Cooler weather and nearly normal rainfall have lessened water use during the region’s typical dry season. In February, regional demand was 192.2 million gallons of water per day (mgd), down from the 195.0 mgd that had been projected. From October 2024 to February 2025, annual demand averaged 195.1 mgd, or 14.6 mgd less than the 209.7 mgd Tampa Bay Water anticipated.
In February, the 12-month running averages for both the Consolidated Water Use Permit and the South-Central Regional Wellfield were below their limits at 86.83 mgd (90 mgd limit), and 24.78 mgd (24.95 mgd limit), respectively. The Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant is delivering an average of 90 mgd, right on target, and the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant is currently contributing about 9 mgd to the regional system, both of which offset the need for groundwater.
The best news of all is that the reservoir has remained full at the beginning of the calendar year, with more than 15 billion gallons stored. Typically, Tampa Bay Water would begin using the reservoir in January.
“We do expect to deliver more water in March through May as the weather warms and demand increases,” said Chuck Carden, Tampa Bay Water general manager, “but a full reservoir puts us in excellent shape for the rest of the year.”