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River lovers can breathe easy

Tampa Bay Water drops a request that asked the state for lower oxygen standards for the Hillsborough River.

By JANET ZINK
Published May 25, 2006

TAMPA - Tampa Bay Water has backed off a request of state regulators to adjust oxygen standards in the Hillsborough River and the Tampa Bypass Canal.

"I consider that good news," said John Ovink, a founder of the advocacy group Friends of the River. "What they realize is that the river needs water with a good oxygen level. If you shut the bubbles off in your aquarium, your fish die. If you put water with a low dissolved oxygen level in the river, you cannot sustain fish and plants and manatees."

Bass, snook, sea trout and aquatic plants need adequate dissolved oxygen to survive. The state-mandated dissolved oxygen content for the Hillsborough River is now 4 to 5 milligrams per liter. Tampa Bay Water wanted to adjust the requirement to 2.4 to 4.5 milligrams per liter.

But faced with extensive questions from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection about the study used to support the request, Tampa Bay Water backed off the proposal.

"We provided them with a lot of good scientific information, but we're at a point now where we don't have the time right now to pursue it further," said Paula Dye, chief environmental planner for Tampa Bay Water.

The utility that supplies water to Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties is still pursuing an application to take more water from above the Hillsborough River dam and replace it with treated sewer water below the dam to offset increased withdrawals for drinking water needs.

Ovink questioned whether that proposal could proceed without the lower oxygen standards.

Dye said the dissolved oxygen request and the application for a permit to put reclaimed water in the river are not connected. But reclaimed water contains more nitrogen and phosphorus than fresh water. That means it could reduce the oxygen content of the river. Nitrogen also promotes algae blooms.

Tampa Bay Water is still working with the DEP and other environmental regulators to determine the impact of the reclaimed water on the river.

"It's a good strong rigorous progress," Dye said. "All of the work we're doing is to make sure we fully understand it, and we can make sure it's fully sustainable."

If the science determines the project is not environmentally sound, she said, the proposal won't be recommended to the Tampa Bay Water board.

The reclaimed water proposal, called downstream augmentation, is one of several Tampa Bay Water is exploring to meet exploding demand for water in the region.

Tampa Bay Water estimates that the area's fast-growing population means the region will need another 13-million gallons per day of water by 2012.

In addition to downstream augmentation, Tampa Bay Water is exploring the possibility of withdrawing more water from the above Hillsborough River, Tampa Bay Pass Canal and Alafia River during high flow periods without adding reclaimed water to the river.

Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or 813 226-3401.

[Last modified May 25, 2006, 06:57:39]