The Tampa Bay community faced two hurricanes back-to-back, and Tampa Bay Water continued to serve its member governments with clean, safe water throughout both. The agency has a comprehensive emergency plan to prepare for storms like those the region recently experienced with hurricanes Helene and Milton. As a storm approaches, incident command personnel and essential employees report for duty in the agency’s critical facilities and the Cypress Creek Regional Operations Facility, which is our emergency operations center (EOC), to be able to respond to disruptions during and after a storm. We also work closely with our member governments to assess their needs before, during and after a storm.
Tampa Bay Water preemptively switched the Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant to generator power and lowered the plant’s production to 60 million gallons of water per day, a rate that is sustainable on generator power. Water from the regional reservoir fed the surface water system ahead of the storm as the water can travel by gravity and not rely on power, and to make room in the reservoir for rainfall.
The desalination plant was closed for both storms, employees were evacuated, and construction materials were secured, as the facility is in Evacuation Zone A. There was no impact on water production, as the desalination plant is currently not in operation.
For both storms, the main issue was power outages, but Tampa Bay Water was able to keep all critical water supply facilities online. Though several facilities lost power, critical facilities were kept on generator power to minimize disruptions, and staff worked with electric suppliers to prioritize repairs. Milton downed many trees, which made recovery challenging for many wells in remote locations.
The desalination plant sustained some roof damage during Milton, and Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Plant powered down during the storm and is not yet fully operational. With TECO currently unable to provide water to the plant, the startup of the newly replaced reverse osmosis racks is delayed for several weeks. Despite delays in initial startup, the overall project is still on schedule to be completed and delivering water to the region in December. With plenty of surface water available and a full reservoir, Tampa Bay Water will continue to provide the region with reliable, clean water.
“I appreciate the dedication of our staff and cooperation and coordination from our member governments,” said Chuck Carden, Tampa Bay Water’s general manager. “I’m proud to say we did not fail to provide water to our members during either storm event.”
