HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-252A (19)
Indian River County
2030 Comprehensive Plan
Chapter 3B
Potable Water Sub-Element
Indian River County Community Development Department
Adopted: October 12, 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1
PURPOSE............................................................................................................................1
BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................2
POTABLE WATER FACILITIES......................................................................................3
EXISTING CONDITIONS..............................................................................................................4
PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS.............................................................................................6
Indian River County Water System.........................................................................8
North County Service Area......................................................................................9
South County Service Area....................................................................................10
City of Vero Beach Water System.........................................................................10
City of Fellsmere Water System............................................................................11
FRANCHISED WATER SYSTEMS................................................................................12
PRIVATE WELLS ............................................................................................................12
BRINE DISPOSAL ...........................................................................................................13
STANDARDS....................................................................................................................13
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK..................................................................................................16
FEDERAL..........................................................................................................................16
STATE...............................................................................................................................16
LOCAL..............................................................................................................................17
ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................18
PROJECTION OF FUTURE DEMAND ..........................................................................18
WATER SOURCES (supply)............................................................................................20
Upper Floridan aquifer...........................................................................................21
Surficial aquifer .....................................................................................................21
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY..............................................................................................22
TREATMENT ...................................................................................................................29
Water Quality.........................................................................................................29
Brine Discharge ....................................................................................................30
WATER CONSERVATION.............................................................................................31
PRIVATE PLANTS...........................................................................................................31
DISTRIBUTION................................................................................................................32
Service Area...........................................................................................................33
Potable Water Need and Land Use........................................................................33
Funding Expansion/Capital Improvements ...........................................................39
Service to New Development................................................................................40
SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS............................................................................................40
GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.......................................................................................42
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................................52
EVALUATION AND MONITORING PROCEDURES..............................................................55
APPENDIX A - 5 Year Capital Improvements Plan 59
LIST OF TABLES
PAGE
Table 3.B.1 2006 Water Withdrawal Table IRC 8
Table 3.B.2. Indian River County Potable Water System, Publicly Owned Plants 11
Table 3.B.3. Water Franchise Facilities In Indian River County 12
Table 3.B.4 Indian River County Historical Average Water Demand Per Dwelling Unit 14
Table 3.B.5 Indian River County Future Potable Water Level Of Service Standard 15
Table 3.B.6 Regulation of Potable Water 17
Table 3.B.7 Pros and Cons Associated with Alternate Water Supplies 24
Table 3.B.8 Schedule for Implementation of Alternative Water Supplies 25
Table 3.B.9 Summary of Probable Cost for Treatment Technologies Using Various Raw Water 27
Sources
Table 3.B.10 Indian River County Subdivisions Having Undersized Lots & Using Private Wells 37
Table 3.B.11 Potable Water Sub-Element Implementation Matrix 52
Table 3.B.12 Potable Water Sub-Element Evaluation Matrix 56
Table 3.B.13 Water and Wastewater Connection Matrix for new Development 57
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
Figure 3.B.1 Indian River County 2008 Potable Water Service Area 5
Figure 3.B.2 Water Capacity VS. Demand 19
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 1
INTRODUCTION
Potable water is the term applied to water that is considered fit for human consumption. Each day,
the average county resident consumes approximately 104 gallons of potable water. In addition to
being used for drinking, potable water is used for cooking, washing clothes and dishes, bathing, and
for various commercial/industrial purposes.
Access to potable water and the type of potable water systems available have major implications
regarding the type and density of development which can be accommodated within an area. This
sub-element not only addresses the implications of potable water on development, but also addresses
the various components of potable water systems, the type of potable water systems, existing
regulations regarding potable water, and other factors.
A potable water system is comprised of three components: a raw water source (supply), treatment
plants, and a distribution and storage network.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Potable Water Sub-Element is to identify existing and projected demand for
potable water based on the county's population, historical water usage, and existing and future land
uses; to identify the capacity of existing facilities; to identify the operational responsibilities,
geographic service areas and the level of service provided by each facility; and to identify future
potable water needs, including those areas where public water will be provided and those areas where
it will not be provided.
The Potable Water Sub-Element is structured to address the potable water needs of the county
through the time horizon of the comprehensive plan. This sub-element will provide direction for the
county in determining sound management of its potable water system in a manner consistent with
federal, state and local law. Finally, potable water service, in conjunction with land use regulations
and other infrastructure elements, will be used as a means of managing future growth in the county
and directing growth within the Urban Service Area.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 2
BACKGROUND
According to the United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey publication entitled
"Water for Florida Cities", only a few large cities obtain all or part of their water supply from surface
water resources. The cities of Tampa, Melbourne, and West Palm Beach are the largest
municipalities within the state which use surface water as their potable water supply. The Indian
River County water system, like the majority of the water systems within the state, utilizes
groundwater as its source of potable water.
Within Indian River County, water supply systems fall into one of three categories. These categories
are as follows:
- public potable water systems
- private potable water systems
- private wells
Initially, all potable water in Indian River County was obtained from private wells. Even today,
many county residents get their water from individual, private wells. Over time, however, the need
to serve larger residential and non-residential projects resulted in the establishment of centralized
potable water systems. Initially, most of these centralized systems were privately owned and
operated.
In Indian River County, the City of Vero Beach was the first government to establish a public water
system. Within the unincorporated county, no publicly owned, centralized water system was
established until the late 1970’s.
