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Hillsborough River project seeks to protect water quality
Letters to the Editor
Published December 24, 2005
Re: Is Tampa proposal a risky one for river?
The Times' story on Dec. 9 about the Hillsborough River omitted many important facts that readers should know about the downstream augmentation project under study for the Hillsborough River.
This project, like all Tampa Bay Water projects, will be designed to avoid adverse environmental impacts. Our goal is to permit this project and protect water quality. We are using sound scientific methods to ensure that.
Tampa Bay Water is not proposing to augment the lower Hillsborough River to maintain a minimum flow over the dam. The project we are investigating would add highly treated reclaimed water to the River downstream of the dam only when the river flows at least 100 cubic feet per second - that's 10 times the current minimum flow and four times the contemplated minimum flow. Analyses show that augmentation would range between 15 and 72 days a year. This project would allow additional water to be withdrawn upstream for drinking. The augmentation and drinking waters would not mix.
Extensive data have been collected to model cumulative impacts of downstream augmentation plus our Enhanced Surface Water System and Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant. This project and the current surface water withdrawals would result in a net reduction of nitrogen and phosphorous to Tampa Bay - a good thing for the environment.
Your readers should know that the current standard for dissolved oxygen is a generic standard and was adopted by the state from national EPA criteria. That standard is inappropriate for the lower Hillsborough River - and regardless of our project, is unattainable with limited exceptions.
Our request to DEP was not to "lower standards" but for an appropriate dissolved oxygen standard that is higher than and will improve current conditions, regardless of our project. The standard we propose is based on the dissolved oxygen levels on the Little Manatee River, an unobstructed Outstanding Florida Water that is locally recognized as a reference river - and which does not meet the state dissolved oxygen criteria at all places, at all times.
-- Additionally, the story leads the reader to believe the project would start in 2006. In fact, Tampa Bay Water's board is scheduled to vote in 2008 whether to construct the project, which could meet the region's water needs in 2012.
Regarding the impact of personal care and pharmaceutical products, this topic is an emerging concern and the subject of numerous studies nationwide. Tampa Bay Water is a participant in several of these studies. At present, studies are still in progress and therefore no local, state or national standards have been set.
We understand that these are complicated issues, but we believe your readers should have access to all the facts on this important topic.
-- Donald J. Polmann, Ph.D., director of Science and Engineering, Tampa Bay Water
[Last modified December 24, 2005, 01:10:16]
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