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Project Overview Alternative water sources, like seawater desalination, are an important part of Tampa Bay Water's Master Water Plan. Alternative water sources in our area are those other than groundwater and they are needed to help reduce stress on long-producing regional well fields and allow the surrounding environment to recover and meet the growing water needs of the Tampa Bay area. Seawater desalination helps the agency fulfill its mission because it is:
Tampa Bay Water's first seawater desalination project, Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination, is a 25 million gallons per day (mgd), reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant on Tampa Bay in southern Hillsborough County. The Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination plant began start-up operations in March 2003. The second seawater desalination project, Gulf Coast Desalination, is proposed to be developed in Pasco County near the border of northern Pinellas County in the Anclote River area. The top-ranked site is on Progress Energy's Anclote Power Station property. For information on how the plant's location was selected, see Feasibility and Site Selection Studies. Gulf Coast Desalination will use reverse osmosis (RO) desalination technology. For a description of this process, click here. The project team is evaluating the appropriate capacity for the plant. Initial plans called for the project to produce 25 mgd of drinking water and be expandable to 35 mgd. A second option is to build a 9 mgd plant that could be gradually expanded to 21 mgd. The smaller initial capacity and smaller incremental increases would allow the plant's capacity to more closely follow expected water demand increases for the region and reduce impacts to customer water rates. Cost The project's costs vary depending on plant's design capacity and the intake/discharge methods, which have not yet been approved by the Tampa Bay Water's board of directors. The total estimated project costs range from $107 million to $180 million for a 9 mgd and 25 mgd plant, respectively, with nearshore discharge. If long discharge pipelines into the Gulf of Mexico are built, the project costs can range from $264 million to $376 million. Environmental Studies For the past two years, the project team has conducted environmental studies in the Anclote Anchorage to evaluate whether the proposed site can support the desalination plant without adversely impacting sea grass beds and sensitive marine life in the area. Water quality samples have been taken, ambient conditions for salinity, wind and temperature have been monitored, and water movement and circulation have been modeled. The area ecosystem has also been characterized, salinity tolerance of the natural environment and marine life has been assessed and salinity changes have been predicted using computer models. Additionally, possible environmental impacts from constructing the plant's intake and discharge pipelines have been evaluated by engineers and scientists. By the end of October 2003, Tampa Bay Water will start a pilot test at the Anclote power plant site. These tests will help verify the design requirements for the desalination facilities and they will help ensure that the plant will be able to produce high-quality drinking water without harming the environment. Testing will be conducted under actual conditions and will continue for approximately 12 months. Public Input Tampa Bay Water has proactively sought Public Input in development of the Gulf Coast Desalination project. In addition to briefing numerous citizens' groups, government officials, environmental groups and fishing organizations, Tampa Bay Water has held four public meetings and conducted two mail surveys to obtain public input on site-selection criteria and public opinions about the top-ranked sites. In addition, two public workshops were held (July 2002 and May 2003) to discuss the environmental studies and potential project design. Go to Public Input for more information.
Status The next major step in the project is selecting the method of concentrate discharge. The project team will present the results of scientific studies to Tampa Bay Water's board of directors in October 2003 and will present its recommendation for the discharge method at the Nov. 17, 2003 board meeting. The agency's negotiations with Progress Energy for use of a portion of the Anclote Power Station property for the desalination plant are ongoing. The project team expects to present the terms of the lease to Tampa Bay Water's board of directors for consideration in early 2004. The project team is also investigating potential routes for the pipeline that will carry the desalinated drinking water to Tampa Bay Water's regional system. A recently completed analysis shows that the region will need additional water in 2012. In December 2003, the Tampa Bay Water board of directors is expected to determine the selection and sequence of projects that will be developed over the next 10 years. If chosen to be among the next group of projects developed, Gulf Coast Desalination would be operational by 2009. |
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This page was last modified: 4/28/2006 4:22:13 PM