Prior to 1978, Indian River County did not operate any potable water treatment facilities. In 1978,
however, the county acquired the Gifford Water Treatment Plant from the Farmer’s Home
Administration (FmHA). Prior to being taken over by the FmHA, the Gifford facility had been
owned and operated by a private company. When that private operator experienced financial
difficulties, the water treatment facility experienced major problems. Although the county was
reluctant to become a utilities provider, an agreement was reached between the county and the FmHA
by which the county agreed to take over and operate the Gifford Water Treatment Plant. In return,
the FmHA gave the County a $20,000,000.00 loan for the purpose of providing potable water to
County residents.
In 1987, the first Indian River County Public Water System Master Plan was developed. The
purpose of the Master Plan was to establish a program for the economical and orderly expansion of
the County's water system so that the system would be capable of supplying the potable water needs
of the eastern portion of the county. That document has been updated several times since 1987. As
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 3
indicated in the Master Plan, the County Utilities Department has the responsibility for operation of
the county's potable water system.
Since 1990, significant expansion of the County’s potable water system has occurred. From 1990 to
2008, the potable water system not only increased its geographic service area, it also significantly
increased its customer base. During that time, the number of water customers increased by 137%
(from 17,000 to 40,300 customers), while the number of private water treatment plants operating in
the county decreased from 29 to 4. Because most of the main water lines called for in the Master
Plan have been installed, centralized potable water service is now available to most of the urban
service area.
POTABLE WATER FACILITIES
Generally, potable water facilities consist of a water supply, treatment plants, storage facilities, and a
distribution system. While a potable water system’s water supply source can be surface water,
groundwater, or a combination of both, the water source is usually a reflection of the type of water
available and the cost of developing the source. Before being used for public consumption, most
water must undergo treatment. Treatment removes impurities from raw water in order to improve its
quality for either public health, aesthetic reasons, or both.
After treatment, potable water is supplied to individual users by way of a network of pipes and
storage reservoirs. Large transmission lines, called distribution mains, form the “spine” or frame of
the distribution network. Those main lines carry water to major demand areas and interconnect with
a network of smaller lines which serve individual projects such as subdivisions and shopping centers.
The smallest lines of the distribution network supply individual houses and establishments. In many
cases, the distribution network is inter-connected to form flow loops to allow water to circulate
within the system to areas of highest demand.
In order to provide adequate flow to meet demand, water is delivered under pressure. Throughout the
day, demand for water varies. Usually, morning and evening are the times of peak demand. These
peaks correspond to periods of highest residential usage. A second type of peak demand occurs when
water is utilized for fighting fires. In order to provide adequate quantities and pressure to meet peak
and fire flow demands, water storage tanks are used. During low demand periods, water is pumped
into these storage tanks. During peak demand periods, water is pumped from the tanks back into the
system to augment flows and maintain pressure. Ground level and elevated storage tanks are both
commonly used. Sometimes, the distribution system includes auxiliary pumps which operate only
during peak demand periods.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 4
EXISTING CONDITIONS
To adequately address existing conditions, this plan must identify all of the potable water systems in
the county. In so doing, it is helpful to consider the systems by category. Within Indian River
County, potable water is provided by the County Utilities Department, the City of Vero Beach, the
City of Fellsmere, franchised water treatment facilities, and private wells. Each of these systems
must be considered in terms of its geographic service area, water supply, water treatment, and water
distribution. Figure 3.B.1 shows the county potable water service areas and the City of Vero Beach
potable water service area.
Within Indian River County, public water supply systems, private water supply systems, and private
wells all depend upon groundwater as their water supply source. Even with groundwater used as a
supply source by all systems, there are still substantial supply differences among the various systems.
As with water supply sources, treatment methods vary among water systems within the county. In
fact, one reason that treatment methods vary is because the supply sources differ. In fact, treatment
methods sometimes differ even among systems using similar supply sources. Therefore, it is
important to identify and assess treatment methods and capacities for each water system in the
county.
The final component of the potable water system is distribution. This is the process by which potable
water is transmitted from the treatment plant to the user. Consisting of pipes, mains, pump stations,
elevated and ground storage tanks, as well as other facilities, the distribution system is an important
component of any potable water system.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 5
Figure 3.B.1
Indian River County 2008 Potable Water Service Area
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 6
PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS
Operated by the County Utilities Department, the county water system is the largest provider of
potable water in Indian River County. This system presently consists of two geographic service areas
(North County and South County). Although each service area has its own water plant, the system is
interconnected to allow either plant to serve the service area of the other plant.
In 2006, 30,402 (63.09%) of the unincorporated county’s 48,188 residential units were connected to
the regional potable water system. At that time, all customers of the county’s system, including those
living in municipalities, totaled 40,300. This reflects a significant expansion of the County’s potable
water system that occurred during the 1995 to 2006 period. During that time, expansion of the
county's water system was extensive in terms of increased geographic area served and in terms of
new customers.
Currently, every new subdivision within the Urban Service Area is required to connect to the regional
water system if the development meets either of the following criteria.
- It is within one-quarter of a mile of existing water lines; or
- It contains 25 or more lots/units.
At the present time, the existing regional potable water system serves commercial/industrial
development as well as residential development. Since plan adoption, the regional potable water
system has been expanded to serve most of the commercial/industrial areas in the county, including
the three I-95 commercial/industrial nodes. Because most of the main water lines referenced in the
2004 Master Plan have been installed, centralized potable water service is now available to most of
the county’s urban service area. As a result of that expansion, the development potential of land
within the Urban Service Area (USA) has greatly increased for both residential and commercial
projects.
Currently, there are four public regional water treatment plants operating in the county. Two of those
plants are operated by the Indian River County Utilities Department; a third plant is operated by the
City of Vero Beach, and a fourth plant is operated by the City of Fellsmere. At present, there are
three privately owned treatment plants within the county.
The City of Vero Beach provides potable water service to the Town of Indian River Shores as well as
to the unincorporated parts of the south barrier island and to other unincorporated areas around the
city limits. Besides providing water service to the unincorporated area, the county provides potable
water service to the City of Sebastian, the Town of Orchid, and the northern portion of the Town of
Indian River Shores. In addition, the county has an agreement with the City of Fellsmere to provide
emergency water if needed.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 7
Combined, the design capacity of the four public water treatment plants is 24,720,000 gallons/day, an
amount sufficient to accommodate the existing combined average daily demand of 15,990,000
gallons/day. In 2006, the design capacity of the county’s regional potable water system was
12,070,000 gallons/day, while demand was 9,700,000 gallons/day. At that time, per capita water use
was approximately 104 gallons a day.
Currently, the plants operated by the county Utilities Department use the Upper Floridan aquifer as
their primary water source, while the City of Vero Beach uses both the Surficial and Upper Floridan
aquifers. The City of Fellsmere uses the Surficial aquifer only.
Both the County and the City of Vero Beach use reverse osmosis to treat water drawn from the
Floridian Aquifer, while the City also uses a lime softening process to treat water from the Surficial
aquifer. The reverse osmosis process produces brine as a by-product. At the water treatment plants,
an aeration and chlorination process treats the brine by-product. Prior to the brine being discharged
into the Indian River Lagoon, aeration and/or marsh treatment removes hydrogen sulfide and other
volatile contaminants, such as gross alpha particles and ammonia.
Although the regional potable water system service area has been greatly expanded since 1995, there
are still several existing subdivisions with undersized lots (subdivisions with lots less than one half
acre that use individual wells and septic tanks) that are not yet served. While 94 of 183 residential
subdivisions with undersized lots are now served by the county potable water system, one area that is
not served is Vero Lake Estates, a large platted subdivision in the north part of the county.
In 2006, the County Public Works Department and the County Utilities Department proposed several
new infrastructure projects, including the construction of potable water and sanitary sewer lines in
Vero Lake Estates. Because of the anticipated assessment charges, however, residents declined to
enter into an agreement with the County. Since then, the county utilities department, under direction
of the Board of County Commissioners, has installed approximately 7 ¼ miles of master planned
water main lines with fire hydrants throughout Vero Lake Estates.
In 2006, the total countywide permitted water withdrawal was approximately 72,659,360,000 gallons
per year. Of the total permitted water withdrawals in 2006, potable water supply accounted for
approximately 8%. Agriculture, including livestock, nurseries, and aquaculture, accounted for 82.3%
of total permitted withdrawals, while golf course, landscape irrigation, recreation and other uses
utilized the remainder of the total withdrawals. The table below summarizes this information.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 8
Table 3.B.1
2006 Water Withdrawal Table
Indian River County
USE
Million
Gallons/Year Percentage of Total
Permitted Withdrawals
Potable Water 5,819.63 8.01%
Agricultural (includes nurseries, livestock,
aquaculture) 59,808.99 82.31%
Rec., Golf, Commercial/Industrial,
Other 7,030.74 9.68%
Total 72,659.36 100%
While 72.7 billion gallons of groundwater were permitted for withdrawal in 2006, that does not
account for private wells that exist, but are not subject to permitting by the SJRWMD. It is also
possible that there are a significant number of wells that were put in place prior to the county’s or the
SJRWMD’s permitting requirements. Those wells have never been regulated and may be in need of
substantial repairs to ensure that old well casings are not leaking untreated water from the Upper
Floridan aquifer into the Surficial aquifer.
According to the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), there are 1,657 permitted
wells that are 6 inches in diameter or greater in Indian River County. Currently, the Environmental
Health Department permits wells that are 2 inches or less in diameter. Between 1995 and 2006, the
Environmental Health Department issued 12,065 well permits, 4,272 of which were domestic water
supply wells; the remaining permits were for irrigation wells. Over the last 5 years, the number of
permits for domestic wells decreased by approximately 20%, to an annual average of 310 permits.
This is due largely to the expansion of the county’s regional potable water system.
At this time, potable water quality in all regional systems meets or exceeds safe drinking water
standards. Since 1998, there have been no reported instances of privately owned or public water
plant failures in the county.
Following is a brief description of the four regional potable water areas within the county.
Indian River County Water System
Indian River County operates the largest potable water system in the county. This system
consists of two service areas. Those service areas are discussed below.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 9
• North County Service Area
Located on the north side of 77th Street, west of 58th Avenue, the North County Reverse Osmosis
Water Treatment Plant began operating in 1997. That plant serves the north county area. In addition
to reducing chloride levels, the reverse osmosis treatment process removes color and turbidity. The
treated water then is disinfected before distribution.
The North County Service Area of the Indian River County Potable Water System includes the City
of Sebastian, the Town of Orchid, and the northern portion of the North Barrier Island, as well as the
unincorporated areas of Gifford, Winter Beach, Wabasso, Vero Lake Estates, and Roseland. In
addition, the North County Service Area includes the commercial/industrial node located on 37th
Street, east of US 1. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the source of water for both the South and the
North Water Treatment Plants.
