DADE CITY - The key to solving the Tampa Bay area's growing water needs might lie not so much in new wells but in recycled wastewater, regional water officials told a group of east Pasco leaders this week.
The strategy was described as a newly formed coalition of east Pasco elected municipal leaders on Wednesday questioned officials from Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as Swiftmud.
Concerned about the potential for new wells - and the possibility of environmental damage from pumping - in Wesley Chapel and east Pasco, leaders from Dade City, Zephyrhills, San Antonio and St. Leo shared a two-hour sitdown with water officials about the future of the area and plans for new water sources.
With Tampa Bay Water's board prepared to decide next month on its next move to meet demands - with an eye toward new wells in Pasco or more pumping in northeast Hillsborough County - officials in Pasco have been wary.
But the bottom line, said Swiftmud executive director Dave Moore, is that new wells alone will not be depended upon to support regional growth and won't be expected to meet the demands alone.
Wells, he said, are only a part of the plan for the future. Conservation and the use of reclaimed water are areas the agencies are looking to play a major role, in addition to alternative sources such as desalinated seawater.
Reclaimed water is treated wastewater that is not considered potable, but can be used to replace river water taken into the system, as well as for lawn watering in suburban areas.
It can also be used to keep reservoirs full or be sprayed on rural land just to let it soak back into the aquifer, Moore said. In parts of Hillsborough County, officials said, reclaimed water is spread on suburban lawns just a few hundred feet from wells.
And whatever is pumped out of the ground in east Pasco, Tampa Bay Water director Jerry Maxwell said, will remain in east Pasco.
