Tampa Bay Water warns drought will persist, reservoir half full and urges public conservation
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Board heard drought and supply updates: system deliveries averaged about 204 million gallons per day in January; reservoir storage measured about 7.56 billion gallons (roughly 50%); staff said they will rely more on groundwater and diesel generation if drought persists and reiterated one‑day‑per‑week watering restrictions.
Tampa Bay Water staff told the board the region remains in a severe‑to‑extreme drought and urged customers to follow watering restrictions and conserve water as the agency balances supplies.
"We're not in danger of running out of water," General Manager Charles Carden told the board, but he warned that the agency will shift to groundwater and rely heavily on the diesel plant through the rest of the fiscal year if dry conditions continue. Warren Hogg added, "as of midnight last night, we're about 7,560,000,000 gallons stored, so about half."
Staff reported January system deliveries averaged about 204 million gallons per day, roughly 4.1% higher than the same time last year. The consolidated permit pumping rate for one set of wells was reported at about 88,130,000 gallons per day in January and the South Central Hillsborough well field showed a 12‑month running average near its new permit limit of 26.82 million gallons per day.
Board members asked about enforcement of watering restrictions, analytical limits and contingency plans. Staff said the public's observance of assigned watering days can materially reduce demand and that they will continue public outreach and enforcement coordination with member governments. The agency will also incorporate demand forecasts into budgeting and master planning; staff expects to present feasibility studies for the next supply increment by 2027.