TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Swiftmud Gives OK For More Alafia River Withdrawals

ADVERTISEMENT

By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 25, 2008

TAMPA - The Southwest Florida Water Management District issued a water shortage emergency order this week allowing Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River in preparation for the dry season.

The water will be stored in the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir south of Plant City until it is needed. As of Tuesday, the reservoir, which can hold 15 billion gallons of water, had only about 4.24 billion gallons stored.

The executive order, effective through Sept. 30, allows the utility to take up to 19 percent of the flow of the river for drinking water. The utility's permit allows it to withdraw 10 percent of the river's flow during the wet season when the river is running at least 124 cubic feet per second.

Swiftmud spokeswoman Robyn Felix said district studies show no adverse effects to the river because of the temporary higher withdrawals.

"The recent rains have been beneficial in helping the area recover from the prolonged drought, but aquifer levels remain low and surface water levels are still below normal," said David Moore, Swiftmud's executive director. "This action will help the region prepare for the dry season ahead."

Alison Adams, senior manager for Tampa Bay Water, said withdrawals from the river have been up and down since they began July 18. Since that time, she said, the river's flows have been declining.

This week alone, withdrawals have gone from 24.4 million gallons to 38.7 million gallons and back down to 27.8 million gallons, Adams said.

"It is a flashy system, so it responds rapidly to rainfall and lack of rainfall," said Michelle Biddle Rapp, spokeswoman for Tampa Bay Water.

The utility, which operates the reservoir, provides drinking water, wholesale, to Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and to the cities of Tampa, New Port Richey and St. Petersburg.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT