2010-252A (19) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element Community Development Department Indian River County 20 requested wells, and that dispersing the wells with a low withdrawal rate per well over a large area around the north county treatment plant will reduce the impact of water withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer in the immediate area of the treatment plant. As indicated, recent plant expansion and the pending consumptive use permit application provide enough capacity to accommodate projected 2025 demand. To address unanticipated deficiencies and thus ensure sufficient capacity through 2030, however, the county must begin planning for capacity expansion in a timely manner. Accordingly, the county must consider not only when demand will occur, but also the amount of time needed to design, permit, and construct a potable water treatment plant or plant expansion. Because those factors directly relate to the size of the expansion and other variables, predicting such timeframes with a high degree of accuracy is difficult. Nevertheless, a typical 1.0 MGD expansion generally requires 1.5 to 2 years for design and permitting, and 1.5 to 2 years for construction. To ensure sufficient capacity through the planning time horizon, the county should take the following steps: • begin planning and preliminary design for expansion when a plant’s Average Daily Demand is projected to equal or exceed its capacity within 5 years; • prepare plans and specifications for expansion when a plant’s Average Daily Demand is projected to equal or exceed its capacity within 4 years; • submit a complete construction permit application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for expansion when a plant’s Average Daily Demand is projected to equal or exceed its capacity within 3 years; and • submit an application for an operation permit for the expanded facility to DEP when a plant’s Average Daily Demand is projected to equal or exceed its capacity within 6 months. Taking these steps within the referenced timeframes will ensure that the county has sufficient time to design, permit, and construct needed plant capacity. At the same time, these timeframes decrease the chances that plants will have many years of unused capacity. Finally, these procedures are consistent with provisions of the Florida Administrative Code. WATER SOURCES (SUPPLY) Indian River County has two principal potable water sources. Those are the Upper Floridan and the surficial aquifers. As indicated in the Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge Sub-Element, the need to conserve water from these aquifers will increase as the county grows. Other issues relating to these aquifers are discussed in detail in the Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge Sub-Element.