Reclaimed Water Supply Agreements Provide a Win/Win Opportunity for Tampa Electric Company’s Polk Power Station and Local Municipalities

Tampa Electric Company’s (TEC) Polk Power Station was in need of additional water supplies to use as cooling water. Regional water supplies in the area are regulated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). In 1992, the water management district designated areas at risk for declines in aquifer levels due primarily to ground water withdrawals as Southern Water Use Caution Areas (SWUCA). The Polk Power Station lies within a designated SWUCA and, therefore, an increase in the permitted water withdrawals under the existing consumptive use permits (CUPs) would not be permitted until TEC evaluated other viable sources of water.The Polk Power Station Regional Reclaimed Water Partnership Initiative (Partnership) was formed to assist in this effort. It is a multi-phase, public‐ private partnership comprised of several principal project participants. The project participants included the SWFWMD, TEC, Polk County, and the cities of Lakeland and Mulberry. The Partnership will beneficially reuse effluent as a source of make‐up water for TEC’s Polk Power Station cooling reservoir.This paper will provide an overview that focuses on the challenges of negotiating with multiple municipalities when implementing alternate water options, considerations that should be included during planning and construction phases, benefits realized by both TEC and the local municipalities which make this a win/win solution for all, and lessons learned to date.