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Recycling At Lumsden Trace

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By TOM BRENNAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 6, 2008

VALRICO - Jim Weatherford believes in recycling, especially water.

That is why he has worked for two years to bring reclaimed water to the Lumsden Trace subdivision, where he lives.

"In Florida, water is a precious resource. We can't keep sucking it up," he said. "We have to use the good water for drinking, not on lawns."

Weatherford helped organize a petition drive at his 62-home subdivision to persuade Hillsborough County to connect Lumsden Trace to the county's reclaimed water system.
County engineers unveiled their plans July 21 at a public meeting in the SonLife Baptist Church annex.

"Everyone seemed pretty amenable to it," said Lisa Murrin, the county's project manager.

Work is scheduled to begin by October and take six months.
County crews will run an 8-inch main line on the south side of Lumsden Road from the reclaimed water trunk line at Lumsden and St. Cloud Avenue into the subdivision. The county will pick up the $127,000 construction tab.

Crews also will bury 2,600 feet of 4-inch PVC pipe on the east side of Lumsden Trace Circle, where it intersects with Lumsden Road, and connect it to the sprinkler systems on both sides Lumsden Trace Circle. The $311,000 cost of that leg of the project will be divided among homeowners.

Shelly Spehr, a senior customer service representative with the county's Water Resource Services department, said homeowners can pay for connection to the reclaimed water line in one lump sum or have the cost spread out on their property tax bills for the next 20 years.

Many residents figure they will save money, shaving anywhere from $50 to $100 off monthly water bills, during months they have to irrigate their landscapes. Reclaimed water is cheaper because it is partially treated sewage fit for use in landscapes but not household use.

"It is better for the environment and provides us personal cost relief," said resident Doug Woodring. "My yard is going to get the water it needs without the big angst every month."

Debby Thomas figures the cost of connecting to the reclaimed water system is a worthwhile investment.

"It is going to increase the value of our homes. Nowadays, reclaimed water is a real plus," she said.

Thomas also said reclaimed water should have aesthetic benefits.

"A lot of people can't afford higher water bills, so they let their lawns go," she said.

Spehr said seven subdivisions are on the county's waiting list to get reclaimed water, with 21 to 1,553 homes in each.

She said to be eligible, subdivisions must be within a quarter-mile of an existing reclaimed water line and show a majority of residents support connecting to it.

"There is just not enough reclaimed water for everyone," she said.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 657-4528 or tbrennan@tampatrib.com.

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