At the Nov. 17 meeting of Tampa Bay Water, General Manager Chuck Carden told the board the region is in a Stage 1 drought and the agency will increase its reliance on desalination to meet demand.

"Just finishing October we delivered about 2 13000000 gallons a day," Carden said, adding that the desalination facility is expected to be a primary source going into the dry season: "So we will be relying on the desal facility... it's pretty much going to be running, most of all the year, 11 out of the 12 months generally will be the plan going forward with the desal." He said reservoir storage was about 13,000,000,000 gallons of a 15,500,000,000‑gallon capacity and warned that continued dry conditions would draw that down faster than projected.

Carden also reported the consolidated water‑use permit showed October use "a little over 80,000,000 gallons a day" against a 90 MGD administrative limit and said the South Central Hillsborough well field is effectively at permit limit; staff have sought permit increases and expect actions from the district later this season.

Warren Hogg of the Southwest Florida Water Management District described how the district moves between shortage stages: it reviews hydrologic conditions, rainfall and river flows and coordinates with suppliers across 16 counties. Hogg said the district could impose a modified phase 1 restriction—one day a week watering—either across the full area or selectively if conditions warrant.

The board received the update but did not take further action at the meeting. Staff said they are coordinating conservation and demand‑management steps with member governments and would bring back recommendations as conditions—and permit processes—evolve.

Next steps: Tampa Bay Water said it will continue monitoring reservoir levels and permit activity and expects the district and member governments to consider phased watering restrictions if conditions persist.