Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David Moore signed a water shortage emergency order (order 08-043 ) Thursday that will allow Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Tampa Bypass Canal to help the City of Tampa meet its demand for potable water.
Tampa relies primarily on its Hillsborough River Reservoir to meet the water needs of 656,000 residents. As of Oct. 14, the reservoir’s level was below 20.5 feet, a level not normally seen until the end of the dry season in late May. That level is expected to continue to decline as we enter the dry season.
Ongoing drought conditions have caused an acute water shortage within the region so emergency actions are necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare.
Under these conditions, the city would typically purchase potable water from Tampa Bay Water. However, due to the low storage in Tampa Bay Water’s C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir, the city and Tampa Bay Water would like to avoid this step as long as possible so they don’t put further strain on Tampa Bay Water’s Regional System.
The executive order, which is in effect until July 31, 2009, allows Tampa Bay Water to temporarily withdraw flow from the Tampa Bypass Canal, as long as water levels in the middle pool of the canal remain at or above 10 feet (a level needed to assure proper functioning of the canal’s flood control structures.) The order also authorizes a temporary increase in withdrawals, waiving the permitted annual average of 20 million gallons of water per day (mgd), so that up to 40 mgd may be withdrawn.
Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier, provides water to Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, as well as the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.