C. W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir

The C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is a 15.5e9USgal reservoir which collects water from the Alafia and Hillsborough Rivers in central Florida. It is named for C.W. Bill Young, the U.S. Congressman from Florida's 10th congressional district. Tampa Bay Water, the regional water authority for Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, worked for nearly a decade in constructing the reservoir, which was completed in June 2005, and officially opened on 15 October 2005.BackgroundThe 1100acre reservoir is impounded by an earthen embankment that cost $146 million to build, of which $57 million came from Federal funds. It can store 15.5e9USgal of water, enough to provide about one quarter of its service area's drinking water for six months. This eases demand on well water from the Floridan Aquifer. The surrounding 5200acre tract of land in Hillsborough County is designated as a wildlife preserve to maintain habitat. In 2007, drought had reduced the amount of water stored in the reservoir to less than half its capacity. This necessitated considering pumping water from the Alafia into the reservoir during the rainy season for use during the dry season.