In the search for how pollutants end up in our bays, scientists working on a 2-year study tell us they're getting closer to finding answers. The Nutrient Fingerprinting Project has a team of scientists and data collectors visit 28 sites each month to collect and test water samples for pollutants. There's a variety of things that end up in our waters that can cause serious harm. "Artificial sweeteners, pharmaceuticals, and pesticide metabolites," Chris Robbins, a scientist with Ocean Conservancy listed. The project gets detailed data on a granular level. Instead of just looking at nitrogen levels in the water, researchers are focusing on the cause of that nitrogen, like caffeine, fertilizers, and other things. This then enables scientists to understand which pollutants are manmade, and track where they came from. Starting today, this research enters into a new phase where scientists are able to pinpoint, down to a neighborhood, exactly where pollutants are coming from and how they're entering our waterways. This project started all because a St. Petersburg man, Joe Tatelbaum asked what could be done about water pollution after a severe season of red tide and fish kills. "What can we do about it? Why does this need to happen? Does this have to happen? And as a result, the folks at at Ocean conservancy called around and we organized the meeting with some of the leading scientists in Florida," Tatelbaum shared. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/tech/science/environment/nutrient-fingerprinting-project-tracking-tampa-bay-pollution-source/67-d9eed64a-c8cb-46bf-b66d-913a07865a52 ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay