General Manager Mr. Carden told the Tampa Bay Water board on Nov. 17 that the region is in a Stage 1 drought and that the agency will increasingly rely on its desalination facility as supplies tighten.

"So we will be relying on the desal facility going into the dry season, and, 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," Mr. Carden said, noting October deliveries were about 21,300,000 gallons per day — roughly 10% higher than at the same time last year.

Why it matters: Mr. Carden said the system is facing an 11‑inch rainfall deficit and that, while consolidated permit use averaged a little over 80,000,000 gpd in October, the region’s consumption can climb toward the 90 gpd permit limit in late spring. "We are watching the conditions closely," he said, adding the South Central Hillsborough well field was at its permit limit and that staff has requested a permit increase from the district.

Key details: The board was told the reservoir is drawing down from October levels and currently holds about 13,000,000,000 gallons of its 15,500,000,000‑gallon capacity. Mr. Carden outlined coordination with member governments on conservation measures and noted the district may implement a modified Phase 1 watering restriction, reducing irrigation to one day per week in certain geographic areas if conditions worsen.

Water quality and studies: Mr. Carden said Tampa Bay Water retained Kroll Engineers to update the regional water quality study addressing total organic carbon and PFAS treatment at locations where PFAS measured near or above 4 parts per trillion; staff expect to bring recommendations to the board early next year.

Next steps: Staff will continue coordinating with member governments about demand‑management strategies, pursue the pending well‑field permit increase and return to the board with recommendations as the permit and water‑quality work progress.