Ranging from 1 to 20 inches in diameter, the county’s water mains, or pipes, vary in size based upon
the quantity of water to be transported. Within the North County Service Area, principal water lines
are installed along the following roads:
- the US 1 corridor from 37th Street to the St. Sebastian River;
- CR 510 from SR A1A to CR 512;
- CR 512 from I-95 to U.S. 1;
- 102nd Terrace, north of CR 512;
- 58th Avenue, south of CR 510;
- 49th Street from 58th Avenue to US 1;
- 41st Street from 66th Avenue to Indian River Boulevard;
- 37th Street from US 1 to Indian River Boulevard; and
- others
From these principal lines, smaller lines branch out into the following areas:
- most of the Gifford area between US 1 and 43rd Avenue;
- the Geoffrey Subdivision;
- the Medical Services Subdivision;
- the Grand Harbor residential development;
- the Bent Pine residential development;
- the King’s Music Land Subdivision;
- the High Pines Subdivision;
- the Pelican Point Subdivision;
- the Reflections on the River Residential Development;
- portions of the Sebastian Highlands;
- others
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 10
• South County Service Area
Located on Oslo Road, the South County Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant began operating in
1981. That plant serves the South County Area. In addition to reducing chloride levels, the reverse
osmosis treatment process removes color and turbidity. The treated water then is disinfected before
distribution.
The Upper Floridan aquifer is the source of water for the South County Reverse Osmosis Water
Treatment Plant. At the water treatment plant site, six wells provide raw water for the treatment
plant, while a raw water piping system transports the untreated water to the treatment facility. The
South County Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant has a total capacity of 7.50 MGD, although it
is currently operating at approximately 6 MGD.
Within the South County Service Area, principal water lines are installed along the following roads:
- the SR 60 corridor from 53 rd Avenue to 102nd Avenue;
- 58th Avenue from Oslo Road to S.R. 60;
- 90th Avenue from SR 60 to 8th Street;
- 43rd Avenue from SR 60 to 13th Street, Southwest;
- 27th Avenue from 12th Street to 12th Street, Southwest;
- 20th Avenue from 12th Street to the St. Lucie County Line;
- the US 1 corridor from the Vero Beach City Limits to the St. Lucie County Line;
- 16th Street from 43rd Avenue to 58th Avenue;
- 12th Street from Indian River Boulevard to 58th Avenue;
- 8th Street from Indian River Boulevard to 66th Avenue;
- 4th Street from Indian River Boulevard to 66th Avenue;
- 1st Street, Southwest from 58th Avenue to the South Relief Canal;
- 5th Street, Southwest from 58th Avenue to Lateral J canal;
- Oslo Road from 82nd Avenue to US 1;
- 13th Street, Southwest from 58th Avenue to 9th Avenue, Southwest; and
- others.
Those principal lines branch out into smaller lines that serve smaller geographic areas such as
subdivisions and development projects. Within the South County Potable Water Service Area, those
smaller lines extend to most subdivisions.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 11
City of Vero Beach Water System
The City of Vero Beach Water System serves an area larger than the city limits of Vero Beach.
Presently, the City of Vero Beach Water Treatment Plant serves the City of Vero Beach, the Town of
Indian River Shores, portions of the unincorporated mainland adjacent to the city limits, and the
unincorporated area of the barrier island south of the City of Vero Beach.
Located adjacent to the City of Vero Beach Municipal Airport, the City of Vero Beach Water
Treatment Plant draws raw water from both the surficial aquifer and the Upper Floridan aquifer.
Reverse Osmosis is used to treat water drawn from the Upper Floridan aquifer, while a lime softening
treatment process is used for water drawn from the surficial aquifer.
City of Fellsmere Water System
The City of Fellsmere operates a small water system that serves the city’s residents. The city draws
water from the surficial aquifer.
Summary of Public Potable Water Systems
The county’s public Potable Water Systems’ characteristics are identified in Table 3.B.2.
TABLE 3.B.2
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY POTABLE WATER SYSTEM, PUBLICLY OWNED PLANTS
WATER
PLANT
WATER
SOURCE
TREATMENT
METHOD
SERVICE AREA
2006 DEMAND
IN MGD
2006 DESIGN
CAPACITY IN
MGP
2030 DESIGN
CAPACITY IN
MGD
SOUTH
COUNTY
Upper Floridan
aquifer
Reverse Osmosis
SE Mainland, SR 60
Corridor
6.0
7.50
12.87
NORTH
COUNTY
Upper Floridan
aquifer
Reverse Osmosis
Central and North
Mainland, Sebastian,
Orchid, north
portion of IRS
3.5
3.5
7.50
VERO BEACH
Surficial &
Upper Floridan
aquifers
Reverse Osmosis
& Lime softening
Vero Beach, Indian
River Shores, South
Beach
6.2
12.0
12.0
CITY OF
FELLSMERE
Suficial
aquifers
Lime softening
City of Fellsmere
.29
.65
3.85
TOTAL
15.99
23.65
36.22
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 12
FRANCHISED WATER SYSTEMS
In addition to the county’s public potable water treatment facilities, there are three private franchised
systems which also provide potable water to portions of the unincorporated county. By agreement
with Indian River County, the franchised systems are permitted to serve a specified geographic area
of the county. The area that a franchised system serves may be larger than a single development
project.
With the exception of the Fellsmere Management Corporation operated plant at the Fellsmere Trailer
Park, each of the franchised water plants will eventually be decommissioned, and their customers
will be connected to the regional system. Because it serves an area outside of the county’s urban
service area, the plant at the Fellsmere Trailer Park will not be decommissioned.
