NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) has been measuring and predicting coastal currents for over 100 years. In earlier times, measurements were made with current poles, or propeller-type current meters. In the late 1980’s, acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) were widely adopted. In Tampa Bay, 10 ADCPs (RD Instruments) were deployed in bottom-mounted platforms; a towed ADCP provided spatial contours of current speed. A real-time system provided 6-min averages of current to mariners and environmental managers. This system, still in place, provides vital information for tracking land cleanup of pollutant spills. Recently, an ADCP was added to a conventional current meter array deployed by NOAA/AOML at a wastewater outfall off Miami, Florida. The ADCP measurements compared well with earlier observations and facilitated assessing the effects of mooring motion and bio-fouling. Analysis of ADCP profile data revealed a near-linear velocity gradient from surface to bottom, enabling interpolation of velocity profiles from earlier measurements. ADCP backscatter intensity provided a rough estimate of suspended material. Future applications include mapping the three-dimensional circulation around point sources of pollution. Such maps provide environmental managers with data for effective effluent disposal management at minimum cost.