2019 Year in Review
Tampa Bay Water is the Tampa Bay region’s primary drinking water supplier. We were formed in 1998 to develop and deliver drinking water to our six regional governments – Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa – and we’ve been doing so successfully for more than 20 years. Because elected officials in the region banded together to take a regional approach to water supply, we have the water supplies and infrastructure needed for economic prosperity and a high quality of life.
We’re proud to present the 2019 Year in Review and highlight some of the regional water accomplishments including:
We hope you enjoy this 2019 Year in Review and visit our website at www.tampabaywater.org for more information on the agency and all our projects and programs.
Sandra L. Murman Hillsborough County Commissionerand Chairman of the Board Tampa Bay Water
Matt Jordan General Manager Tampa Bay Water
Tampa Bay Water is Florida’s largest wholesale water supplier. Our mission is to reliably provide clean, safe drinking water to the Tampa Bay region now and for future generations. We supply drinking water to more than 2.5 million people in the Tampa Bay area through our member governments: Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, and the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.
2019 Board of Directors
Thanks to the spirit of regionalism that created the utility and the continued efforts of our board of directors, Tampa Bay Water is often cited as a model of inter-governmental cooperation. Each elected official on our nine-member board represents an individual city or county we serve, but at the dais, each also represents the Tampa Bay region.
Chairman Sandra L. Murman Commissioner Hillsborough County
Vice Chairman Dave Eggers Commissioner Pinellas County
Rob Marlowe Mayor City of New Port Richey
Charlie Miranda Council Member City of Tampa
Ron Oakley Commissioner Pasco County
Kathleen Peters Commissioner Pinellas County
Darden Rice Council Member City of St. Petersburg
Mariella Smith Commissioner Hillsborough County
Kathryn Starkey CommissionerPasco County
Our Member Governments
Between Oct. 1, 2018, and Sept. 30, 2019, Tampa Bay Water supplied drinking water to more than 2.5 million people, delivering an annual average of 173.4 million gallons per day to its member governments, about 2.2 percent higher than the previous fiscal year. We tapped the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir, the region’s water savings account, to provide more than 3.3 billion gallons of water during drier times of the year. This diverse supply mix helps the utility deliver a reliable supply of clean, safe water to the residents and businesses of the Tampa Bay region.
In 2019, the agency completed eight construction projects that included mechanical upgrades, preventative maintenance, energy efficiency, safety and environmental recovery initiatives. By maximizing in-house expertise and cost-effective contractors, all construction projects were completed on time and under budget.
The region is estimated to need an additional 10 million gallons of water per day by 2028. Tampa Bay Water has continued its water planning efforts to meet drinking water needs through 2040 and beyond.
In 2019, Tampa Bay Water moved forward with feasibility studies on three, board-approved new water supply project options:
The utility is investigating potential new supplies now because it can take 10 years or more to investigate, design, permit, fund, build and startup a new water supply project. The board will decide in December 2022 which of these projects to pursue to meet 2028 demands.
In addition, the agency is addressing shorter-term, growing water needs in south-central Hillsborough County through the addition of a booster pump station and the exploration of a pipeline to the Lithia area or to a new delivery point.
Surface Water Treatment Plant Expansion Download Fact Sheet
Seawater Desalination Plant Expansion Download Fact Sheet
NEW Groundwater via Aquifer Recharge Credits Download Fact Sheet
Tampa Bay Water, with its member governments, has developed comprehensive conservation programs throughout its existence, working locally and nationally to increase the efficiency of water use.
In 2019, Tampa Bay Water added a regional rebate program that includes 11 incentive opportunities for single-family homes, multi-family homes, commercial and industrial properties and new housing developments. These rebates are designed to help reduce excessive water use while increasing the performance of fixtures and equipment and enhancing the quality of landscapes.
Demand management can save money and help keep water rates down by delaying the need to develop new drinking water supplies. Tampa Bay Water’s demand management program is designed to save up to 11 million gallons of water per day by 2030 at about a quarter of the cost of the cheapest new water supply source.
The water Tampa Bay Water provides to our member governments meets or is better than all federal, state and local drinking water health standards. Tampa Bay Water is currently delivering the highest quality water ever delivered to our member governments.
We do this by:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection require that all water utilities provide their customers with a water quality report annually. The report contains details about your sources of drinking water, how it is treated, what it contains and how it compares to federal and state drinking water standards. The 2019 Water Quality Report will be available in April 2020.
View Tampa Bay Water's 2018 Water Quality Report
For more information about water quality, please visit tampabaywater.org/tampa-bay-region-drinking-water-quality.
At the request of Tampa Bay Water’s member governments, the agency is performing a water quality study to evaluate current local water quality requirements. The water quality parameters being examined are local parameters that are more stringent than federal and state standards. Overall, the 17 parameters establish a common regional baseline for the water the agency provides to its member governments.
The study is evaluating various treatment technologies, system conditions and costs to further enhance the water quality in the regional water system.
Read the Water Quality Study Report
Tampa Bay Water is currently working on a Recovery Assessment Plan as part of its Consolidated Permit for groundwater pumping from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The work includes evaluating the effects of the reduced wellfield pumping on area lakes and wetlands.
This recovery assessment plan is the first of its kind to be performed in the state of Florida, and its goal is to measure the recovery of the environment in and around regional wellfields in a thorough and scientific manner. Tampa Bay Water has been evaluating the health of 1,360 lakes and wetlands since 2011, and recently completed a preliminary environmental recovery assessment report that finds:
Approximately 75 percent of the monitored lakes and wetlands meet the metric or standard for recovery (as of late 2018).
Approximately 21 percent of the monitored lakes and wetlands show significant improvement, but do not yet meet the recovery metrics.
