CA-27-5000

Every appearance1 of 1 are in a recording

TranscriptWhat was said at each appearance is below it. Machine transcription, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 100% of 58 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.

1. 1Oct 20, 2026
   Board of County CommissionersR26Regular businessNo outcome in the minutes

   Open this item →▶ Play from 1:35:49
   ▶ 1:35:4918m

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:35:49And I will move to R twenty six. We have Chuck Carton here. His team. Very good.

   Seth WeightmanVice Chair

   1:35:57Hello again. Mark,

   Chuck Carden

   1:35:59it's good to

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:35:59see

   Chuck Carden

   1:35:59you all of you. Good morning. Uh I'm Chuck Carden. I'm the general manager of Tampa Bay Water, uh, which is your regional wholesale water supplier. Uh agency was formed in 1998 uh uh by the member governments that we serve that includes uh Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas Counties, and the cities of Newport, Ritchie, Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Commissioner Weightman and Commissioner Oakley serve on behalf of the of your county uh on

   1:36:29our board. And uh Commissioner Weightman is our current vice chair. Since my last update, we've been very busy on our water supply system, ensuring that we can meet the future demands, as we we know growth is very uh prevalent out there. Uh this is a a slide of uh our interconnected system. We just ended our water year September 30th. And we supplied our members an average of about 202 million gallons a day. And

   1:37:00of that total, Pasco County bought about 40 million gallons a day. So about 20% of the system was purchased by the county. Our distribution system includes 13 well fields, two surface water intakes, a seawater desalination facility.

   1:37:20billion gallon reservoir and twenty one points of connection. Uh we maintain this network uh to you 24-7, and uh we charge a wholesale rate of about $2.66 per thousand of the new fiscal year we're going into. So a little over a quarter of a penny per gallon is the is what we charge. And we sell it in thousand dollars uh thousand gallon units. I did speak of the reservoir holding 15.5 billion gallons. As of this morning, when I got up, we

   1:37:50had 12.5 billion in there. And why that is significant, because on September 8th, we had 5 billion gallons in there. And our uh our goal every year is to have it full at fifteen and a half billion before we start the new water year, which is October one. So staring uh early September and we're uh one third of the way, um the recent rains have been uh a blessing to us. We are putting in about 200 million gallons today and we plan to not stop for

   1:38:20a while, so I'm hoping to be full up here by uh early November.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:38:26It's great to fill it up without a hurricane. Well done.

   Chuck Carden

   1:38:30The rain without the uh the pain.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:38:34And it's cold now, so we're good. I'm with Jack.

   Chuck Carden

   1:38:38So every day um we deliver a blend of uh of source waters to you and that includes um the groundwater. We have river water and we have uh seawater. And what's important about that is we blend them. Each of those sources have a different cost to them. Some are, you know, D Sal is the most expensive and groundwater the least expensive. That uh enables us to keep the rate to an affordable limit of the twenty the two dollars and sixty six cents uh that I told you earlier. Uh the

   1:39:08pie chart here is uh the fiscal year we just started October one, and you can see the groundwater is fifty-seven percent and the river and the D Sall is 43. Uh that's important because uh that mix is generally I tell people in general is sixty forty. Um but in nineteen ninety-eight, one of the main drivers of why we are uh why I'm standing here is Tampay Water. A hundred percent was groundwater. And then you uh you do know about some of the uh the past of the water wars and and the environment.

   1:39:41Uh the region continues to grow as you know. I don't need to tell you that so much. Um this is the chart that shows our 2026 actual demands. And then we're looking out 20 years to see uh where we're gonna be. And you can see right there the second set of uh the bars of Pasco County, um a lot of growth there, and and you know that in eastern Pasco, especially at this time, central and eastern. Uh Hillsborough County, they also have a lot of growth going on in the southern Hillsborough County, and so you can see

   1:40:11that as well.

   1:40:15Uh right now, our capital improvement program, the majority of the budget's being spent on three different projects. Uh, a surface water treatment plant expansion, and we're also building a South Hillsborough pipeline. And the board approved last October the South Hillsborough Well Field, which I'll explain or talk about each one of them here. Uh, this is the surface water treatment plant expansion. Expansion. Um we broke ground uh in March for construction and uh it will uh expand

   1:40:45the plant to 145 million gallons a day. Uh we're adding a fifth train to it. So there there's identical treatment trains, and so this is the fifth and probably the last one we're gonna be doing. The plant originally started out with a 66 million gallon a day plant in the early uh 2002. And so it'll go up to a hundred and forty five million once we're complete. Um uh after done, uh we should be able to uh harvest another twelve and a half million gallons a day for the region. Construction

   1:41:16is scheduled to uh be finished by the end of twenty twenty eight. And you can see here on this slide there's uh some various pictures of the construction going on. The plant is located uh near the fairgrounds for in Brandon area for your visual sight. We're also constructing uh the new South Hillsborough Pipeline, which is 26 miles long, and it is uh five feet in diameter, and it will deliver water from

   1:41:46uh our regional site at near the fairgrounds down to the bomb areas of Hillsborough County and also at Lithia. The pipeline will be in service by the end of 2028, and it is funded by uh the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Bay Water, and Hillsborough County. We're all sharing in the cost.

