Through protracted litigation with the District and through the governance
negotiations, local governments agreed that new, alternative water supplies
needed to be developed to offset production from long-producing facilities.
Driven by their fiduciary responsibility to the citizens that paid for
the public infrastucture at those wellfields, local elected officials
struck a historic funding agreement with the Southwest Florida Water
Management District.
The Northern Tampa Bay New Water Supply and Ground Water Withdrawal
Reduction Agreement (Partnership Agreement) was signed in May 1998 by
the District, Tampa Bay Water, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties,
the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.
Upon signing the Partnership Agreement, the face value of 11 regional
wellfield permits was cut from 192 million gallons per day (mgd) to 158
mgd. The agreement further required pumping to be reduced from 158 mgd
to 121 mgd annual average by Dec. 31, 2002 and to 90 mgd by Dec. 31,
2007.
The District agreed to provide up to $183 million in locally collected
ad valorem taxes to offset the cost of developing more costly alternative
water supply projects. Additionally, local basin boards continue funding
conservation projects at approximately $9 million a year, which could
total up to $90 million over 10 years to develop conservation projects
to reduce demand for drinking water.
In addition to funding alternative water supplies to offset pumping
reduction, the Partnership Agreement also ended litigation among Tampa
Bay Water, its members and the District.
