Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuary Program leaders working to improve water quality

Fishing, boating, swimming these are all ways people enjoy on the Pensacola and Perdido Bays.

This week marks National Estuary Week, a time to celebrate and protect estuaries in our community.

"These are incredibly rich environmentally and economically and important areas not just here but across the country," said Jim Trifilio, Director of the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program.

The Pensacola and Peridido Bays Estuary is about 8,000 square miles and it's connected to rivers and streams that lead all the way up to Alabama.

The Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuary Program is currently working on putting together a comprehensive conservation management plan. In this plan they will identify how they can protect the waterways.

"Whether it is underground storage tanks that might be leaking, skeptic tanks that might be faulty, storm water impacts to the estuary, dirt road impacts there is a whole host of things," Trifilio said.

Trifilio said if nothing is done to protect the bays for future generation our local economy will take a hit.

"If we have fish kills, if we have algae blooms that look like floating guacamole in all of our waters we are not going to get many tourist to come here," Trifilio said.

The program also wants to educate the community on how to protect the bays.

"Just simple things, when you are changing the oil in your car don't pour the oil on the ground, try to minimize your use of plastics, all those things you probably heard of before just in your daily lives, they do make an impact," Trifilio said.

The water quality in the Pensacola and Perdido Bay is not bad said Trifilio that's why it's important to protect it now.

"If we don't take the time to care about that, to do things proactively, to prevent some of these things like algae blooms and fish kills, once it's there its almost too late," Trifilio said.