Table 3.B.3 lists the existing franchised water systems and gives their treatment method, source of
water, and design capacity.
TABLE 3.B.3.
WATER FRANCHISE FACILITIES IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
FRANCHISE
TREATMENT
METHOD
SOURCE OF
WATER
DESIGN CAPACITY
Sun Agriculture
Facility
Chlorination
Surficial aquifer
575,000 GPD
Countryside
Reverse Osmosis
Upper Floridan
aquifer
85,000 GPD
Fellsmere
Management Corp.
Aeration and
Chlorination
Surficial aquifer
115,000 GPD
Source: Indian River County Utilities Department
PRIVATE WELLS
Currently, there are approximately 17,000 private potable water wells within the unincorporated
portion of Indian River County. These wells serve residential and non-residential land uses.
Generally, private wells are designed to serve single land uses; therefore, distribution is limited to the
site of a residence or other land use. Approximately 310 new private potable water wells are
established annually within the unincorporated county.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 13
Presently, the Indian River County Environmental Health Department (IRCHD) requires a minimum
separation of 75 feet between wells and septic tanks. For new lots utilizing well and septic tank
systems, the IRCHD requires that the lots be a minimum of ½ acre in size (approximately 20,000
square feet). If a lot is served by a public water system and a septic tank, the size of the lot may be
reduced to ¼ acre in size (approximately 10,000 square feet).
Private wells within the county use both the surficial aquifer and the Upper Floridan aquifer as
sources of water. Approximately 95% of all wells within the unincorporated county, however, use
the surficial aquifer as their source of water. On the mainland, private residential and
commercial/industrial wells primarily use the surficial aquifer as their source of water. On the barrier
island, both the Upper Floridan aquifer and the surficial aquifer are important sources of water for
private residential wells. Generally, private well systems treat surficial aquifer water with ion-
exchange water softening and filtration processes.
BRINE DISPOSAL
Presently, the county is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to redirect
the brine by-product from the north county water treatment plant into the Grand Harbor Spoonbill
Marsh Site. The Spoonbill Marsh site is generally located on the west shore of the Indian River
Lagoon, south of 63rd Street. At this site, the brine water will be mixed with brackish water from the
Indian River Lagoon and further treated through a saltwater marsh treatment system prior to flowing
into the Lagoon. This high marsh site is expected to further remove suspended solids, phosphorous
and nitrogen through evapotransporation prior to the brine flowing into the Indian River Lagoon.
The brine by-product from the south county water treatment plan is currently discharged into the
South Relief Canal.
STANDARDS
Water demand can be expressed in terms of gallons per capita per day or in terms of gallons per
dwelling unit per day. Each day, the average county resident consumes approximately 104 gallons of
potable water.
Table 3.B.4 identifies historical water demand per dwelling unit. These data were reported in records
obtained from the County Utilities Department and General Development Utilities, Inc.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 14
TABLE 3.B.4
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
HISTORICAL AVERAGE WATER DEMAND PER DWELLING UNIT
YEAR
AREA
SINGLE-FAMILY
MULTI-FAMILY
North County
197 GPD/Unit
236 GPD/Unit
1983
South County
172 GPD/Unit
94 GPD/Unit
North County
204 GPD/Unit
204 GPD/Unit
1984
South County
170 GPD/Unit
95 GPD/Unit
North County
208 GPD/Unit
187 GPD/Unit
1985
South County
182 GPD/Unit
108 GPD/Unit
North County
211 GPD/Unit
170 GPD/Unit
1986
South County
200 GPD/Unit
100 GPD/Unit
1996
Countywide
234 GPD/Unit
234 GPD/Unit
Source: Indian River County Water System Master Plan
With respect to infrastructure planning, an important consideration is level of service. Generally, a
Level of Service standard is an indicator of the degree of service provided by, or proposed to be
provided by, a facility based on the operational characteristics of the facility. For water usage, the
Level of Service provides the basis for determining the design capacity of a potable water system,
including treatment capacity, storage capacity, and the capacity of high service pump stations.
Calculation of future demand, projection of required plant capacity, and estimation of the need for
future expansion are based on the established level of service.
Based on the historical demand figures shown in Table 3.B.4, future levels of service by land use
classifications were established. Table 3.B.5 shows the future level of service standards. While the
residential level of service is based on the average daily demand from single-family and multiple-
family units and is expressed in terms of gallons per day per unit, the demand for
commercial/industrial water uses is expressed in terms of gallons per day per gross acre.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 15
TABLE 3.B.5
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
FUTURE POTABLE WATER LEVEL OF SERVICE STANDARDS
Single-Family
(gal./dwelling unit/day)
Multiple-Family
(gal./dwelling unit/day)
Commercial/Industrial
(gal./gross ac./day)
250
250
2,500
Source: Indian River County Utilities Department
To account for the larger volumes of water typically used in modern residential and commercial
developments, these Levels of Service exceed historical consumption amounts. Generally, the
historical data reflect water usage in the older areas of the county. Many of those homes were not
equipped with modern water using appliances (such as dishwashers, garbage disposals, etc.) and had
smaller lawns to irrigate, compared to more recently developed residential areas. The historical data
also reflect the relatively large percentage of vacancies characteristic of multi-family units. This
results from the seasonal fluctuations that some areas of the county experience. In the future, the
county projects that a larger percentage of homes will be occupied permanently.
