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Fix for desal plant means higher water rates (September 21, 2004)
Transcript from Tampa Bay News at 10
Video Story Audio only
By:Mike Deeson
It is a complex story about Tampa bays effort to find another water source besides the diminishing underground water supply. The problem is what price water users will have to pay for that alternate source. Over the life of the work on the desal plant the cost estimates have run from under a $1.50 per thousand gallons to as much as 4 dollars per thousand gallons. Experts say that is not acceptable. However the head of Tampa Bay Water, Jerry Maxwell says the plant is not a complete failure.
Jerry Maxwell
“The critical thing in my view is the desal plant works.”
Maxwell is right, the desal plant can turn salt water into clean drinking water but it has a major flaw.
Jerry Maxwell
“It can't meet its performance guarantees on cost.”
In fact the cost of water from the desal plant is almost 3 times more than it is supposed to be.
And while the water authority is now negotiating with a firm that says it can fix the plant it will cost millions.
Jerry Maxwell
“It's going to go up 28 or 30 million dollars on the low proposal it could be more if we can't bring that one to completion.”
But Hillsborough Commissioner Kathy Castor says there are even more hidden costs in the fix.
Kathy Castor
“I disagree with the decision to move forward at this time because there are too many unanswered questions. And the cost could go up? I anticipate the cost will go up substantially.”
Even those in favor of the proposed fix for the desal plant, like St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, admit customers' water bills will be affected.
Rick Baker
“What do we need to do to make sure we have the water we need for the region it's going to be more expensive than people initially thought . Absolutely, no doubt about it.”
One estimate is that the increased water cost will be 170 million dollars over 30 years. Tampa bay water says it will only cost an extra 91 million over 30 years. Leading some to say the desal plant is the cross-town expressway of water.
Jerry Maxwell
“No one is driving on the cross town, we're drinking the sea water just at a higher rate and we don't want that.”
Regardless of which figure you use, it is clear desalinated water is going to cost more than originally promised.
Meantime the board also gave an open ended 100 thousand dollar a month contract to a consulting engineering firm to negotiate with the company that says it can fix the plant.
This is the same engineering firm that said the desal plant should work without any problems or added costs.
Mike Deeson,Tampa Bays 10 News.
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