RIVERVIEW, Fla. — The Tampa Bay region is facing one of the worst water shortages in 50 years, and Tampa Bay Water officials say they can no longer take water from rivers to use for the drinking water supply.
What You Need To Know
Tampa Bay Water has water monitoring stations all along the rivers, including on the Alafia River, and crews check the water level, water flow, and water quality to help determine if, and when, it can safely take from them
Right now, utility officials say it’s too low, so they have to take water from somewhere else
Tampa Bay Water is asking residents to take steps like turning off the water while brushing their teeth, taking shorter showers and only watering the lawn on the designated day
Utility officials say this doesn’t mean residents need to worry about not having drinking water — they say that’s not going to be an issue — but everyone needs to be careful with how much water they are using.
Tampa Bay Water has water monitoring stations all along the rivers, including on the Alafia River. Crews check the water level, water flow and water quality to help utility officials determine if, and when, they can safely take from it. Right now, they say it’s too low, so they have to take water from somewhere else.
“To meet those demands, we will rely heavily on groundwater and our desalinated seawater,” said Warren Hogg, the chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water. “Water-saving efforts now will help extend our water supplies into the spring and early summer, and help save water for the environment.”
Warren Hogg, chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water, speaks Friday about the water situation in Tampa Bay. (Spectrum News/Fallon Silcox)
Two years ago, Tampa Bay was in a similar situation, Hogg said, but thanks to the community’s help, the utility was able to conserve enough water to get through that drought.
Now, he’s asking residents to do the same — simple things like turning off the water while brushing their teeth, taking shorter showers and only watering the lawn on the designated day.
“If the drought gets worse and people don’t step in and help save water, we could be faced with tighter water restrictions from either the water management district or your cities and counties,” Hogg said.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted this week to look into restricting irrigation to one day per week year round. Right now, when there aren’t watering restrictions, residents can water two days per week.