Less than 2 percent of the monitored lakes and wetlands are significantly below the recovery metrics.
Learn More About our work on environmental recovery
Tampa Bay Water’s affordable water rates and financial stability save ratepayers money. The utility has not raised rates since 2012 and its favorable bond ratings allow for lower interest rates that can save millions of dollars over time.
As a special district of the State of Florida, Tampa Bay Water is funded through the sale of wholesale water to the local governments we serve. We are not-for-profit and have no taxing authority.
Kept the 2019 wholesale uniform rate at $2.56 per 1,000 gallons for the eighth consecutive year.
Continued to earn outstanding bond ratings, maintaining an AA+ from both Fitch and Standard & Poor’s, and an Aa1 rating from Moody’s.
Sound investment strategies combined with rising interest rates helped us achieve an increase of
more than 300%
in interest income than budgeted in fiscal year 2019. These additional funds are used to help keep the uniform rate stable.
Tampa Bay Water’s financials are audited each year by an independent financial auditing firm. Tampa Bay Water’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2019, will be available in February 2020 once the audit is complete.
Review previous years' financials
Tampa Bay Water applies for federal, state and regional grants to help offset costs to water rate payers for system improvements. In 2019, Tampa Bay Water received funding for the following projects. Thank you to the Florida Legislature and Southwest Florida Water Management District for supporting Tampa Bay’s regional water supply!
The State of Florida granted funding for enhancements to infrastructure and programs to reduce water loss.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District granted funding for new water supply and conservation projects, including:
Tampa Bay Water launched a new website May 1, 2019, that is accessible to everyone and serves as a reliable source of information about the public’s drinking water. This new, mobile-friendly website meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, as verified through an accessibility audit by experts in website and technology accessibility.
Read the News Release
Safe drinking water starts at the source, and Tampa Bay Water joined forces with our community to help protect drinking water sources. Our Source Water Protection Mini-grant Program offers up to $30,000 to non-profit groups, schools, teachers, universities and community organizations to fund projects that protect drinking water sources in the Tampa Bay region.
For the 2018-2019 funding cycle, Tampa Bay Water awarded the following organizations mini-grants:
The grants were used to coordinate educational presentations, outreach events and cleanups to remove trash and invasive plants from waterways, and to encourage sustainable agricultural practices.
Tampa Bay Water opened the latest element in a comprehensive water exhibit at the Glazer Children’s Museum. The new water treatment station teaches kids how water gets from source to tap while a pipe wall puts water use in context of their daily lives.
The water exhibit also features:
This partnership began in 2015 and has developed into something very special for families in this region.
Learn More
Tampa Bay Water has funded a portion of watershed and source water protection programming at the Cross Bar Education Center to the Pasco County School District since 2012 and this continued in 2019. Annually, more than 5,000 students from Pasco County schools learn about wetland health, watershed protection and water quality through hands-on activities and a guided tour of the wellfield.
Tampa Bay Water’s board extended its commitment to outdoor water-use efficiency education by continuing to fund the Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough county Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) program.
The program emphasizes designing, installing and retrofitting existing landscapes and associated irrigation systems to increase water use efficiency and reduce pollution into surface and groundwater systems.
The Community Water-Wise Awards program recognizes individuals and businesses committed to conserving our water resources and protecting the environment by using the best in attractive, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ as well as irrigation systems or techniques that minimize water waste. The program is a partnership between Tampa Bay Water, the University of Florida and the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program™. If your landscape is in Pasco, Pinellas or Hillsborough counties, please consider submitting it for an award.
In 2019, Tampa Bay Water published its third Newspaper in Education publication in partnership with the Tampa Bay Times. The program is a cooperative effort between schools and the Times to encourage the use of print and electronic “newspapers” as educational resources. Printed copies of the publication were delivered to all middle school students in Tampa Bay Water's service area and inserted in the tbt* and Sunday edition of the Times. This publication helps Tampa Bay Water
Tampa Bay Water is committed to participating in and leading research on water quality, water treatment and water delivery, including on the effects of climate variability on utilities. In 2019, Tampa Bay Water continued to participate in leading research projects.
Through the Florida Water and Climate Alliance, Tampa Bay Water is part of a team NASA selected for research on seasonal decision support tools. This marks the first project of more than $1 million awarded to the Florida Water Climate Alliance and seeks to improve water allocation and storage decisions through the development of real-time monitoring and the integration of high-resolution forecasts.
Learn more
With the Water Research Foundation and research partners from across the country, Tampa Bay Water is working to develop a framework and tools for U.S. drinking water utilities to identify, prioritize and implement risk reduction measures for surface water supplies. Tampa Bay Water’s focus is the Alafia River and Tampa Bypass Canal, where we are studying the likelihood and consequences of potential contamination and how to manage those risks.
Tampa Bay Water was recognized in 2019 for two of its public outreach campaigns to inform and engage with the Tampa Bay community. The “Have a Voice in Your Water Choice” campaign to collect public input on future water supply projects and the “Know Your H2O” campaign on water quality won a Radiance Award from the Public Relations Society of America’s Florida Sunshine District. The “Know Your H2O” campaign also won a PRestige Award from the Tampa Bay chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
Tampa Bay Water was recognized by the Water Research Foundation with a 2019 Outstanding Subscriber Award for Applied Research. The Outstanding Subscriber Award for Applied Research honors subscribing utilities that have successfully applied the Foundation’s research to make notable improvements to their water treatment, delivery, and/or management processes.
Of the 475+ government entities in Florida, Tampa Bay Water was one of 28 to receive all three of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awards. The GFOA represents public finance officials throughout the United States and Canada, and the awards programs recognizes governments’ efforts to make information available and accessible to the public.