Regional Water Leader Announces Retirement Plans

CLEARWATER (September 20, 2007)—After 12 years of leadership and service to the Tampa Bay region, Tampa Bay Water General Manager Jerry L. Maxwell has announced his planned retirement.  Maxwell, 64, will retire effective Feb. 28, 2008, allowing time for a smooth transition.

“I am so proud of everything this agency has accomplished,” said Maxwell. “From the visionary Board members that created this agency to the professional staff that implements Board policy, this utility is a model.  It’s a model for regionalism, a model for partnerships, a model for environmentally sound supply development and a model for public service.

“I’ve been honored to serve the public for the past 30 years.  I look forward to writing a new chapter in my life, and it will be filled with family.”

Maxwell has been a catalyzing force in solving the region’s water supply problems since joining Tampa Bay Water’s predecessor, the West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority, in April of 1995 at the height of the region’s “water wars.” 
Within months of taking the helm, he initiated a visioning session aimed at eliminating the economic disparity for water among local governments that helped fuel the water wars. That session generated the idea to recreate the water cooperative as a true regional water utility, where every local government would pay the same price for water, share the cost of environmental stewardship and share the cost of developing new water supplies.

After two years of negotiation among the three counties and three cities that the agency serves, that vision was achieved in June 1998 when Tampa Bay Water was formed. 

Tampa Bay Water Chairman and Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala credits Maxwell with the agency’s creation and success.  “Without Jerry’s strategic foresight, leadership and endurance, there would be no regional water utility,” said Latvala. 

Tampa Bay Water built a solid track record of achievement under Maxwell’s leadership:

• Developed $610 million in new water supplies:
  • The first regional alternative water supply.  Two surface water intakes and a surface water treatment plant have been serving the region since 2002.
  • The state’s first above-ground drinking water reservoir.  This 15-billion gallon storage facility has helped the region bridge the gap between wet and dry seasons since 2005.
  • The nation’s first large-scale seawater desalination plant.  This 25-million gallon per day (mgd) facility is the first of its kind to be permitted in the United States.  Originally owned and designed by a private developer, Tampa Bay Water bought the facility when it was under construction in hopes of delivering the region’s first drought-proof water supply.  While the plant has produced 1.7 billion gallons of water since March 2007, it is undergoing extensive remediation to ensure operational efficiency and is expected to be operating by the end of 2007.
  • The largest directional drill using fiberglass pipe ever employed in the world to place the desalination pipeline beneath the Alafia River.
  • More than 75 miles of large diameter pipeline to connect the new supplies to the existing water network placed using every available trenchless technology for pipeline installation including directional drilling, microtunneling and jack and bore.
  • Federal funds totaling $57 million for construction of the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir.
• Reduced the region’s reliance on groundwater.  Regional wellfield permits totaling 192 mgd were reduced to 158 mgd average in 1998, then reduced to 121 mgd average in 2002.  The next goal is a reduction 90 mgd annual average by the end of 2008.
• Received $183 million in co-funding from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for development of alternative water supplies in exchange for reducing the quantity permitted by Swiftmud at regional wellfields.
• Built $350 million in water quality and system reliability improvements.  Water now received by the local governments is the highest quality ever delivered by the regional water supplier.
• Replaced all faulty sections of 84-inch pipeline that serves as the backbone of Tampa Bay Water’s regional system.
• Upgraded the agency’s bond rating from A to AA, confirming the strength and success of the agency and allowing the agency to borrow money more affordably. 
• Selected the next phase of projects to meet demand in 2012.  Some $299 million in new projects are currently being designed to ensure drinking water supplies keep pace with demand.

Latvala said Tampa Bay Water will conduct a national search to find a qualified candidate.  Maxwell has agreed to assist the Tampa Bay Water Board in its search for his replacement and will assist the agency as needed beyond his retirement.