Tampa Bay Water presents expansion plans, flags PFAS in Brandon-area sources
January 21, 2026 | Pasco County, Florida
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Chuck Carden, general manager of Tampa Bay Water, briefed the Pasco County Board on Jan. 20 about the regional water system and planned capital projects to meet growing demand.
Carden said Tampa Bay Water supplies member governments by blending groundwater, river-sourced water and desalinated water and is already supplying an average of roughly 209,000,000 gallons per day to its members; Pasco purchases about 39,000,000 gallons per day. The system includes 13 well fields, a surface water treatment plant, a desalination facility and a 15.5-billion-gallon reservoir.
"Our surface water treatment plant's design capacity will be expanded to 145,000,000 gallons a day," Carden said, describing ongoing design, permitting and imminent construction. He said a South Hillsborough well field and a roughly 26-mile pipeline project are also planned to improve regional connectivity and supply by 2028.
On water quality, Carden discussed PFAS sampling and upcoming recommendations. "There are areas that we have consistently found just above that 4 parts per trillion, in the Brandon area," he said, and the authority is evaluating treatment and operational alternatives such as blending or locating different wells to manage levels and costs.
Commissioners asked about closing problematic wells versus additional treatment; Carden said the authority is evaluating cost-effectiveness and pumping/blending strategies and will report recommendations to its board.
The presentation underscored both near-term operational measures and multiyear capital projects intended to meet projected demand through 2033 and beyond.
Carden said Tampa Bay Water supplies member governments by blending groundwater, river-sourced water and desalinated water and is already supplying an average of roughly 209,000,000 gallons per day to its members; Pasco purchases about 39,000,000 gallons per day. The system includes 13 well fields, a surface water treatment plant, a desalination facility and a 15.5-billion-gallon reservoir.
"Our surface water treatment plant's design capacity will be expanded to 145,000,000 gallons a day," Carden said, describing ongoing design, permitting and imminent construction. He said a South Hillsborough well field and a roughly 26-mile pipeline project are also planned to improve regional connectivity and supply by 2028.
On water quality, Carden discussed PFAS sampling and upcoming recommendations. "There are areas that we have consistently found just above that 4 parts per trillion, in the Brandon area," he said, and the authority is evaluating treatment and operational alternatives such as blending or locating different wells to manage levels and costs.
Commissioners asked about closing problematic wells versus additional treatment; Carden said the authority is evaluating cost-effectiveness and pumping/blending strategies and will report recommendations to its board.
The presentation underscored both near-term operational measures and multiyear capital projects intended to meet projected demand through 2033 and beyond.
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