Commissioners hear update on South Hillsborough pipeline; design largely complete, construction years away

A Pasco County commissioner updated the board on the South Hillsborough regional pipeline project and said design work is nearly finished but construction and service dates remain years away.

The commissioner said the pipeline is part of a regional Tampa Bay Water effort and described it as a 26-mile regional pipeline that will, when fully built out, be capable of 65 million gallons per day across the system. The commissioner said an early phase is intended to provide roughly 6 million to 12 million gallons per day to South Hillsborough and that the project is at about 90% design. He said permitting and property coordination remain outstanding and that construction is expected later in the decade; the board heard an approximate timeline that pipeline service and construction milestones are still several years from completion.

Commissioners discussed potential co-location of a multi-use trail along the corridor, noting the pipeline passes through built-up areas that would benefit from recreational access. The commissioner said staff would check with Tampa Bay Water about multi-use-path options as the project advances and encouraged continuing outreach to the regional utility.

No formal county action or funding decision was made during the update; the item was presented as a status report and the commission requested continued coordination on corridor amenities.