Tampa Bay Water, the regional supplier that serves Pinellas County, will receive a $10 million state grant for its surface water treatment plant expansion. The award is part of a $100 million statewide water investment Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in Crystal River on Oct. 28.

What the grant will support

The grant will help expand the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant in Clearwater, adding up to 12.5 million gallons per day of treatment capacity, according to the governor's office. Tampa Bay Water broke ground on the expansion March 2. The utility's Oct. 22 project update put the budget at $167 million; its March groundbreaking announcement had estimated the cost at $181 million. Construction is expected to continue through 2028, and the expansion is intended to meet regional drinking water demand through 2033, Tampa Bay Water said.

The project is being delivered through a public-private partnership with Veolia Water North America and CDM Smith. Tampa Bay Water says it is funded through revenue bonds and federal and state grants. The state grant is for fiscal year 2026-27.

Who the utility serves

Tampa Bay Water supplies wholesale drinking water to more than 2.6 million people through member governments in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Regional supply conditions

The grant comes amid ongoing regional drought restrictions. At an Oct. 8 Pinellas County Commission meeting, General Manager Chuck Carden said the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir held 10.4 billion gallons, up from 5.5 billion gallons a month earlier, St. Pete Catalyst reported. The reservoir's full capacity is 15.5 billion gallons. Those figures describe conditions at the time of the meeting.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has extended its Modified Phase III 'Extreme' Water Shortage order through March 31, 2027. The order requires one-day-per-week watering restrictions, with local schedules and hours varying by jurisdiction.

How the statewide package is divided

The state said $50 million of the $100 million package is for springs restoration and $50 million is for alternative water supply projects. The alternative-supply awards include $12.6 million for seven Polk County communities working through the Polk Regional Water Cooperative to develop brackish water supplies. Other grants support reclaimed-water projects, aquifer recharge and water conservation.