Tampa Bay Regional Water Supply and Drought Index November 2011- Final Drought Update

Tampa Bay Regional Water Supply
and Drought Index

November 2011- Final Drought Update

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Due to increased storage and average rainfall in the late summer and fall period, Tampa Bay Water's supplies have been upgraded from Phase II to Phase I water shortage. Therefore, this is the final water supply and drought index update, unless the region slips back to Phase II.

Under Tampa Bay Water's water shortage mitigation plan, shortage conditions can improve or worsen by at most one phase per month, even if trigger conditions dictate larger changes. Therefore, conditions have improved to a Phase I Drought Alert, and will remain there for at least one month.

The region's water restrictions, enacted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District in December 2010, remain in effect.

Regional water facts for October:

Rainfall totals in October averaged about 3.8 inches, about an inch above the regional average. The highest levels of rain fall occurred in eastern Hillsborough County which received between 5 and 6 inches, while rainfall in the rest of the region averaged between 3 and 4 inches.

Long-term rainfall deficits in the Hillsborough and Alafia River basin are improving.

Hillsborough River flow was over 280% above the mean monthly flow for October while the Alafia River flow was 140% above normal.

Regional water demand in October averaged about 221 million gallons per day, 30 million gallons less than October 2010, but a slight increase of 9 million gallons per day from September 2011.

Due to La Nina conditions, below normal precipitation is expected for fall/winter of 2011 and into spring 2012, according to the Southeast Climate Consortium and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Tampa Bay Water continues to request the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey and counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco reduce demand and enforce water restrictions.

For more information contact Dave Bracciano or Alison Adams at 727-796-2355.

Tampa Bay Water is the state's largest wholesale water supplier, providing water to Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa. More than 2 million people throughout the Tampa Bay region are served through Tampa Bay Water's member governments.