The Southwest Florida Water Management District has implemented the first project in the Lower Hillsborough River recovery effort.
The District began pumping 11 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water, or 7.1 million gallons per day (gpd), from the Tampa Bypass Canal to the Hillsborough River Reservoir on December 31 as part of the Tampa Bypass Canal Diversion Project. In turn, 8.25 cfs, or 5.3 million gallons per day, is being pumped from the reservoir to the base of the dam into the Lower Hillsborough River.
The Tampa Bypass Canal Diversion Project is the first project that has been implemented in the Lower Hillsborough River Recovery Strategy, which is designed to meet the new minimum flows. The District’s Governing Board approved new minimum flows for the lower portion of the river in August, as well as the Recovery Strategy to restore flows to the river and a funding agreement with the City of Tampa on a series of minimum flow-related projects.
A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and related environment. The new minimum flows for the Lower Hillsborough River are 24 cubic feet per second (cfs) during April-June and 20 cfs the remainder of the year. An independent, scientific peer review panel reviewed the new flows, which are at least twice the previous minimum flow of 10 cfs.
The new minimum flows must be met by 2017. With the addition of the Tampa Bypass Canal Diversion Project, the District is now meeting about 80 percent of its goal or about 18.25 cfs.
The lower river had not been meeting the proposed minimum flows about 55 percent of the time, meaning additional flows were needed. As required by state law whenever water bodies are not meeting their minimum flows, the Governing Board must adopt a Recovery Strategy.
The Recovery Strategy identifies five potential projects to ensure that the minimum flows on the lower Hillsborough River are met:
All projects are subject to permitting and feasibility.
The District and Tampa negotiated a $44.5 million funding agreement for projects to help meet minimum flows. Specifically, the District will pay 50 percent of the Sulphur Springs, Blue Sink and transmission pipeline projects, subject to permitting and feasibility. The agreement allows for other projects to be identified for potential funding if necessary to meet minimum flow requirements.
The District is paying 100 percent of the Tampa Bypass Canal Diversion Project and the Morris Bridge Sink Project.