The Tampa Bay region’s water supply picture is brighter than it was earlier this year. Late-summer rains beginning in late August boosted river flows in the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers. Tampa Bay Water is currently storing water in the reservoir at 200 million gallons per day (mgd) and will have more than 14 billion gallons in storage by the end of October if river flows continue at these levels. The extreme drought in south Hillsborough County has also begun to ease, and Florida overall has seen significant improvement.
“We are not out of the drought yet, so continued conservation remains important,” said Warren Hogg, chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water. “Following watering restrictions will help our supplies continue to recover and bring us closer to the day restrictions can be lifted.”
Much of our service area remains in a severe or moderate drought, and the Tampa Bay region is still under a Stage III Regional Water Supply Shortage. At the end of September, the 12-month rainfall deficit stood at 10 inches, and river flows were still 28 mgd below normal. Recovering from those deficits will take a winter of above-normal rainfall and sustained higher river flows. The Southwest Florida Water Management District has extended Phase III water restrictions through March 31, 2027, if needed, and will monitor conditions to decide when they can be eased.
