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Well Field Plans Concern Residents

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 8, 2007

CARROLLWOOD - Water-conscious residents living around Lake Carroll are weary about an upcoming project to renew pumping of three well fields in the Original Carrollwood area.

The three wells - two near McFarland Road and a third off Lantania Drive - will be linked to the regional water supply once Tampa Bay Water completes a 4-mile pipeline project.

Terry Thomas, a hydrogeologist with Tampa Bay Water, gave an overview of the plans to members of the Original Carrollwood Civic Association on Monday night.

Residents are worried the pumping would negatively impact water levels on Lake Carroll, where daily water levels have declined steadily from 36 feet in December 2006 to the lake's low level of 34.5 feet this month.

The wells went offline in August 2005, when the neighborhood was disconnected from its private water supplier and started receiving Hillsborough County water.

The pipeline should be ready to go online at the end of the month, Thomas said.

The project will take water from the well fields to a well near Nixon Road and Gunn Highway to connect to the regional water supply system.

The 10- and 12-inch pipe crosses Dale Mabry Highway at Floyd Road, following Floyd Road to Hudson Lane to Gunn Highway and following Gunn Highway west to the well field just west of Nixon Road.

In 2004, the county purchased Florida Governmental Utility Authority for $2 million after years of complaints by residents about high water rates and poor quality. Tampa Bay Water bought the three well fields for $1.6 million.

Thomas, the project manager for construction of the pipeline, said the utility renewed the permit with the Southwest Florida Management District to pump 820,000 gallons of water per day.

The previous permit allowed a peak of 1.2 million gallons per day, but that additional cushion won't be necessary once the pipeline is on the county system, he said.

Historically, peak pumping in the Original Carrollwood community has averaged 707,000 gallons per day over the past 10 years, Thomas said.

"If you go from zero to 820,000 gallons per day, is it going to have any impact on lake levels?" asked Mike Hancock, a member of the civic association board who lives on Lake Carroll.

Residents should see "no discernible impact" on water levels at Lake Carroll, Thomas said.

Reporter Elizabeth Lee Brown can be reached at (813) 865-1502 or ebrown@tampatrib.com.

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