Water Plan Harms Progress

Yes, the area has suffered a three-year drought. Yes, the reservoir has encountered some unanticipated problems. But it is still appalling that Tampa Bay Water, which supplies drinking water to Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, is on the verge of violating groundwater pumping limits less than a month after the long-sought lower level went into effect.

The utility was established in 1998 precisely to stop the overpumping that was damaging wetlands, lakes and private property. And it was given 10 years to do it.

So the significances of the situation should not be minimized. Confidence in the water-supply system is at stake.

Both Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which regulates water use in the region, must do everything possible to avoid the permit violation.

Some background: For years Pinellas and St. Petersburg overpumped wellfields they owned in Pasco and north Hillsborough. Pumping levels of over 160 million gallons per day were common - and destructive. Residents pleaded for relief.

As part of the 1998 agreement that created Tampa Bay Water and helped end regional water disputes, the water district ordered the utility to cut back dramatically, eventually to 90 million gallons a day by December 2008.

And it worked, thanks to the development of alternative water sources, including a desalination plant and a massive reservoir, both of which were built in Hillsborough, and stepped-up conservation efforts.

The new mandatory limit is likely to be short-lived, however. Tampa Bay Water officials expect to exceed the limit beginning in March, and it could hit just under 170 million gallons per day by May.

Damaged wetlands that have recovered will once again be threatened. And all this raises the question of whether the limit will ever be honored, given the region's growth and frequent droughts.

True, Tampa Bay Water is not entirely at fault. The region has entered a third year of drought, which has handcuffed its ability to draw more water from rivers and the Tampa Bypass Canal.

And the reservoir, designed to hold 15 billion gallons of water, only contained about 1.25 billion this week - in part because cracks in the facility have limited its use. It may not be back fully online until 2013.

It's understandable that the utility is looking to the ground to get it out of this predicament. Groundwater is cheaper and more readily available, and Tampa Bay Water's job is to provide drinking water to member governments and their 2.5 million customers.

But it sure looks like the region is headed back to where it started - overpumping to meet residents' needs. And both Tampa Bay Water and the water district seemed inclined to accept the situation.

To be sure, people cannot be denied potable water. But there appears to be no urgent effort to come up with an alternative to overpumping.

The water district's governing board has tightened current one-day-a-week watering restrictions, and further reductions may be on the way. Still, it appears neither Tampa Bay Water nor the water district wants to even discuss another logical consideration: banning all nonessential outdoor watering until this crisis passes.

It's difficult to predict how much water could be saved a day with a total ban. But Tampa Bay Water says that, on average, consumption drops 20 million to 40 million gallons per day within a day or two after a good rain. During the drought, most of our water should go toward drinking, not greening lawns. But water officials fear upsetting customers and the sod and landscape industries.

So after years of work by numerous public officials - and more than $180 million provided by the water district for construction of alternative water projects - Tampa Bay Water is about to surpass a pumping limit that it was given 10 years to meet.

Exceeding the limit may end up being necessary, but doing so will break a public mandate and shake faith in the regional water supply system. Tampa Bay Water and the water district should be hustling to find another way out of this tight spot.