Tampa Bay Water is conducting groundwater tests on two sites in the Brandon area that are owned by the regional drinking water utility. Work began in July 2007.
The purpose of the tests is to determine if either parcel is suitable for a public drinking water well to serve Hillsborough County. Tampa Bay Water recently decommissioned a drinking water well due to water quality concerns; this lost supply must be replaced by developing a new well to continue meeting Hillsborough County’s needs.
However, groundwater quality varies greatly in the Brandon region, and testing is required before a replacement site can be selected. Initial tests have been conducted at both sites to analyze aquifer characteristics and water quality parameters, and more extensive testing will occur in the fall. The Southwest Florida Water Management District, which regulates water use in the region, will thoroughly examine the results of the aquifer performance tests before granting permission for well operations.
The two sites under investigation were purchased by the regional water authority in 1990 as potential well sites. In 1998, Tampa Bay Water began redeveloping a previous groundwater supply in the Brandon area of Hillsborough County. The five wells developed, called the Brandon Urban Dispersed Wells, have supplied water to Hillsborough County since 2002, without adverse environmental impact or impacts to others with wells.
