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Letter to the editor

Reclaimed-water pinch trickles down to many

The cutback affects residents, parks, playgrounds, schools and golf courses during peak hours.

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published June 3, 2007

Severe drought and "unprecedented demand" have forced a major cutback of reclaimed water to nearly 20, 000 south county residents.

The cutback, which is in effect during peak daytime hours, also is affecting about 80 parks and playgrounds, 10 schools and four golf courses, according to Jim Dulaney, wastewater treatment manager at the South Cross Bayou Treatment Plant.

The plant provides reclaimed water to all of the gulf beaches, from Tierra Verde to Sand Key.

Also affected are neighborhoods between 78th and 66th avenues N from 113th Street N to Boca Ciega Bay; Park Boulevard to 54th Avenue N between Cross Bayou and 66th Street N; Tamarac by the Gulf; and Seminole Lakes Golf and Country Club Estates.

"This is the first time we have had to do this, " Dulaney said. "Continued high reclaimed water usage has placed demands on the system that can no longer be sustained. We expect the shutdown will continue until we get substantial rainfall."

Reclaimed-water use by north county customers was restricted to alternate days beginning in April, but supplies have not been shut off.

Although notices of the reclaimed-water restrictions for the south county were posted on the county's Web site and were sent to area media, many residents were caught by surprise when they tried to turn on their sprinklers and discovered that they were dry.

"Our customer service department got a lot of calls from customers who wanted to know what had happened to their water, " Dulaney said.

Since January, the 7-inch rainfall deficit, combined with reduced usage of potable water, has created a severe shortfall of available reclaimed water.

"We achieved our goal in encouraging people to conserve potable water, but it has had a negative effect on the reclaimed-water system. There is less water coming into the plant, " Dulaney said.

Annual usage of potable water has dropped significantly since 1989 - from 153 gallons per day per person to 89 gallons per day per person in 2005-06.

As a result, wastewater inflows dropped to about 20-million gallons a day, while demand for reclaimed water has risen to about 30-million gallons a day.

Normally, the treatment plant produces 15-million gallons of reclaimed water each day from about 24-million gallons of wastewater (water from toilets, sinks, laundries, tubs and showers).

The wastewater is cleaned to eliminate any harmful byproducts.

The resulting reclaimed water is piped back to residential neighborhoods, where it is used primarily for irrigating lawns and landscaping. The reclaimed water is not safe for drinking, bathing, cooking or any recreational use where it could come into bodily contact.

The amount of reclaimed water needed to supply just one home per day requires wastewater from four homes.

The county began building the reclaimed-water system about 12 years ago and just recently completed transmission lines to the north beach area from Belleair to Sand Key. The South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility was renovated in 2003 at a cost of about $143-million.

In areas where reclaimed water is available, the county charges homeowners $14 for availability, $4 for usage and $3.75 for billing every other month.

For the past week, no reclaimed water was available for irrigation between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The "down time" is needed, Dulaney said, to allow the treatment plant to refill its storage tanks to meet evening and nighttime demand for reclaimed water.

"If demand continues to increase, we may have to extend the shutoff time, " Dulaney said.

Fast Facts:

Watering restrictions

St. Petersburg

Potable water: City water, private well water, and private connections to surface water sources (lakes, ponds, etc.) - one day a week. Irrigation allowed between 5 to 9 a.m. and/or 7 to 11 p.m. on the assigned days. (Saturday only: even house numbers or letters A through M. Sunday only: odd numbers, letters N through Z, or at locations with no address.)

Reclaimed water: Voluntary restriction only, three days a week. (Even numbered addresses on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; odd numbered addresses on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.)

Other areas

St. Pete Beach, all other beach cities, South Pasadena, Pinellas Park and unincorporated areas:

Potable (county) water: Watering prohibited between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Irrigation of established lawns and landscaping allowed one day per week, based on address numbers (Monday: ending in 0 or 1; Tuesday, ending in 2 or 3; Wednesday, ending in 4 or 5; Thursday, ending in 6 or 7; Friday, ending in 8 or 9 or mixed or no address).

Reclaimed water: No irrigation allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; no other restrictions.

Note: Different rules may apply to watering of landscape plants, microirrigation of nonlawn landscape material, new turf grass and/or new plant materials or other nonirrigation uses. Check with your city or the county.

[Last modified June 2, 2007, 20:07:57]