Tampa Bay Water Source Diversification
As the potential impacts of climate change become more imminent with each passing year, coastal cities in particular are feeling the pressure to adapt and preserve their resources. Such is the case in Tampa, Florida, where Tampa Bay Water (TBW) has diversified their water supply for the city in an effort to combat current and projected complications wrought by the changing global climate and anthropogenic activity.
Prolonged drought and surface water scarcity in the1990s had incited Tampa to source its water entirely from eleven underground wellfields in several surrounding counties.[1] By 1998, local scientists and water officials had determined that the overdraft of these wellfields had negatively impacted and contributed to the draining of wetland environments and lakes in the northern Tampa Bay area.[2] This prompted Tampa Bay Water to seek additional/alternative sources of water for the city. TBW provides water to roughly 2.5 million residents along Florida's Gulf Coast, and it is estimated that the demand for water in this area is around 250 million gallons per day (mgd.)[3] In December of 1998, Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District entered into a partnership to issue TBW a Consolidated Permit. The permit issued TBW to pump 158 mgd from groundwater reserves, with planned reductions every five years until reaching 90 mgd by 2008, along with a recovery assessment and plan for the ecosystems which had been drained due to the over-pumping.[2]
The goals of the Consolidated Permit were met due to the diversification of Tampa Bay Water's sources. This was accomplished after an over $1 billion investment in water infrastructure, including the construction of a massive aboveground reservoir and a desalination plant in 2008.[3] In addition to creating alternative sources for drinking water and contributing to wetland restoration, TBWs efforts led to the broader consideration of how Tampa's water supply would be affected by climate change in the coming years. In 2018, TBW received a two-year grand from NOAA to fund a partnership with the University of Florida and the Florida Water Climate Alliance to analyze the functionality of Tampa's water supply infrastructure in contrast with future climate models.[3]
Dr. Alison Adams, the Chief Technical Officer of Tampa Bay Water, led the effort alongside her colleagues analyzing climate outlook models. TBW draws on outlooks from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center to understand how rain, wind, temperature, etc. will fluctuate from weeks to years in the future. The information gathered from this monitoring is used to influence how Tampa Bay Water communicates with water operations managers in the area. The outlooks also provide insights into when surface water may be scarce, allowing TBW to plan their sourcing accordingly so as not to overdraft groundwater.[1]
In the context of climate change, Tampa's water source diversification allows for more flexibility and adaptability to fluctuations in climate. Rising sea levels pose a great risk of saltwater intrusion in coastal communities. This intrusion alongside the predicted greater frequency of violent storms and flooding leave Tampa's limited groundwater supplies particularly vulnerable. TBW's desalination plant and aboveground reservoir now serve as backup sources of drinking water for the city if climate-related events create a need for groundwater preservation.
As of October 2020, the Tampa Bay Water's efforts to diversify its sources have led to the recovery of the lakes, wetlands, rivers, and groundwater flows in the Consolidated Permit area which had been previously damaged due to groundwater overdraft. Since 2010, TBW has successfully pumped less than their 90 mgd limit on an annual basis. The Consolidated Permit expires on January 25, 2021, and Tampa Bay Water submitted a renewal application to the Southwest Florida Water Management District board in October 2020.[4] The future of TBW's climate outlooks include plans to account for predicted changes in population, anthropogenic, and climatic factors which could affect Tampa's water supplies. This data will be used to build upon TBW's infrastructure and create a more resilient and adaptive method of water supply to the Tampa Bay region.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Climate Outlooks Help Water Supply Planning | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit". toolkit.climate.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-04.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Governing Board Renews Tampa Bay Water Consolidated Permit | WaterMatters.org". www.swfwmd.state.fl.us.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 US EPA, OP (18 April 2016). "Tampa Bay Diversifies Water Sources to Reduce Climate Risk". US EPA.
- ↑ "$1 Billion Investment Pays Off for the Environment - Tampa Bay Water Blog". www.tampabaywater.org. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
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