Tampa Bay Reservoir Filling to Begin This Summer
This summer, Tampa Bay Water will once again be able to store water in the regional reservoir. Kiewit Infrastructure South, the contractor renovating the storage facility, is closing in on a key schedule milestone-beginning initial filling this summer.
Water stored in the reservoir is withdrawn from the Tampa Bypass Canal and the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers. A portion of the surface water goes to the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant for treatment and distribution; surplus water is conveyed to the reservoir for storage and use during dry times.
Successfully achieving the initial fill date has been a goal of Tampa Bay Water and the project team since the renovation began. In fact, construction was staged from the bottom of the reservoir up, so filling could begin while construction continues near the top of the berm. The entire job was scheduled to take advantage of our rainy season, so that Tampa Bay Water can bank water in its savings account this summer.
Tampa Bay Water extends its thanks to the nearby community. Though we've tried to minimize impacts, we know that residents around the reservoir have had to live with some construction inconvenience. We'll continue to work diligently to complete the project on schedule, by December 2014.