Even though multi-family units have fewer people per unit, most new multi-family developments
generally have larger green areas and, in some cases, golf courses. As a result, the Utilities
Department uses the same level of service for both single-family and multi-family units. In the
future, the county's intent is to reduce water consumption by implementing strong conservation
measures. Consequently, this may result in lower demand projections and different plant capacity
assessments.
Besides the factors referenced above, other level of service standard considerations are as follows:
- Wellfield capacity must be based on average daily use plus the added volume that would be
needed if the largest well in the system were out of service;
- Storage tank capacity must be at least ½ of the average daily consumption volume;
- High service pump capacity with redundant pumps must be at least equal to maximum daily
demand;
- Pressures for high service pump stations must be a minimum of 40 PSI during peak flows;
- At fire flow conditions, the system must be able to provide a delivery pressure of 20 PSI; and
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 16
- Water quality must meet EPA and State of Florida safe drinking water requirements.
For tracking purposes, the county Utilities Department uses 250 gallons per day (GPD) per
equivalent residential unit (ERU) as the county’s potable water level of service standard. Currently,
the county’s storage capacity is 13.5 million gallons, its minimum pressure is 40 PSI, and its
minimum design flow is 500 gallons per minute.
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Potable water is a commodity which can affect the health of the community. Consequently, several
governmental agencies regulate various aspects of the potable water system.
Table 3.B.6 shows the various federal, state and local agencies involved in the regulation and
management of potable water and the function of each agency.
FEDERAL
The federal government has established minimum potable water quality standards. These
regulations include operating standards and quality controls for public water systems. The
regulations are incorporated in the Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523. This law directs
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish minimum drinking water standards. EPA
standards are divided into "primary" and "secondary" standards. "Primary" standards concern the
health quality of the water, while "secondary" standards relate to the aesthetic quality of the water.
STATE
In accordance with federal government standards, the Florida Legislature adopted the Florida Safe
Drinking Water Act, Section 403.850 - 403.864, FS. The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) is the state agency responsible for promulgating rules classifying and regulating
public water systems. These regulations are incorporated within Chapter 62-550, FAC. The primary
and secondary standards of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act are mandatory in Florida.
The St. Johns River Water Management District is responsible for managing water sources to ensure
that those sources can meet existing and future demands. To manage consumptive use of water
resources, the district has established a permitting system by which water resources are allocated
among permitted consumers. The St. Johns River Water Management District rules applicable to
Indian River County are contained in 40C-2, FAC, and 40C-3, FAC,
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 17
LOCAL
While Indian River County, the City of Fellsmere, and the City of Vero Beach are the local
governments responsible for providing centralized potable water in Indian River County, the County
Utilities Department is responsible for managing the county's water system. The County Utilities
Department is responsible for the following activities:
- planning new water treatment plants and expansions to existing treatment plants;
- operating and maintaining existing water treatment plants; and
- regulating the development of private water treatment plants.
TABLE 3.B.6
REGULATION OF POTABLE WATER
AGENCY
STATUTORY
AUTHORITY
SCOPE
ACTIVITY
Department of
Environmental Protection
Chapter 403, FS
Rule 62-550, FAC
Primary regulatory agency for public water
systems exceeding 2000 GPD to include
community/ non-community supplies.
Mostly review & permitting; Delegates authority to
state & regional agencies.
State Public Health Unit
Chapter 403, FS
Chapter 381, FS
Rule 17-22, FAC
Rule 64E-8, FAC
Regulates all water systems, including private
systems, not covered by the "Florida Safe
Drinking Water Act".
Inspection, enforcement, & testing; Issues permits
for systems under 2000 GPD; Investigates all
drinking water complaints.
St. Johns River Water
Management District
Rule 40C-2, FAC
Rule 40C-3, FAC
Reviews construction of all wells including
public water systems.
Issues well construction permits, & consumptive
use permits.
County
Local Ordinance Home
Rule
Reviews all utility construction; Constructs &
maintains county's public water system;
Regulates local franchise service.
Issues utility construction permits; Inspects work
on public systems.
Source: Indian River County Health Department
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 18
ANALYSIS
This analysis section addresses future potable water demand and focuses on the three components of
the potable water system. Those are: water sources (supply), treatment, and distribution.
PROJECTION OF FUTURE DEMAND
Assumptions
The comprehensive planning process is an opportunity for the county to complete an assessment of
its long range potable water needs. Any such projection of future potable water needs, however,
must be more than a simple linear projection. Instead, future projections should utilize certain
assumptions based on past trends, present conditions, and future desires. The principal assumptions
utilized in this section are as follows:
• The county will be the primary provider of potable water service to the unincorporated
county, the City of Sebastian, and the Town of Orchid;
• The City of Vero Beach will continue to serve the City of Vero Beach, the Town of Indian
River Shores and a portion of the unincorporated county; and
• More than 95% of future new developments will connect to the regional potable water
system.
Methodology
Table 3.B.2 in the existing conditions section of this sub-element identifies the existing capacity of
publicly owned water treatment plants. That section of this sub-element addresses the supply side of
the potable water system. This section considers the demand side.
The information for this section is based on the permanent and functional population projections
contained in the Introductory Element and on the projected land use patterns contained in the Future
Land Use Element. These projections are also consistent with the county utilities master plan,
including its December 2004 update. To develop these projections, the county used data such as
historic growth, population projections, number and type of dwelling units, and developed
commercial/industrial acreage.
