EMERGING TRENDS AND ISSUES

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EMERGING TRENDS AND ISSUES

• by Jack Pepper
• Deputy General Counsel

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REGIONALISM

• Section 373.1962, Florida Statutes, provides for
  the creation of regional water supply authorities
  for developing and supplying water in "a manner
  as will give priority to reducing adverse
  environ-mental effects of excessive or improper
  withdrawals of water from concentrated areas."
• 3 Regional Water Supply Authorities in SWFWMD

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REGIONALISM contd

• Tampa Bay Water
• Formally West Coast Regional Water Supply
  Authority reorganized as Tampa Bay Water in
  October 1998
• End of the "water wars" in the 90's
• Six member governments in west-central Florida
• Hillsborough County
• Pasco County
• Pinellas County
• St. Petersburg
• New Port Richey
• Tampa
• Provide wholesale water to members who supply
  more than 2.5 million people

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REGIONALISM contd

• Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply
  Authority
• Created in 1982, acquired the withdrawal
  facilities and treatment plant previously owned
  by GDU in 1991
• 4 member governments in southern SWFWMD
• Charlotte County
• Desoto County
• Manatee County
• Sarasota County
• Supply more 750,000 people

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REGIONALISM contd

• Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority
• Formed in 1977
• Current member government
• Citrus County
• Hernando County
• Sumter County
• Ocala
• Currently provides between 5 and 6 million
  gallons per day (gpd) from a single wellfield in
  Citrus County.

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REGIONALISM contd

• Other Regional Initiatives in SWFWMD
• Polk County Comprehensive Water Supply Plan
• Plan will identify viable supply and conservation
  alternatives to meet future demands of various
  public utility systems in Polk County
• Planning effort
• Identification
• Quantification
• Confirmation
• Alignment of sources with prospective water
  supply partners
• Funding
• Polk County 50
• SWFWMD 40
• SFWMD 10

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REGIONALISM contd

• Central Florida Coordination Area (CFCA)
• SJRWMD, SFWMD SWFWMD
• December 2007 all three WMDs approved Phase I
  rules establishing 2013 demands as limits on new
  groundwater withdrawals in the CFCA
• Permittees who agree to meet demands beyond 2013
  with alternative supplies can obtain 20 year
  permit for groundwater
• Must reevaluate determination of groundwater
  availability by 2012
• Within SWFWMD, rules only apply to portion of
  Polk County outside the SWUCA and in Lake County

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MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS

• Upper Peace River Recovery Strategy
• Upper Peace has not met established minimum flow
  as measured at Fort Meade (27 cfs) approx. 28 of
  the time for the last 30 years
• Section 373.0421, Florida Statutes, requires a
  Recovery Strategy
• Groundwater withdrawals in SWUCA have caused
  declines in aquifer levels and contributed to
  reduced flows in upper Peace River
• 7080 reduction in groundwater withdrawals
  required to restore minimum flow

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MFLs contdUpper Peace

• Strategy is to develop storage and release water
  in dry times to meet minimum flow
• Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project will
  meet about 50 of days when minimum flow not
  otherwise met
• Project will raise outfall structure elevation to
  100 from 98.7
• Consistent with historical elevation and will
  result in restoration of approximately 1,000
  acres of wetlands around Lake Hancock
• Evaluation of Project for several years
• September 2007-Governing Board authorized Project
  including final design, permitting and
  construction of necessary improvements and
  resolved to use eminent domain to acquire
  affected property, if necessary
• Approx. 6,607 acres of 7,235 acres have been
  acquired voluntarily

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MFLs contd

• Lower Hillsborough River Recovery Strategy
• August 2007minimum flow for the Lower
  Hillsborough River is adopted and recovery
  strategy approved
• Strategy involves diversion from Sulphur Springs,
  Blue Sink, Tampa Bypass Canal (TBC) and Morris
  Bridge Sink
• Systems are in place to divert water from TBC and
  Sulphur Springs to base of City of Tampa's dam
• 8.2 cfs from TBC and 10 cfs from Sulphur Springs
  provides 70-80 of minimum flow for Lower
  Hillsborough River
• June 2008-pump test of Blue Sink was performed
  and is being evaluated to determine potential
  yield

