Every five years, Tampa Bay Water revisits its Long-term Master Water Plan, which documents how the utility will unequivocally meet the drinking water needs of its member governments for the next 20 years. The current plan was approved in 2018 and includes three potential projects to bring more water to the region: expanding surface water treatment capacity, expanding the Seawater Desalination Plant, and constructing a new South Hillsborough Wellfield via aquifer recharge credits.
The feasibility studies for these potential projects have been completed or are nearing completion, and the Tampa Bay Water Board of Directors will be selecting one or more of these projects by its December 2022 meeting. Tampa Bay Water and its integrated program manager consultant, Black & Veatch, are reviewing the final feasibility studies to determine how much water each project could bring and develop configuration options that combine water supply, treatment and transmission system options (pipelines) to provide the 10-20 million gallons per day of water needed by 2028.
Each configuration alternative must then be scored and ranked based on board-approved criteria, including cost, environmental stewardship and reliability, so Tampa Bay Water staff can recommend a configuration to the board for consideration. During this entire process, the utility will continue to conduct stakeholder and public engagement activities to gain feedback on the water projects. By the end of 2022, Tampa Bay Water will know which project or projects to build and bring more water to the region.
Selection process schedule:
