Tampa Bay Water’s fiscal year and “water year” run from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. At the end of each water year, the regional utility reports on demand and supply for the previous 12 months and provides an outlook for the coming year.
During water year 2014, the agency delivered 157 million gallon per day of high-quality drinking water to the region. Water delivered was a blend of groundwater, desalinated seawater and river water.
The amount of water delivered was about 6.8 percent below the projected amount, primarily due to heavy rainfall in March and May. The cool and wet weather during these months kept water demand well below typical springtime levels. In fact, May water demands were the lowest seen in more than a decade!
All that rainfall enabled Tampa Bay Water to keep the regional surface water treatment plant in continual service all year long, even though the reservoir was under renovation. With an abundance of rainfall, we provided some 41 percent more surface water than planned, which enabled us to decrease groundwater production by 18 percent below projected delivery amounts and decrease use of our most costly source, desalinated seawater, by 35 percent.
When determining what sources to allocate to meet demand, Tampa Bay Water considers a number of factors. A primary consideration is that all operations comply with our permits. Other factors include environmental conditions, cost and the impact on water rates.
For water year 2015, Tampa Bay Water is budgeting to deliver approximately 168 million gallons per day. The supply mix will include groundwater and desalinated seawater, and will maximize use of surface water. With the regional reservoir back in service, river water can be taken directly from river sources during wet times and from the reservoir during dry times.
