrates when there are big efforts to make things go right, including supporting water-quality projects and new initiatives. “The biggest success has been cultivating great relationships within the community,” said Justin Tramble, executive director, “and there is a very ‘alive’ desire to do what we can to protect what we have here. The people here understand the value of clean water and truly love living here. At Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, we are the recipient of that amazing energy.
“We have a very powerful board consisting of environmental attorneys, biologists, marketing specialists, doctors, GIS (Geographic Information System) experts, and schoolteachers,” he said, “many of which are new parents, young families, or graduates that bring forward a different kind of energy – one that is unique in wanting to preserve the water’s health for our community’s future, and we are in an excellent position to do so.”
Supporting Science and St. Pete
As a coastal community, we are directly affected by the well-being of our water. To catch up with the growth we’ve seen in our county since the pandemic, there is no better time than now to get involved in advocating for our water infrastructure. To volunteer, visit TampaBayWaterKeeper.org/Volunteer-With-Us. Donations are accepted at TampaBayWaterKeeper.org/Donate.