   1:42:09We're making steady progress. Uh the construction is underway at multiple locations, and we have completed seven microtunnels. Um we've done a couple horizontal directional drills, and they are uh moving uh through with the open-cut trench work. And so you can see some of the pictures here of the pipe being staged on the side and some of the work progressing.

   1:42:36For the South Hillsborough Well Field, uh this new wheelfield well field is estimated to deliver between six and twelve million gallons a day of new fresh water uh groundwater uh as early as uh twenty thirty. The well field will be built in phases, and some of the permitted quantities that we've been acquiring from private uh permit holders who would would sell it to us. We had our board meeting yesterday and we bought two permits yesterday. Uh we now have acquired up to

   1:43:064.1 million gallons a day for uh this this new well field that's being built. We plan to get all the way up to six or more from that from those acquisitions. And then the remaining six uh per day, we're hoping to acquire aquifer recharge credits. Uh we've been negotiating with Hillsborough County to purchase these credits, and so that's could make up the the additional six and have a 12 MGD uh plant. You can see here the picture, there's eight uh production

   1:43:36wells at the full capacity design that that uh is the 12 million gallons a day.

   1:43:44We also continue to study projects for the uh the long term. We are currently conducting uh feasibility studies for the projects shown here uh on this listing. Uh they will be evaluated and brought back to the board. We are projecting next year, late next year, uh, to have the board look at those. And make a selection of one or a few to get to the next incremental water that is needed by the year 2033. You can see here the

   1:44:14Eastern Pasco Wellfield is number one. It's number A on your list. And so we've been working hard over there near the Zephyrhills area. We've um drilled a core well and we've also done the aquifer performance test in September. They are looking at data and they will be compiling their reports. Right now I'm told verbally that the water quality was was very good, very low hydrogen sulfide and very low TOC, but they're looking at the the flow limits now on that. So that

   1:44:44that'll be out and uh that'll be distributed soon.

   1:44:49And the last time I presented to you, uh the EPA had just issued new regulations to take effect in uh twenty twenty nine regarding PFOS or the Forever Chemicals. Uh we already meet the new standards except for there are three connection points in uh Hillsborough County area that are slightly above the new regulations. So we've also been studying on top of the PFOS uh reducing total organic carbon uh at some of the members' request, and that'll help strengthen disinfectant uh

   1:45:19stability in their system. Uh last April our board approved moving forward with the design for the treatment uh for five sites, uh three for PFOS reduction and two for TOC Total Organic Carbon Reduction. And so uh that will be progressing along and uh we will be

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:45:38go back to that chart there. Please. This one? So yeah, so where the P Fas ones, number ten or what are the numbers?

   Chuck Carden

   1:45:46Uh there are five stars on there and um you can see the two in Brandon, the far right, those are the two Brandon wells, and then there's a one right over there in the middle. That's the surface water treatment plant, if you can see it. Those are the three P Fos sites. And the other two orange uh stars are for TOC reduction and uh they're right there at Elders Wild and at South Pasco.

   Seth WeightmanVice Chair

   1:46:14And Mr. Weban. Thank you, Chairman Chuck, we yesterday when we made the vote for the uh organics. Um we voted to start moving based on federal regulation and what have you to address the organic compounds if you wouldn't mind an update on that piece yesterday.

   Chuck Carden

   1:46:36Yes, the the PFOS um was last year uh the regulation for the first time came out was four parts per trillion of the PFOS. And so these three locations in the Hillsborough County were slightly above four, but you you take a quarterly sample and you average it through the year, and so that they were above the four slightly. Um, and so we were we are addressing putting treatment there. Um there the work has been authorized to go through the design, but not the

   1:47:06construction. But the year 2021. Is the year we have to be in compliance uh with the new regulations. You can get a waiver to go to 2031, but we are we are looking to get the design done and see uh where we at with that to whether we go to the construction or not. Uh there has been discussion of maybe not putting in treatment in the Brandon wells and maybe sending raw water to our treatment plant and and pipe it back. To the treatment plant and maybe not have to do the PFOS treatment at that plant. So

   1:47:36we're looking at alternative ways. The surface water treatment plant, what you voted on yesterday, was to uh a pilot plant to go in there and study the different treatments uh for that. Uh but there will be something probably needed for the for treatment at the surface water treatment plant in the future.

