Even with summer rains beginning, water conservation efforts are still needed as the region remains in a Stage 1 Drought Alert. April and May only received half of the expected rainfall, and June’s rainfall was also about an inch lower than average. The 12-month rainfall deficit was nearly 6 inches at the end of June, leading the Southwest Florida Water Management District to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions through Sept. 1.
“We need consistent rain near our river water sources headwaters to increase river flows so we can refill our regional reservoir and supply our surface water treatment plant,” said Warren Hogg, chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water.
Tampa Bay Water’s system uses water from the Alafia River and Tampa Bypass Canal.
The reservoir sustained flow to the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant since October 2023 and Tampa Bay Water began filling the reservoir again in mid-July with a goal of harvesting and storing as much river water as possible to prepare for the next dry season.
“The reservoir has done exactly what it was built to do,” Hogg said. “It has helped us get through very dry times since October. Now that the rainy season is beginning, we encourage residents to continue using only the water they need to help us replenish our water savings account.”
At the end of June, the Consolidated Water Use Permit, which includes most of the utility's groundwater sources, pumping rate was 89.82 million gallons of water per day (mgd) 12-month average, less than the 90 mgd permitted limit. The South-Central Hillsborough Wellfield 12-month average pumping rate was 25.52 mgd, which is still above the permitted limit of 24.95 mgd. The 12-month running average for this wellfield is expected to improve through the summer months as demand decreases with summer rains and as more regional water is delivered to the service area through the Brandon Booster Station.
Find out what day you can water and indoor and outdoor water saving tips at MyWaterDay.org. Find current reservoir levels at tampabaywater.org/cw-bill-young-regional-reservoir.
