Audit Troubled Water Agency
The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 10, 2007
What appears to be happening with the cracks in the reservoir
might not be due to sinkholes, but could it be a result of
questionable quality of the soil cement that was used to
construct the base? Why was $500,000 put in Tampa Bay Water's
budget last year for 'maintenance' for the reservoir? Did
someone know this was coming? Isn't taking $200,000 to 'fix' the
reservoir going to diminish the regular maintenance money? Are
these inflated costs or was there prior knowledge of defects?
What is going on?
The biggest question: After almost 10 years since Tampa Bay
Water was formed, why do we not have any of the three major
alternative water projects performing as promised?
• We're still waiting for the desal plant to come on line and
spending millions doing so.
• The reservoir, and rain and drought - didn't anyone figure
this into the equation when designing this? A year ago, this
reservoir was not able to distribute its water below a certain
point without pumping the water, which was
not part of the original design. The pumps have since
been retrofitted. Now we discover (just when these cracks
originally appeared December of 2006) there are major cracks in
this brand new facility.
•The 65 mgd (million gallons per day) Water Treatment Facility
has not been able to produce more than 45-50 mgd average. Why?
We need this water. All of our local and regional water plans
for future development of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco
counties are based on the alternative water supply plans of
Tampa Bay Water. We've been allowing growth for years based on
the timing of these facilities being fully on line.
So, we've got the growth, but we're not keeping up with the
water. We will be forced to increase groundwater pumping again.
There go the wetlands and lakes.
We believe it is time for an independent performance audit of
Tampa Bay Water. They do their own. We need to ask Florida's
auditor general to obtain the truth about Tampa Bay Water. Our
water supply is critical for a safe and healthy economic future.
Denise Layne is the executive director of the Coalition 4
Responsible Growth, Inc. |
