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Public Input

Public involvement has been an important part of Tampa Bay Water’s planning for the Surface Water Source projects. Dialogue with the community about these projects began in 1997 and has continued through the year 2000. Here are dates of some of the public meetings at which the surface water source projects were discussed with the community.

Public Meetings

Alafia River
May 29, 1997
September 18, 1997
May 19, 1998
October 14, 1998
March 29, 1999
May 6, 1999

South-Central Hillsborough Intertie
February 17, 1997
November 18, 1997
November 5, 1998

Tampa Bypass Canal
July 9, 1997
August 26, 1997
November 4, 1997
February 12, 1998
March 2, 1999
March 25, 1999

Our Public Input program also included communication with neighborhood groups, civic clubs and numerous environmental and government agencies.

Citizens provided input on route alignments to ensure that they would be environmentally responsible and that safety would be a major consideration during construction of the pipelines.

Area residents also helped ensure that the design and appearance of the withdrawal facilities on the Alafia River and the Tampa Bypass Canal would be acceptable to the residents of Tampa Bay.

Many agencies and groups provided input and guidance. These included:

Agency on Bay Management
American Public Works Association
Brandon Chamber of Commerce
Brandon Civic Association
City of Tampa Water Department
Fishawk Development
Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Gas Transmission
Greenways River Task Force
Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners
Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission
Hillsborough County Health Department
Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management
Hillsborough County Sewer
Hillsborough County Transportation Planning
Hillsborough County Water Department
Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Advisory
National Audubon Society
People’s Gas
People’s Gas Transmission
SWFWMD Land Management
Tampa Pipeline
TECO
Temple Terrace Lions Club
Temple Terrace Rotary Club
Thonotosassa Civic Association
US Army Corp of Engineers

Direct Impact of Public Input

Input generated at four public meetings held during 1999 played a significant role in the development of the projects. Here are just a few of the ways citizen comments have helped shape these projects.

• Residents asked for a low-profile intake structure on the Alafia River that fits the natural environment. Residents said traditional structures can be large and monolithic in appearance, so Tampa Bay Water committed to work with the county and a citizen committee to select a fascia for the structure and a landscape plan that will give the intake structure a natural appearance that compliments the existing setting.
• Many residents requested that Tampa Bay Water use the TECO corridor for the South-Central Hillsborough Intertie, instead of Boyette Road, to minimize disruption and not interfere with the county’s road widening plans. Tampa Bay Water worked with TECO to make this route a reality.
• Citizens asked for 1) a monitoring program to measure any effects of the surface water projects on the Alafia River and 2) two years of baseline data on the river before water is withdrawn. Both of these requests were being met and monitoring continues.