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Planning Environmentally Sustainable New Projects When planning and studying new projects, thorough environmental assessments are conducted to determine if the potential project is environmentally sustainable as well as technically feasible. Typical environmental protection activities for wetlands and surface water bodies include:
Tools used by environmental scientists and engineers include extensive hydrological and biological field data collection, statistical analyses, and remote sensing of environmental data. In addition to minimizing impacts through planning assessments, resource managers use these assessments to avoid and minimize post-implementation impacts by comparing current data to baseline information. This approach allows operations to be adjusted in response to any observed changes. Tampa Bay Water has reduced groundwater pumping from 11 long-producing wellfields in Pasco, Pinellas and northern Hillsborough counties. These 11 wellfields are Cosme-Odessa, Cross Bar Ranch, Cypress Bridge, Cypress Creek, Eldridge-Wilde, Morris Bridge, Northwest Hillsborough Regional, Section 21, South Pasco, North Pasco and Starkey. From 1995-2002, the average annual production permitted from these facilities was 158 million gallons per day (mgd). Average annual production from these facilities has been below our permit limit of 121 mgd since late 2002. Tampa Bay Water is on track to meet its next permit reduction. By the end of 2008, annual average production at these 11 wellfields must be 90 mgd. The goal of the pumping reductions is to allow groundwater levels to recover. Even with reduced rainfall in 2006, lakes and wetlands in and around Tampa Bay Water's 11 northern wellfields showed signs of water level recovery. Water levels in indicator lakes generally fluctuated within normal ranges despite dry conditions and above-average water demand--a clear sign of system recovery. The Consolidated Permit governing operation of these 11 facilities required the development of a comprehensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP). The EMP monitors the recovery of adjacent wetlands, lakes and other natural systems associated with the reduced pumping. A standardized monitoring methodology was developed to ensure consistent evaluations of wetlands and lakes at each facility throughout the cutback period. If this long-term monitoring identifies systems that are not responding as expected to the reduced groundwater withdrawals, the EMP also provides for timely action to improve environmental conditions at those sites.
Additional major sources of groundwater supply include the South-Central Hillsborough Regional Wellfield and the Brandon Urban Dispersed Wells. For these areas, wetlands, lakes, and other natural systems are monitored under separate EMPs. The Consolidated Permit also requires the development of a comprehensive mitigation plan for addressing environmental impacts in the vicinity of these wellfields. Phase I of the Environmental Restoration Program included an evaluation of candidate sites for augmentation and the identification of sources and quantities of water needed to restore affected wetlands and lakes. All sites appropriate for mitigation were identified and ranked in a preliminary priority list and an in-depth cost and feasibility evaluation was conducted with implementation at priority sites currently underway. Treated surface water, skimmed from the Tampa Bypass Canal, Hillsborough and Alafia rivers, has been provided to the region since late 2002. For each source, Tampa Bay Water is permitted to follow a withdrawal schedule that varies with available flows. Environmental concerns related to these withdrawals reflect the natural areas and recreational/aesthetic values provided by these waterbodies, as well as their contribution to the Tampa Bay ecosystem. Water Use Permits issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District in 1998 for the Tampa Bypass Canal Water Supply Project (including the Hillsborough River High Water Source) and the Alafia River Project require the development of a comprehensive Hydrobiological Monitoring Program (HBMP). The HBMP monitors hydrological and biological conditions in the lower Alafia and Hillsborough rivers, the Palm River/Tampa Bypass Canal, and McKay Bay, as well as areas of Tampa Bay where these systems discharge. This comprehensive monitoring program was developed with input from numerous stakeholders including:
Baseline data has been collected for these systems to provide a more complete understanding of the ecology prior to any surface water withdrawals. The HBMP includes triggers and associated management actions to be taken if this early warning system shows any unforeseen impacts related to the withdrawals. This comprehensive monitoring program costs nearly $1 million annually. Optimized Regional Operations Plan The Optimized Regional Operations Plan (OROP) ensures water demand for the tri-county region can be met with minimal adverse environmental impacts by using sophisticated computer models to analyze and forecast groundwater and surface water conditions at water supply facilities. Based on continual field monitoring and condition forecasts, water production can be rotated or adjusted to avoid ecological harm. Water Supply and Land Preservation Water supply facilities can provide immeasurable benefits to the community by providing many supplemental benefits such as preserving critical wildlife habitat and providing residents with valuable open space for recreation. More than 35,000 acres in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties are currently designated for use by Tampa Bay Water. Although the primary purpose of these lands is water production, they also boast spectacular natural landscapes that serve as vital refuges from urban development for both wildlife and the public. The tapestry of habitats found on our wellfields—including cypress domes, pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks and riverine marshes—offer glimpses of wild Florida that are diminishing elsewhere in the fast-growing tri-county region. These habitats support a magnificent array of wildlife, including federally or state protected species, such as the American bald eagle, wood stork, scrub jay, gopher tortoise, Eastern indigo snake and Sherman's fox squirrel. Much of this land is also accessible to the public for outdoor recreation, such as hiking, birdwatching, mountain biking and horseback riding. Stormwater Treatment Improvements at the Regional Treatment Plant Site A partnership between Tampa Bay Water and SWFWMD's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) team will dramatically improve the quality of stormwater flowing into McKay Bay, and ultimately Tampa Bay, by providing treatment of runoff from land adjacent to our new regional water treatment site at the Eastshore Commerce Park in Hillsborough County. Tampa Bay Water is donating the use of up to 12 acres of land at the regional facilities site and provided baseline environmental data to facilitate a comprehensive stormwater retrofit project in this highly urbanized area. SWFWMD is providing design and construction of the stormwater treatment system. When work is completed, stormwater runoff from 1,050 acres of industrial land use surrounding the regional facilities complex will be collected and treated with alum to remove nutrients before being discharged to a man-made marsh, and ultimately, McKay Bay. The project is expected to reduce the amount of harmful nitrogen flowing into McKay Bay from the basin by 50 percent, and phosphorous by 90 percent. |
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