Overall, planning for water plant expansions requires a rational approach to projecting growth over a
finite planning period. Past experience has shown that using the historic growth of existing facilities
in conjunction with population projections is the most accurate method of projecting potable water
demand and future water plant expansion needs.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 19
To meet current and future demand, the county has in the past implemented all potable water capital
improvements identified in the county’s potable water sub-element. In the future, additional capital
improvement projects will need to be undertaken. These include the extension of main water
distribution lines, the expansion of treatment capacity, the construction of reuse water lines, the
construction of infrastructure associated with the alternative water supply facilities and the
construction of new intake surface water lines.
As shown in the graph below, total 2030 potable water demand in the county will be 18.90 million
gallons per day. At that time, the projected capacity of the county’s water treatment plants, based on
the county’s potable water master plan, will be 24.65 million gallons per day. To achieve the 24.65
mgd capacity by 2030, the county completed a potable water plant expansion in 2008 and plans to
undertake another expansion in 2025. While the 2008 water plant expansion was 7.18 mgd, the 2025
expansion will be 6.44 mgd. These are shown in the chart below.
Figure 3.B.2
Water Capacity vs Demand
11.411.411.411.711.7 11.911.91212 12.412.4 13.6513.65
15.1515.15
16.916.9
18.918.9
11.7511.75
13.25
1717
11.03
24.65
11.03
18.21
24.65
18.21
15
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
Blended Capacity
Demand with Concurrency
Demand without Concurrency
Presently, the County Utilities Department has a Consumptive Use Permit from the SJRWMD that
allows a maximum Upper Floridan aquifer withdrawal of 13.79 million gallons per day by the year
2021. This permitted amount of water withdrawal is significantly less than the projected demand for
that same time period. To remedy this situation, the County Utilities Department recently applied to
SJRWMD for 3 additional wells at the north county water plant and is applying for a revised
Consumptive Use Permit to allow more Upper Floridan aquifer water withdrawals to meet projected
demand.
In response to the county’s request, the SJRWMD recommended that the county install 6 new wells.
The district has indicated that the 6 wells will be permitted at a withdrawal rate lower than the 3
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.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 21
Upper Floridan aquifer
Presently, the county potable water system receives its water supply from wells that have been
installed into the Upper Floridan aquifer. Future county wells for both the south county plant and the
north county plant will also tap the Upper Floridan aquifer. Due to geological conditions (the
overlying Hawthorn Formation with its relatively low permeability), the Upper Floridan aquifer is
less susceptible to contamination than the surficial aquifer.
Although the Upper Floridan aquifer yields greater volumes of water than the surficial aquifer, the
Upper Floridan aquifer contains higher concentrations of impurities (chlorides in excess of 250
milligrams per liter). Because water from a typical Upper Floridan aquifer well exceeds acceptable
limits for impurities, treatment by reverse osmosis is necessary to make the water potable. With
proper management, however, the Upper Floridan aquifer should provide a long-term, reliable water
source for Indian River County.
Surficial Aquifer
Compared to the Upper Floridan aquifer, the surficial aquifer has a greater potential of being
impacted by contamination and is a smaller volume producer. Qualitywise, water in the surficial
aquifer is variable throughout the county. Although surficial aquifer water is of a quality acceptable
for domestic consumption with limited treatment, water from a typical surficial aquifer well is hard
and requires softening.
Overall, the surficial aquifer is subject to several potential water quality problems. Among those
problems are the following:
• Trihalomethanes (THM). THM is a carcinogenic chemical formed when free chloride, which
is used for disinfection, combines with organic materials that naturally occur in groundwater.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) standard for THMs is 0.08
mg/l.
• Salt water intrusion. In an undisturbed state, natural discharge of an aquifer is sufficient to
maintain the fresh water/salt water interface at or near the coastline. As water is withdrawn
from the surficial aquifer in inland areas, however, this balance is disrupted. At high rates of
groundwater extraction, the interface will move inland and contaminate fresh water zones
with salt water.
• Contamination from pesticides, herbicides and industrial wastes. The potential for such
contamination is high, since the surficial aquifer receives its recharge directly from the
surface.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 22
• Organic based contaminants. FDEP has established maximum contaminant levels for dozens
of organic constituents. Because of the serious concern for organics in drinking water, the
county has decided to avoid the use of the surficial aquifer.
Since the surficial aquifer is the principal potable water source for many of the 17,000 private wells
in the county and because that aquifer is subject to the contamination problems identified above,
many county residents are potentially subject to health problems from their potable water.
There are two principal ways to address this problem, and the county is currently doing both. As
discussed in the Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge Sub-Element, the county is taking various
actions to preserve the quantity and quality of the surficial aquifer. The other action which the
county is taking to address the potential contamination problems with shallow wells is to expand the
centralized potable water system throughout the urban service area, so that those residents who have
surficial aquifer wells can connect. Because the centralized system uses the Upper Floridan aquifer
as a water source and then treats the water, that water is usually better quality and safer for residents.
Public Water Supply
In 2005, the Florida Legislature enacted Senate Bills 360 and 444. That legislation significantly
changed Chapters 163 and 373, F.S. to require coordination of water supply and land use planning. In
so doing, the legislation strengthened the statutory linkage between regional water supply plans
prepared by the state’s water management districts and comprehensive plans prepared by local
governments. Because Indian River County is included in the St. Johns River Water Management
District’s regional water supply plan, the county must coordinate with the district to assess future
water needs.
With Senate bills 360 and 444, two sets of requirements were established, one set for jurisdictions
subject to a regional water supply plan and one set for jurisdictions not subject to a water supply
plan. While Indian River County is not subject to a regional water supply plan, the county wants to
be proactive in identifying and utilizing alternative water supplies.
