Tampa Bay Water’s Board of Directors approved a key investment to strengthen the reliability and production capacity of the region’s Seawater Desalination Plant. The Reverse Osmosis (RO) Trains Project is the next step in a multi-year effort to enhance the region’s drought-proof drinking water source.
Through its ongoing partnership with U.S. Water-Acciona, Tampa Bay Water will complete several major upgrades to the desalination facility, including:
These improvements are designed to enhance both system reliability and redundancy—ensuring the plant can continue to operate efficiently even during peak demand or challenging conditions.
Once complete, the RO Trains Project will return the desalination plant to its original design capacity of approximately 28 million gallons per day. This increased capacity will play an important role in supplying water to the region, particularly during dry periods when other sources may be limited. Unlike rainfall-dependent supplies, the desalination facility provides a steady, dependable source of drinking water by treating seawater from Tampa Bay.
The total project investment is approximately $15.5 million, reflecting Tampa Bay Water’s continued commitment to responsible financial stewardship while maintaining essential infrastructure. Construction is expected to begin soon, with installation of the new reverse osmosis racks anticipated by May 2027 and full project completion later that year.
This project builds on recent progress. Since 2023, Tampa Bay Water has made improvements to the desalination plant to address aging infrastructure and improve performance. Temporary repairs were first completed to stabilize the facility’s reverse osmosis racks, followed by more permanent upgrades that restored the plant’s production to 20 million gallons of water per day. Upgrades are also underway to critical equipment which will improve operational reliability.
As the Tampa Bay region continues to grow, maintaining a diverse and dependable water supply is essential. Investments like the Reverse Osmosis Trains Project help ensure that residents and businesses have access to high-quality drinking water—today and for years to come.
