C. W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir |
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 C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir
Location in Florida
C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Hillsborough County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°48′10″N 82°10′40″W / 27.80278°N 82.17778°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) |
| Water volume | 15.5 billion US gallons (59,000,000 m3) |
The C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is a huge reservoir in central Florida. It holds about 15.5 billion gallons of water! This important reservoir collects water from the Alafia River and Hillsborough River. It is named after Bill Young, who was a U.S. Congressman from Florida. The local water company, Tampa Bay Water, spent almost ten years building it. The reservoir was finished in June 2005 and officially opened in October 2005.
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What is the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir?
This large reservoir covers about 1,100 acres (4.5 square kilometers). It was built using a special type of wall called an earthen embankment. Building this dam cost about $146 million. A big part of that money, $57 million, came from the United States government.
Why is the Reservoir Important?
The reservoir can store a lot of water. It holds enough water to provide about a quarter of the drinking water for its service area for six months. This helps reduce the need to pump too much water from underground sources. One of these sources is the Floridan aquifer, which is a huge natural underground water supply.
Wildlife Around the Reservoir
The land around the reservoir is also very important. About 5,200 acres (21 square kilometers) of land in Hillsborough County is set aside as a wildlife preserve. This area helps protect the homes of many different animals and plants. It keeps their natural living spaces safe.
Dealing with Dry Weather
Sometimes, Florida can experience dry weather, also known as a drought. In 2007, a drought caused the water level in the reservoir to drop. It held less than half of its full amount. Because of this, people started thinking about new ways to keep the reservoir full. One idea was to pump more water from the Alafia River into the reservoir during the rainy season. This extra water could then be saved and used during the drier parts of the year.
Challenges with the Reservoir's Lining
In 2006, a problem was found with the reservoir's inner lining. Cracks appeared along almost 40% of the inside surface. This was a big concern because the lining helps keep the water safely inside.
Finding the Cause and Making Repairs
A special engineering company was hired to figure out why the cracks happened. They found that water was getting trapped inside the earthen embankment, which caused the cracking. Fixing these cracks was a very big job. The repairs were estimated to cost around $121 million. This was a lot of money needed to make sure the reservoir could work properly and safely.
The cost of these repairs eventually fell to the people who use the water. This included about 2 million water users in Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough counties. It shows how important it is to build and maintain large water projects carefully.
