Water Quality Contour Mapping

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Water Quality Changes Over Space and Time

In an open body of water such as a bay, water quality may vary considerably in its different regions, and its water quality will also change continually from month to month, season to season, year to year. Tidal influence, land use in the watershed, inflow from tributaries, seasonal temperature changes, and rainfall are the most important factors driving these differences. A Water Quality Contour Map (WQCM) shows the spatial distribution of water quality for a defined period in time. By creating contour maps for multiple different periods, it is possible to detect both spatial and temporal patterns in water quality, and to see trends over time. Learn more »

Click on a parameter name and select a year from the list of report years available to discover spatial and temporal variations in water quality. Clicking on a PDF thumbnail will open the full report for viewing and download. Alternatively, click the "View Image Slideshow" button to view an interactive slideshow of the generated raster images.

Available Parameters (Select One)

Contour Maps

Select a report to open and view/download the corresponding PDF file. Alternatively, you can open an image slideshow of the contour rasters used in these reports.

Agency Summary

Data collected by the following agencies were used in preparation of these reports.

Agency Period of Record
(Month, Year)		 Station Count
(Approximate)		 Sample Count
(Approximate)
Shellfish Environmental Assessment Data October 1991 — March 2003 300 1,300
EPC HIMP Surveys March 2000 — January 2009 10,330 78,900
Quarterly Routine Water Monitoring May 2005 — March 2020 9,720 24,100
EPC Monthly Routine Water Monitoring January 1972 — March 2020 269,880 1,217,500
EPC Tidal Streams May 2006 — September 2006 140 800
Hillsborough County Lake Assessments July 2009 — March 2015 500 1,100
EPC Water Quality Data January 1974 — September 2006 122,510 372,600
EPC Water Quality data gathered from reports January 1970 — September 2001 250 1,500
Hillsborough County Environmental Management Division April 2004 — December 2019 1,690 3,900
Water quality data collected by the City of Lakeland August 1966 — June 2021 6,290 53,800
LAKEWATCH Supplemental Water Quality Sampling January 1980 — September 2011 320 900
LAKEWATCH Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring September 1989 — January 2019 33,140 204,400
Lower watershed program (LWP) January 2000 — September 2019 6,650 14,700
PINELLAS Water Quality Data January 1991 — June 2017 67,800 394,200
Polk County Parks & Natural Resources Division July 1984 — July 2021 9,970 38,200
PONDWATCH Volunteer Data January 2002 — December 2013 250 600
Sarasota County Coastal Creeks September 2005 — December 2024 670 900
Sarasota County Environmental Services Department Sampling Data December 2004 — December 2004 0 1,400
Stream Waterwatch Water Quality Data, Volunteer January 1998 — March 2015 2,720 6,300
SWFWMD Hydrologic Data Section Data November 2020 — October 2021 20 33,400
SWFWMD Water Quality Sampling Data (Ken Romie) June 1994 — August 1998 410 900
SWFWMD Water Quality Monitoring Program Data January 2000 — March 2005 1,990 4,200
USGS National Water Information System October 1907 — April 2025 13,320 71,400
City of St. Petersburg March 2017 — December 2024 2,280 4,900
Florida Healthy Beaches Program and Data (Bacterial Counts) July 2000 — December 2024 6,540 95,800
FDEP South District Sampling Data April 2015 — April 2015 10 0
FDEP Watershed Monitoring Section October 1998 — November 2024 5,140 12,000
Hillsborough County Environmental Services Division January 2000 — January 2025 8,200 15,000
Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County July 2017 — April 2025 132,610 241,100
Florida LAKEWATCH February 2018 — May 2024 16,140 28,600
Manatee County Environmental Management Sampling Data January 1995 — December 2024 39,490 104,300
Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC June 2021 — October 2022 30 0
Pasco County Stormwater Management Division July 2017 — October 2024 200 300
Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management February 2015 — November 2024 15,140 59,500
Polk County Natural Resources Division July 1984 — May 2025 5,560 8,000
Enviro-Audit August 2017 — April 2025 70 100
SWFWMD Water Quality Sampling Data January 2000 — December 2024 10,680 29,000
Tampa Bay Water April 2000 — July 2024 9,920 71,300
FDEP Southwest Regional Operations Center May 1997 — May 2025 11,620 27,100
FDEP Watershed Assessment Section April 2013 — December 2023 70 100
FDEP, Water Quality Standards and Special Projects (Florida) March 2005 — November 2005 20 100
City of Lakeland March 2015 — March 2025 840 2,300