When available, water is skimmed from the Alafia River, Hillsborough River and the Tampa Bypass Canal. Some is treated for immediate use at the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant and surplus water is stored in the 15.5-billion gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir to supply the water treatment plant during dry times.
Care is taken to ensure that Tampa Bay Water’s permitted surface water withdrawals are conservative and based on available river flows to protect both low and high flows. When river flows are lower, less water is withdrawn. When river flows are higher, more water is withdrawn. And no water is withdrawn below a designated low-flow amount.