TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Water Supplier Taps Young Reservoir Early After Dry Month

ADVERTISEMENT

By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 7, 2008

TAMPA - Below-average rainfall and low river levels have forced authorities to start pumping water out of the C.W. "Bill" Young Reservoir six months earlier than usual.

Tampa Bay Water, the regional water supplier, said today that rainfall totals in the area were 80 percent below normal in September. Flow rates in the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers were 81 and 85 percent, respectively, below average.

Water stored in the reservoir is drawn from the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers and the Tampa Bypass Canal. But the water can only be taken at moderate to high flows. During the current low flows, the utility is not taking water.

The reservoir, which at capacity can hold 15 billion gallons of water, held just 6.31 billion gallons Thursday.

"To eliminate the current surface water flow deficit problems and provide flow for treatment, consistent and well-above-normal rainfall is needed throughout the normally drier months," Tampa Bay Water said in a news release.

The rainfall deficits averaged 5.5 inches below normal, as most areas got less than 2 inches for the month. Long-term, rainfall in the Hillsborough River drainage basin is about 36 inches below normal and 19 inches below normal in the Alafia basin.

At the same time, increased lawn and garden sprinkling pushed regional water demand to about 255.6 million gallons per day, a 13 percent increase over August demand.

Daily water demand has increased steadily throughout September, with an increase of more than 69 million gallons a day compared with late August to about 270 million gallons a day on Sept. 23.

The 16 counties in the Southwest Florida Water Management District are under once-a-week lawn watering restrictions.

Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT