New Pipeline Will Increase Capacity, Reliability for Hillsborough County

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Tampa Bay Water is beginning construction on a new pipeline in the Citrus Park area that will deliver up to 15 million gallons of drinking water per day to Hillsborough County’s Northwest Hillsborough Potable Water Treatment Facility.  Construction crews are preparing the route for pipeline installation, which is scheduled to begin in May 2010.

Hillsborough County’s water treatment facility is currently supplied by the Northwest Hillsborough Regional Wellfield.  The new 2-mile, 36-inch diameter pipeline will connect the isolated wellfield to Tampa Bay Water’s regional water supply network, providing increased capacity and a much-needed back up water supply to Hillsborough County. With another source of supply, the wellfield can also be periodically rested. 

The pipeline route travels east from Hillsborough County’s Northwest Hillsborough Potable Water Treatment facility, beneath Sheldon Road, east under Easy Street, then north along the Upper Tampa Bay Trail, ending at Manhattan Drive. The route is located largely within existing utility easements and public rights-of-way.

“Tampa Bay Water and its contractors will work hard to minimize short-term construction inconveniences for nearby residents and businesses,” said Rick Menzies, project supervisor with Tampa Bay Water. “Once construction is completed in March 2011, the County’s water customers and the environment will see long-term benefits.”

The new pipeline will deliver a blend of surface water, desalinated seawater and groundwater supplies to the area. The project also includes yard piping at Hillsborough County’s Northwest facility and at the City of St. Petersburg’s Cosme Water Treatment Plant, located in Odessa, so water from those facilities can be delivered into the regional system during emergencies.

Construction is expected to reach the Upper Tampa Bay Trail in mid-July 2010. For the safety of trail users and residents, the Upper Tampa Bay Trail will be fully closed from Gardner Road to Manhattan Drive for up to 9 weeks during construction along the Trail.

One environmental benefit of the project is Brazilian pepper-tree removal. During the Upper Tampa Bay Trail closure, Hillsborough County will be removing the invasive, exotic plant from about one-mile of the Trail.  Tampa Bay Water’s contractor is also eradicating Brazilian pepper-tree from about 2 acres of nature preserve located at Sheldon Road and Fawn Ridge Boulevard. 

The project will cost approximately $8.26 million, with the Southwest Florida Water Management District co-funding up to 50 percent of the project’s eligible design and construction costs.  The remainder of the project will be funded through water rates and construction bonds.

To get more information about the project, please visit www.tampabaywater.org.  Once construction begins, interested residents and businesses can follow the project on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NWPipeline) or call the dedicated construction hotline at 813-401-0132.

Tampa Bay Water provides wholesale water to the public utility systems of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties as well as the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa. 

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