After nearly a quarter century of conflict, a resolution to the Tampa Bay “water wars” appears within reach. A key element of that resolution is the implementation of the historic Partnership Agreement, which was executed in May 1998 between the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Bay Water and its members.

Since the early 1970s, the local governments in the Tampa Bay area — Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties — have disagreed over access to a limited water supply. Pinellas County’s ground water was saltwater–intruded by the 1930s, forcing St. Petersburg, a local government in that populous coastal county, to look inland to secure water from Hillsborough and Pasco counties. By the mid–1990s, an increased demand for water, coupled with rainfall deficits and other manmade impacts, forced water levels down, creating environmental damage to lakes and wetlands.

The Water Management District, as the regulator and acting as referee, makes decisions on who gets how much water and under what conditions. When the District determined that pumping reductions were necessary to address adverse impacts, those governments facing cutbacks to their water supplies filed lawsuits against the District’s decisions. Millions of dollars were spent on litigation that produced no new water.

Judicial rulings produced mixed results, recognizing the connection between groundwater withdrawals and environmental damage, but not supporting pumping reductions because of the fear of possible consequences resulting from public supply reductions in the absence of any new sources coming on line. Although some progress was made through this regulatory and legal approach, it became clear that the District’s three main goals of restoring the environment, developing a sustainable water supply, and reducing the litigation were not being realized.

The District decided on a new approach, a partnership approach. The Partnership Agreement was first proposed by the District in early 1997. Initially met with skepticism, the legally binding agreement was successfully completed after nearly one year of negotiations involving hundreds of hours of staff and Board time among the District, the then–West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority, and the Authority’s member governments. The Authority was under a legislative mandate to reorganize itself into an organization that could more effectively meet the water needs of the Tampa Bay area. The Partnership Agreement proved to be a vital component of that restructuring effort, called governance, which transformed the Authority into Tampa Bay Water, a regional wholesale water utility with a unitary rate for existing and new sources of supply.

The Partnership Agreement ushers in a new, cooperative approach to resolving water supply problems. Its implementation will reduce litigation while providing protection to the natural resources, water to meet the area’s needs, and the stability necessary to ensure continued economic growth.

The Partnership Agreement requires pumping in Tampa Bay Water’s central wellfield system to be reduced from a permitted 158 million gallons a day (mgd) to 121 mgd by Dec. 31, 2002, and 90 mgd by Dec. 31, 2007, an overall reduction of over 40 percent.

As part of the agreement, Tampa Bay Water will produce at least 85 mgd in new water supplies — 38 mgd by 2002 and the remaining 47 mgd by 2007. At minimum, 50 percent of any new water produced will go toward reducing groundwater pumping in the environmentally stressed central wellfield system.

The District agreed to provide up to $183 million toward the development of alternative water sources. The Agreement also includes a statement of the District’s intention that its Basin Boards in the Tampa Bay area continue funding conservation projects at current funding levels of approximately $9 million a year. This could provide up to $90 million over 10 years to develop conservation projects to reduce demand for water and increase efficient uses. The Partnership Agreement also contains a conservation goal of reducing use by 10 mgd by 2000, and by an additional 7 mgd by 2005.

These District funds are available because of the foresight of the Governing Board and its Basin Boards in 1993 to recognize the need for developing new water sources. The Governing Board dedicated new funds to developing new water sources, making it possible for the District to offer its Partnership Agreement four years later.

The District, because of the Partnership Agreement, received a national award from the Interstate Council on Water Policy which recognizes “innovative or progressive water management projects or programs.” The District was also awarded a Sustainable Florida Award for Initiative from the Governor’s Council for Sustainable Florida for its “impressive contributions to building a Sustainable Florida” through the Partnership Agreement.

For the Partnership Agreement to be truly effective, it must be fully implemented. The challenge for the District, Tampa Bay Water and its member governments will be to remain committed for the long term to the Partnership Agreement and its goals of restoring the environment, providing a sustainable water supply, and avoiding costly litigation.

August 2001

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