Southern Hillsborough County, including Brandon, Gibsonton, Riverview, Ruskin, Valrico, and Sun City Center, is one of the fastest growing regions in the Tampa Bay area. Population growth and the corresponding increase in pushed the two isolated wellfields serving the area to permitted pumping limits and created distribution system pressure concerns.
New water treatment capacity, storage, booster facilities and pipelines and interconnection points must be installed to enable delivery of additional supplies from Tampa Bay Water's regional system and improve service in some areas.
Since 2004, Hillsborough County and Tampa Bay Water have been working together to complete a collection of projects by 2010 that will improve water quality and water pressure and increase water supply for the southern Hillsborough County service area.
Several projects have been completed:
- Lithia Water Treatment Plant Improvements
New disinfection facilities were installed at the County's Lithia Water Treatment Plant so chloramines could be used to disinfect the water supply rather than free chlorine. Switching to chloramines enabled the County to receive water from Tampa Bay Water's chloraminated regional supply system.
- Highview Booster Station
Located just north of Highview and Wheeler roads, this booster station increased water pressure and improved water quality in the north Brandon area. Water from Tampa Bay Water's regional system is delivered to the booster station, where the County adjusts water quality before pumping the water into its distribution system for delivery to area customers.
The Highview Booster Station is scheduled to serve the area until about 2009 when the County completes a new water treatment, storage and pumping facility. The booster station will then be decommissioned, but the underground pipelines along Highview Road will remain as an emergency interconnect between the County and the regional system. The booster pumps and other equipment at the Highview site will be salvaged for placement elsewhere in the County's water system.
- Tampa Bay Water Facilities Site Improvements
Tampa Bay Water's facilities site is the hub of the agency's new supplies. At this site, surface water is treated and blended with treated groundwater and desalinated seawater, then distributed to local governments. Changes in piping and water quality adjustment facilities enabled delivery of water from Tampa Bay Water's interconnected regional supplies to the Highview Booster Station.
Additional infrastructure improvements are detailed below:
| Activity |
Scheduled Completion Date |
| Install new finished water delivery station at the Lithia Water Treatment Plant and new equipment at Tampa Bay Water Regional Facilities Site to enable delivery of regional chloraminated water to Lithia. |
2006 |
Convert Tampa Bay Waters Brandon Transmission Main from raw water to a finished water pipeline.
Increase pumping capacity and storage at Lithia Water Treatment Plant. |
2007 |
| Convert the Brandon Urban Dispersed Wells to a chloraminated supply. |
2008 |
| Install a new Hillsborough County water treatment plant, high service pump station, storage and delivery pipeline to serve the Brandon area. |
2009 |
| Install new hydrogen sulfide control process at the Lithia Water Treatment Plant to reduce odor and improve water quality. |
2010 |
he total projected program cost for the South-Central Hillsborough Infrastructure Improvements between 2005 and 2010 is approximately $70 million, of which Hillsborough County would pay approximately $41 million and Tampa Bay Water approximately $29 million.
For more information, contact Tampa Bay Water (813-996-4500) or John Killian at Hillsborough County Water Department (813-272-5977, ext. 2312).
South-Central Hillsborough Infrastructure Improvements Project Locator Map
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