   1:47:57We also continue to work very closely with our staff and all the member governments uh uh to have open and transparent discussions about all water topics. Uh we meet regularly through committees and working groups. You can see on the slide here all of the different ones. And uh and just yesterday, again at the board meeting, uh Pasco County, uh you sent a letter uh late August asking us to talk to you about a new uh point of connection from us in the eastern Pasco area. So our board saw that yesterday approved

   1:48:27it and I will be getting with your team and we will start discussion of of a new point of connection to deliver you water uh at a different location than you're getting it now. That will eventually turn into a either a joint project agreement or an MOU with the county. And so you'll be seeing that in the few uh the coming months of you know the who, what, when, where, and how has got to be worked out.

   1:48:51And uh that's all my slides and I wanna thank you for your time and I'm very happy to answer any questions.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:48:57Okay, any questions?

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:48:58Oh I I just have a quick one. Um when when you were working on that South County project in Hillsborough and I was on Tampa Bay Water Board it looked like a great opportunity to give that community a trail on on top of your in your corridor. So I I hope someone's taking that and running with it. Because there there are no opportunities down there and this is a great opportunity for Because you're going through some pretty populated areas. And certainly when we work on the East County side we

   1:49:28want to talk about

   Chuck Carden

   1:49:29Yeah.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:49:30Because they go very well together.

   Seth WeightmanVice Chair

   1:49:32I remember that.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:49:35Very good report.

   Seth WeightmanVice Chair

   1:49:41Cost of construction and balancing the cost of of uh of construction to move water from A to B to C um in in in the fiscal discipline that Chuck and his team have and being able to buy rates down to keep rates in line um is impressive with with the monumental project. that you all are underway with doing. So uh very grateful for Creative thinking and and how we manage the cost, you know, we're we're not going to run out of water in this state. Uh the

   1:50:12challenge will be the affordability of water. And with the work that Chuck and his team do in partnering with the Water Management District and thinking regionally, right? I was on the Water Management District Governing Board when we decided to use the bulk of the cooperative funding agreement money which tied up majority of those funds for a solid five years to to to see the need to fund this this project and working with Tampa Bay Water and Hillsborough County.

   1:50:43regional approach and thoughtfulness to it that's it's it's truly a model for how uh MPO and the folks in Pinellas and other counties should be thinking because when you have the the right representatives on regional boards like this and when when it's time to really roll up your sleeves and get get the work, the right decisions are made and uh Chuck, you and your team do a fantastic job and provide a quality service for everybody in the Bay Area. So thank you for coming up to Pasco. Thank you, Commissioner

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:51:13Oakley Oakley.

   Ron Oakley

   1:51:14Yeah. Chuck, good report. Um could you tell 'em how much we use actually we provide water each day. So a lot of people are confused about it. I've heard numbers of up to nine hundred million a day and I wish we had that kind of money to or m water to be able to deliver it, but it's a lot less numbers, so

   Chuck Carden

   1:51:33Yeah, um it's it varies throughout the day. I showed you a slide that sh uh the end of the year over the whole course of the year we used two hundred and two million gallons a day. Um but there's days in the summer or May, June um we can get up to two seventy five, two eighty. But during just even a 24-hour period, it can swing anywhere from 200 down to 100, depends on the time of day. People get up in the morning, you you know. And when they come home

   1:52:04from work, you know. And so it's just gotta go, it's up and down as a diurnal curve. Um, so but you know, that's an average 202. And I was thinking about your the Slide that showed you about forty million gallons a day. When I started my career uh at West Coast or the Tampa Bay Water, I think you guys uh Pasco County was by seventeen million gallons a day. Yeah. So that was early nineties, you were you've more than doubled and um Right. So that just shows you the growth. But also keys in on what Commissioner

   1:52:34Weightman is saying. The cooperative the being in this model uh and trying to go from seventeen to forty by yourselves, I I think what a you know, what a great model and works for every every member and every member government to work together with this.

   Ron Oakley

   1:52:49But it's pretty good that the fact of it is we use like two hundred and two million. But the fact is we can put in that reservoir will take two hundred million plus a day we can refill it. So you you start doing that each and every day, you'd be shocked at how much how much water you put in and that's how we got from that two point five to twelve point five. So So it really is amazing. And there was talk yesterday and one of my ideas also is the fact

   1:53:19that one day we may need a second reservoir and put a reservoir in half the size of this one, like a eight billion gallon reservoir that will also collect water to help supply for the Tri-County area that we do supply. So it's great.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:53:37Well thank you very much, Mike Cabello.

   Ron OakleyDisputed

   1:53:40Yeah, I just want to add to that. Um the the board's vision and over the years, the aggressive use of reclaim water in this county has really offset a significant amount of potable water demand, seventeen to forty doubling. But imagine if we didn't do reclaim water. You know, that number would probably be twice that number. So this county has really done a fantastic job of reusing the resource uh and and keeping it where. you know the right quality of water in people's homes versus on lawns or in other types of uses.