{"id":10,"date":"2021-08-16T17:21:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T17:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-tampa-bay-water.pantheonsite.io\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2025-08-11T08:24:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:24:16","slug":"environmental-recovery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group mb-30 has-dark-blue-color has-gray-background-color has-text-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group container\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><h1 class=\"wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-dark-blue-color\">Environmental Recovery<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"jumbotron custom-video\">\n   \n    <video autoplay=\"\" muted=\"\" loop=\"\" title=\"Environmental Recovery Before and After Wetlands\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Recovery-Hero-Video-Before-After-Photos.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\">\n<\/video>\n<div class=\"SkinWidth\">\n  <div class=\"container text-white\">\n<div class=\"headerbox\" style=\"padding-left: 10px\">\n   <h2>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"envVideoHead\">Tampa Bay Water<br>An Environmental Success Story<\/span><\/h2>\n\n   <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  <!-- \/.container -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/.jumbotron -->\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group container mt-30\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons mb-30 is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-7d812b4c wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-underline\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color wp-element-button\" href=\"\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/history-of-water\/\" style=\"color:#015ea0\">History of Water<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-underline\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color wp-element-button\" href=\"\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/alternative-supplies\/\" style=\"color:#015ea0\">Alternative Supplies<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-underline\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color wp-element-button\" href=\"\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/recovery\/\" style=\"color:#015ea0\">Recovery<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-underline\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color wp-element-button\" href=\"\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/a-model-utility\/\" style=\"color:#015ea0\">A Model Utility<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-medium-font-size has-custom-lineheight wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#015ea0;line-height:1.5;font-size:20px\">Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) are excited to announce the successful environmental recovery efforts in northern Tampa Bay. Learn how our utility, the district and our member governments have worked together to make this happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tampa Bay Water - An Environmental Success Story\" class=\"embed-responsive-item\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/554446231\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><span id=\"selection-marker-1\" class=\"redactor-selection-marker\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center pt-15 wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"\/newsroom\/videos\/tampa-bay-water-an-environmental-success-story-audio-descriptions\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">View Video with Audio Descriptions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group mb-30 mt-30 flex__justify--center\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-style-default mt-30 is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tampa Bay is a great place to live, work and play. It\u2019s a prime destination for people moving into the state of Florida, and growth in the area is booming. From 1980 to 1990, population in the Hillsborough-Pasco-Pinellas tri-county region more than doubled to 1.9 million. By 1998, the area\u2019s population exceeded 2 million. And today, more than 3 million people live in the tri-county area with more growth expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with a temperate climate and a lower cost of living, the area is home to an abundance of parks, beaches and wetlands. People live and move here for a variety of reasons, but one thing is certain: they all need water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tampa Bay Water, the region\u2019s wholesale drinking water supplier, provides clean, high-quality drinking water to more than 2.6 million people in the Tampa Bay region. And we do so in a way that carefully balances our communities\u2019 needs for water with the need to protect and preserve our environment. We depend on the same water for drinking as we do for recreation, and wildlife couldn\u2019t live without it. We have thriving lakes and wetlands today, but that wasn\u2019t always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#17345e\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Tampa Bay Water built a diverse, interconnected system to meet the region\u2019s drinking water needs, reduce reliance on groundwater while supplying water in an environmentally sound manner.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prior to Tampa Bay Water\u2019s creation, groundwater was the only regional drinking water source, and the local governments that make up our utility were all separately permitted to pump water. Rapid population growth created the need for more water. Concentrated groundwater withdrawals combined with a multi-year drought, increased urbanization and changes in surface water flow patterns, caused damage to the surrounding environment. Some lakes and wetlands in the area completely dried up, significantly harming the natural ecosystem and causing much public concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"mb-0 pb-0 wp-block-paragraph\">In the more than 20 years since our creation, Tampa Bay Water has reduced groundwater withdrawals by nearly 50 percent by building alternative water supplies such as river water and desalinated seawater. This has allowed the environment to recover.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"879\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png\" alt=\"Map of Tampa Bay Water infrastructure\" class=\"wp-image-7082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png 879w, https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328-258x300.png 258w, https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328-768x895.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 879px) 100vw, 879px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">Click to enlarge map.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons mb-30 is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-7d812b4c wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-default\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-blue-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/history-of-water\/\"><strong>NEXT UP: HISTORY OF WATER<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-no-padding has-dark-blue-background-color has-background mb-0 mt-0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"height:35px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay WaterAn Environmental Success Story Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) are excited to announce the successful environmental recovery efforts in northern Tampa Bay....","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":2,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Environmental Recovery - Tampa Bay Water<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Environmental Recovery - Tampa Bay Water\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tampa Bay WaterAn Environmental Success Story Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) are excited to announce the successful environmental recovery efforts in northern Tampa Bay....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tampa Bay Water\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T12:24:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/\",\"name\":\"Environmental Recovery - Tampa Bay Water\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-16T17:21:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T12:24:16+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png\",\"width\":879,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"Map of Tampa Bay Water infrastructure\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Agency\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Environmental Recovery\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/\",\"name\":\"Tampa Bay Water\",\"description\":\"Supplying Water to the Region\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Environmental Recovery - Tampa Bay Water","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Environmental Recovery - Tampa Bay Water","og_description":"Tampa Bay WaterAn Environmental Success Story Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) are excited to announce the successful environmental recovery efforts in northern Tampa Bay....","og_url":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/","og_site_name":"Tampa Bay Water","article_modified_time":"2025-08-11T12:24:16+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/","url":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/","name":"Environmental Recovery - Tampa Bay Water","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png","datePublished":"2021-08-16T17:21:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T12:24:16+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/System-Map-Full-20220328.png","width":879,"height":1024,"caption":"Map of Tampa Bay Water infrastructure"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/environmental-recovery\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Agency","item":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/agency\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Environmental Recovery"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/","name":"Tampa Bay Water","description":"Supplying Water to the Region","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tampabaywater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}