Residents Get Say On Picking Hillsborough Reservoir Site

LITHIA - When Tampa Bay Water analyzes six sites for a second drinking water reservoir, environmental considerations should be ranked highest, some residents said Thursday night.

The utility should also consider the land's current use and its geology, according to a survey conducted during a public meeting at Newsome High School. About 20 people attended.

A second reservoir is one of 16 proposals the Tampa Bay Water Board will consider to increase available drinking water for use after 2018.

All six sites for the proposed reservoir are in eastern Hillsborough County, with two next to the 15-billion-gallon reservoir that opened in 2005.

Tampa Bay Water is an umbrella agency that provides wholesale water to Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, including Tampa, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey. It is under contract with the local governments to provide as much water as they demand.

Residents also said if a new reservoir is to be built, the utility should try to affect the surrounding area as little as possible.

For Roger Garner of Lithia, safety is of great concern. "They put things out here no one else wants, but I'm worried about the cracks" in the existing reservoir, Garner said. "What do they do to the structure's integrity?"

Jon Kennedy, a project engineer for the utility, said Tampa Bay Water is working on a drainage system to address cracks found along the reservoir's banks in 2007.

Kathy and Omer Surface of Fort Lonesome said mining projects around their home have already created a mosquito infestation and they don't want more. Utility officials assured them the reservoir would be treated for mosquitoes.

"If it's in your backyard, you get a little more concerned," Kathy Surface said. She suggested Tampa Bay Water choose one of the parcels near the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir, off County Road 39.

On the list of 16 future projects, three would require a second reservoir, said Paula Dye, chief environmental planner for the utility.

If withdrawals from the Alafia River are increased, the utility would need a place to store the water. In two other projects, the utility would withdraw water from the Alafia or the Hillsborough River to store, then introduce treated wastewater further downstream. The concept is controversial, with local environmentalists saying it hasn't been studied enough.

The planning team will consider the public's comments in analyzing each of the sites, then take its findings to the utility's board of directors in the fall. Dye said the utility will need several more years of planning to determine whether to go forward with the project.