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CONSERVATION

• Conserve Florida Statewide Public Supply Water
  Conservation Initiative
• Statewide workgroup
• The Guide a web-based computer application that
  can be used by a utility to develop or update a
  water conservation plan
• The Guide identifies recommended and optional
  elements to include in a water conservation plan
  based on a utility's profile (size, mix of
  customers, existing efforts, etc.)
• Conserve Florida Clearinghouse provides technical
  support for the guide and an on-line water
  conservation library that is being developed
  financial support from SWFWMD

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CONSERVATION contd

• Year-Round Water Conservation Measures-Statewide
  Consistency Initiative
• Discussions began in November 2007 but have not
  yet agreed on consistent statewide measures
• SWFWMD has the most stringent year-round water
  conservation measures (maximum twice-per-week
  lawn watering)
• Governing Board will consider keeping
  once-per-week in effect until February

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CONSERVATION contd

• District Wide Per-Capita of 150 Gallons Per Day
• Governing Board approved amendments to 40D-2 to
  expand SWUCA per-capita requirements District
  wide
• 150 gpd per-capita standard to be achieved over a
  10-year period

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SWFWMD ROLE IN WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
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Tampa Bay WaterChange in Wholesale Water Supply
Surface Water
Surface Water
Desalination
1
11
27
62
99
Groundwater
Groundwater
Prior to Sept 2002
2007
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RESOURCE DEVELOP cont.

• Tampa Bay Water
• System Configuration II Project
• Approved February 2007
• 25 mgd alternative water to the regional system
  in 2011
• SWFWMD ½ of cost - 116,000,000
• More surface water during high flows from
  Hillsborough River and Tampa Bypass Canal
• Construction of improvements to the regional
  systems treatment, transmission and storage
  infrastructure
• Surface water treatment plant expansion from 66
  mgd to 99 mgd

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RESOURCE DEVELOP cont.TBW

• Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant
• 85,000,000 from SWFWMD
• 25 (21.25 million) when TBW accepts plant
  December 2007/January 2008
• 50 (42.5 million) when operates at 12.5 mgd for
  12 consecutive months anticipated December 2008
  (average of 19.8 mgd since acceptance)
• 25 (21.25 million) when operates at 25 mgd for 4
  consecutive months
• Produced an average of 24.7 mgd in August 2008

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RESOURCE DEVELOP contd.

• Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply
  Authority
• Reservoir Expansion
• Capacity increased from 625 million to 6 billion
  gallons
• Total cost 77 million - 30 million from SWFWMD
• Constructed on SWFWMD land (RV Griffin Reserve)
• Completion expected October 2009

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Six Billion Gallon Reservoir
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RESOURCE DEVELOP cont.PRMRWSA

• Regional Integrated Loop System Project
• Expand interconnection of regional system
• Phase 1A-pipeline between PRMRWSA and Punta Gorda
  Water Treatment Plant-19 million with 12
  million from SWFWMD
• Phase 3Aadditional delivery point in Sarasota
  County and potential for inter-tie with Venice-
  42.5 million with 50 from SWFWMD

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RESOURCE DEVELOP contd

• Public/ Private Partnerships
• Regional Reclaimed Water Partnership Initiative
• Two elements
• Traditional supply of reclaimed water to
  industrial users and
• Aquifer recharge to allow additional ground-water
  withdrawals in south Hillsborough/ western Polk
  County

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RESOURCE DEVELOP contd

• Potential Sources
• Howard F. Curren plant, Tampa
• Lakeland and possibly Plant City
• Hillsborough County's Valrico plant

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RESOURCE DEVELOP contd

• SWFWMD - 550,000
• 50,000 to analyze potential supply routes to
  TECO
• 500,000 for aquifer recharge feasibility study
• Numerous parties-including Hillsborough
• County, Tampa, SWFWMD, Mosaic, TECO
• and Lakeland

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RESOURCE DEVELOP contdPartners

• Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management
  Systems (FARMS)
• Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management
  Systems (FARMS)
• Provide funding for projects resulting in
  reductions in use and improvements in water
  quality and to natural systems
• A FARMS goal-reduce groundwater use in the SWUCA
  by 40 mgd by 2025
• SWFWMD partially funded such projects since 2001
• Rule language was coordinated with FDACS and
  approved by Governing Board in August 2008
• SWFWMD reimbursement is up to a maximum of either
  50 or 75 based on rule criteria