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3 Reclaimed-Water Wells To Be Added

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

With demand for irrigation water outstripping supplies, Pasco County will be allowed to tap three new wells to supplement the county's reclaimed water reserves, the Southwest Florida Water Management District said Tuesday.

The agency commonly known as Swiftmud, which oversees water supplies in West Central Florida, issued Pasco a permit that lets it draw 500,000 gallons a day from three new wells. That water will be added to the county's supply of reclaimed water.

Reclaimed water is heavily treated wastewater that is used to irrigate lawns, golf courses and landscaping.

Bruce Kennedy, the county's assistant administrator for utilities, said the new wells will be dug in the Denton Avenue area of Hudson. The county now uses property in that area to pump unused reclaimed water back into the underground aquifer during periods of low demand.

"We're going to be pulling out what we've already put into ground there," Kennedy said.

Each year, the county uses about half of the 20 million gallons of reclaimed water its treatment plants produce every day. The rest gets sprayed on open land in Hudson. About half of that - 5 million gallons a day - seeps into the aquifer, Kennedy said.

The project gives Pasco a way to meet the rising demand for reclaimed water it expects to see with the future growth of Connerton, Bexley Ranch and other larger developments, Kennedy said.

The county continues to build two artificial lakes in central Pasco - one off Parkway Boulevard in Land O' Lakes, the other off Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel - to store unused reclaimed water. Those lakes won't be ready for several more years, Kennedy said.

Currently, demand on the reclaimed water system has exceeded the available resources, county officials have said.

"We've been doing OK, but when we get to this time of year we can't keep up," Kennedy said. Demand will slack off when the rainy season starts, he said.

Even with the additional supply, reclaimed water users will be limited to twice-a-week watering. Swiftmud limits people who use drinking water on their lawns to once a week.

The new permit will expire in 2012, or when county reclaimed-water reservoirs are full, Swiftmud spokeswoman Robyn Felix said.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.

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