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Public Input As with all its projects, Tampa Bay Water has proactively sought public input throughout the Gulf Coast Desalination project. The agency will continue this dialog during the entire process. The project team used focus groups during the summer of 2000 to determine public awareness about seawater desalination and to help develop an objective (rather than site-specific) set of site-selection criteria. Three focus groups, each made up of 15 to 20 residents, took place during August 2000. Focus Group Results The majority of the focus group participants favored saltwater desalination as an alternative water supply source, although only a few had a basic understanding of how desalination worked. Most of the residents believed that the Tampa Bay area has a real water shortage and needs new water supplies to meet the region’s needs. Environmental issues, cost and aesthetics were the participants’ primary concerns when selecting a site for a desalination plant. After a presentation on the desalination process that addressed environmental, aesthetic and cost issues, most participants felt that desalination presented little danger to the environment. Stakeholder Briefings Since August 2001, Tampa Bay Water staff has been meeting with numerous government officials and citizens groups, including the Audubon Society, environmental groups, chambers of commerce, commercial and recreational fishing organizations and similar groups. Project briefings and presentations will continue during the course of the project. (To arrange a presentation for your organization, contact Helen Knight, public information coordinator at 813-961-6051 or helen@kingknight.com.) Site-Selection Criteria Site-selection criteria include items like aesthetics, environmental impacts, costs, and proximity to densely populated areas. Tampa Bay Water invited area residents and marine-oriented businesses to provide input on the criteria they felt should be given high priority when the team looked at various sites for the plant. To gather this information, the project team held two public meetings in October 2001. These open houses were noticed through signs, newspaper ads, news releases, and newsletters mailed to 11,500 residents and marine-oriented businesses. Sixty-three people attended the meeting in Tarpon Springs and 67 came to the Holiday meeting. Click here for October Meeting Summary. To gain insight from residents who might not attend the meetings, Tampa Bay Water conducted a survey, mailing to more than 11,000 addresses. More than 180 completed surveys were returned. Click here for results of the Site Criteria Survey. Site Ranking After incorporating public input on the site criteria, the project team ranked the sites. The preliminary site ranking was presented to the public in January 2002 through newsletters, news releases and resulting newspaper and broadcast stories, and at another set of public open houses held in January 2002 in Holiday and Tarpon Springs. Click here for January Meeting Summary. In addition, a second mailed survey to 9,000 addresses requested public comment on the proposed site ranking. Some 156 surveys were mailed back and 67 residents came to a public meeting in Holiday and 46 attended the meeting in Tarpon Springs. Residents provided feedback verbally and through comment forms completed at the meetings.
Most of the survey respondents and meeting attendees considered Site A the most favorable and Site C as the second most favorable. Click here to see map. These were the two top-ranked sites in the final ranking that was approved by Tampa Bay Water’s board of directors in February 2002. To see the Site Ranking Survey Results (click here). Environmental Studies Tampa Bay Water held a public workshop on July 27, 2002 to discuss environmental issues surrounding the project and the studies that would be conducted. Thirty-six residents and stakeholders participated. A second workshop on May 3, 2003, attended by 26 residents and stakeholders, discussed the results of the environmental studies and salinity modeling as well as concentrate intake and discharge options and other project design elements. Click here for a meeting summary of the July 2002 workshop. For the May 2003 workshop meeting summary, click here. Public meetings will also be held in the future. If you are interested in participating in the upcoming workshop or attending the public meeting, please contact Helen Knight, public information coordinator for the project at 813-961-6051 or helen@kingknight.com. Other public information activities included full-age St. Petersburg Times ads explaining the project. Let Us Hear from You Tampa Bay Water welcomes your viewpoint and encourages you to contact the project team with suggestions, information and concerns. Letters should be addressed to:
Representatives of organizations that would like a presentation on the project and/or anyone who wants be on the project mailing list should contact Helen Knight, public information coordinator for Gulf Coast Desalination, at 813-961-6051 or helen@kingknight.com |
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This page was last modified: 3/22/2007 8:22:27 AM
