Bay Area deals with water crisis

TAMPA - We have a water crisis developing right in front of us. With our big reservoir dried up – we are now relying heavily on ground water. It hasn’t rained significantly in weeks and a lot of people are having a hard time waiting for the rainy season to begin.

Red flags and warnings are going up all around – we are facing severe restrictions.
Healthy and green lawns are rare these days.

“We need water. We need rain. We need lots of rain,” said Tampa resident Jim Hudek.
But the rainy season is still weeks away and a reservoir that’s gone completely dry is likely to spark more water restrictions.

In fact, just recently Tampa Bay Water tapped most of its water supply from its 15-billion gallon reservoir.

Utility officials say right now it holds enough water for about one days supply. So, using alarming language like “water crisis” is pretty strong and pretty accurate.

“From a water supply perspective: in effect it is empty. The levels in the reservoir have fallen as we’ve used it through this dry fall and winter months and we’re at a point where there is not sufficient water in the reservoir to serve our needs,” said Tampa Bay Water General Manager Gerald Seeber.

Cracks in the reservoir are compounding the problem. They forced officials to lower the water levels so they could repair them. But that left the reservoir half full – so our water supply is now even more strained.

Officials with Southwest Florida Water Management warn everyone who uses water that they will be out enforcing the modified phase three water restrictions currently in place.