Tampa Bay Waterkeeper using QR codes to help people report pollution

TAMPA, Fla. - With more and more people moving to the Tampa Bay Area, the waterways have become a main attraction.

Activists are working to keep the waterways clean for years to come, but they need help.

Tampa Bay Waterkeeper started a patrol program to monitor water quality and report pollution.

READ: Organizations petition to restrict vessel activity to protect endangered whale

"We were in a way worse place 30, 40 years ago than we are today," Capt. Dustin Pack, who’s on the Board of Director for Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, said. "Unfortunately, we are going in the wrong direction where we could see that degradation again."

The nonprofit also got a grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to help fund a new reporting tool for anyone to use.

"I get a lot of messages and stuff from people all the time, whether it's other guides or friends that are on the water," Pack recalled. "‘Hey, I saw this. How do I tell somebody or what do I do?’"

Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is making reporting pollution easier.

Pack said they wanted to find a way to encourage people to help report pollution, while making it quick and easy.

From sewage spills, to oil slicks, algal blooms, stormwater runoff or wildlife, he says a new QR code now allows people to report these things from wherever they are.

The nonprofit is now offering the QR code for free, in the form of a keychain or sticker.

READ: Keep Manatee Beautiful aims to pick up 100,000 pounds of trash

"And you'll click any of those links that apply to if you saw a fish, if you saw an oil slick, if you saw an algae bloom, and you would click on that link, and it would take you to be able to report that what you saw," he shared.

Pack said all of these different types of pollutants are wearing on Tampa’s waterways. The reporting system is also a way to track other wildlife and environmental needs.

"So since 2016, we've dropped about 20 plus percent of our seagrass, our loss 20 plus percent of our seagrass," he explained. "And that's not a good thing."

The QR code comes in the form of a free keychain or sticker.

Pack said they’ll be able to share the information collected with the FWC or city and county agencies.

"And, you know, one in five jobs here in Tampa Bay revolve around the water or are connected to the water," Pack said. "So it's a very integral part of this area to keep our Tampa Bay estuary clean."

Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is having an event Saturday at Backwater Provisions from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., where people can get the keychains and stickers with the QR codes.

You can also find them at a number of bait and tackle shops and marinas around Tampa Bay area.

You can email Tampa Bay Waterkeeper to get a sticker with the QR code. To get more information, click here.