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Suncoast Pasco News

Reservoir Fish

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THE SUNCOAST NEWS

Published: March 7, 2009

Let's call it fishing in a huge, expensive and slightly flawed barrel.

Wholesale utility Tampa Bay Water has paid a contractor $88,000 to relocate fish from its C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir to ponds in the area.

The water level in the drinking water storage area in southern Hillsborough County has gotten so low it couldn't support the number of fish swimming around in it. Too many fish means too little oxygen in the water and eventually a lot of dead and decomposing fish.

With the fish population now at a manageable state, Tampa Bay Water can drop the reservoir's level from 10 feet to 5.

This will yield about 450 million gallons of drinking water for its member-customers, Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

The 16-billion-gallon reservoir only had 10 feet of water in it in part because of the drought gripping the area.

Tampa Bay Water was already keeping the reservoir's water level low while it dealt with cracks that have developed in its walls.

It would be easier to find humor in this fishy situation if the Suncoast weren't entering its traditional spring-early summer dry period.

We hope the rain arrives before Tampa Bay Water has to go reservoir fishing again.

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