Alternative Water Supply
In 2003, the SJRWMD concluded that the UFA (Upper Upper Floridan aquifer) groundwater
resources in Indian River County can sustain continued development through 2025. Beyond 2025,
however, there may not be sufficient capacity in the UFA to sustain continued development. In 2009,
the SJRWMD will complete a new water supply assessment. If that assessment indicates that the
UFA cannot sustain proposed withdrawals through 2030, then the County will be identified as a
priority water resource caution area and will become a focus of the next District (SJRWMD) Water
Supply Plan.
To address the potential capacity issues with the UFA, Indian River County prepared a local
Alternative Water Supply Master Plan in 2007. According to that plan, surface water may serve as
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 23
an alternative to, or as a supplement to, the Upper Floridan aquifer as the county’s future potable
water supply source. For surface water to be a practical alternative supply source, there needs to be a
viable surface water storage system. Any such surface water storage system, however, would need to
be created in coordination with the SJRWMD. Among its responsibilities, the district has been
legislatively authorized to provide funding for alternative water supply projects. Besides planning for
alternative water supply sources, the County Utilities Department is also analyzing water
conservation and reuse programs.
In its 2007 Alternative Water Supply Master Plan, the county assessed the following three
alternative sources of water supply:
• Surficial aquifer
• Seawater Desalination; and
• Fresh Surface Water/Reservoirs
Pros and Cons
The pros and cons associated with each of the three alternative water supply sources, as well as the
Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA), are shown in the Table below for comparison purposes.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 24
Table 3.B.7
Pros and Cons Associated with Alternative Water Supplies
Surficial aquifer Seawater/Boulder Zone
Desalination
Fresh Surface
Water/Reservoirs
Use of UFA
• Water is • Unlimited water
Available availability
• Potentially lower
cost than
current water
Treatment
Technology
• No anticipated
impact on
agricultural
wells in the UFA
Pros
• Fresh surface water
resources are abundant
particularly at the
boundary between the
Upper Basin project and
C-25 canal
• O&M costs are the
lowest of all technologies
• Deep injection well not
necessary
• Fellsmere Water
Management Area
(WMA) slated for
development
• Groundwater is
available
• Ability to meet
immediate and
short term
demands
• Same treatment
technology as
currently in place
• Costs are similar
to existing costs • Add on to existing
treatment plants • A secure source
• Potential
interference with
existing
agricultural wells
• Deep injection well
for disposal of
concentrate
• Extension of well
sites over greater
distances to
minimize
drawdown impacts
increases pipeline
costs
• Most expensive
membrane
treatment
technology-
energy intensive
• Different
membrane
treatment
technology
• Deep injection
well for disposal
• If Boulder Zone
is the source, then a
study
would be
necessary to
show feasibility
• Potentially a
secure source if
groundwater is
the source;
surface water
source would be
less secure
• Different membrane
treatment technology
• Approximately 20 miles
of pipeline required
• Safe yields of the St.
Johns River and Upper
Basin project have not
yet been determined –
minimum flows and
levels in the St. Johns
River must be met.
• Operational guidelines
for the water
conservation areas will
be a constraint on
available supply
• Timing of construction of
Fellsmere WMA not
determined
• Reconnection of the C-
25 canal and the Upper
Basin project is still in the
discussion stage.
• Source water will require
protection
Cons
• Different
Membrane
Treatment
Technology
• Deep injection
well for disposal of
brine
• Production rates
are low
requiring a large
number of wells
• Land acquisition
of large number
of well sites • Potential
Wellfield
Protection
issues because
of shallowness
of wells – will
Require
Protection
• Variable water
Quality
• High
maintenance
• Potential impact
on adjacent
homeowner
wells
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 25
Alternative Water Supply Implementation Schedule
As indicated in the Table below, it will take a number of years to implement any of the water supply
alternatives. In the table, the lower number of years represents the best case scenario, with the
assumption that the necessary permits would be processed routinely and that controversy or objections
would not delay the project. The higher number of years represents the time that would be required
to address potential permitting delays. The potential delaying activities that could occur are shown
in the referenced table. As indicated, the interim expanded use of the UFA is the alternative that
would require the least number of years to implement.
Table 3.B.8
Schedule for Implementation of Alternative Water Supplies
Surficial aquifer Seawater
Desalination
Fresh Surface
Water/Reservoirs
Interim Expanded
Use of UFA
Number of Years
to Implement
from
6 to 8 6 to 10 6 to 10 2 to 4
Authorization
Potential • Resolution of •404 permitting •SJRWMD’s • Resolution of
delaying factors drawdown for crossing of determination of the drawdown
impacts on wells the Indian River safe yield of selected impacts on
of adjacent home Lagoon water storage areas nearby
owners •Feasibility •Availability of water agricultural wells
• Groundwater study for use of from the St. Johns
quality protection the Boulder River due to
• Acquisition of Zone as a minimum flows and
1
large number of
well sites
source of water levels restrictions
Alternative Water Supply Costs
In the table below, the cost estimates for each of the three different alternative water supply
sources are presented. For comparison purposes, the cost of constructing new water treatment plants
and developing new UFA wellfields is also presented. No land acquisition costs are included in any
of the cost estimates. In the case of seawater desalination, only the treatment cost is included. The
cost of an influent pipeline extending to the ocean is not included because of significant uncertainties
associated with this determination.
For the various potable water treatment technologies, treatment processes, and plant components, the
estimates include capital, operation and maintenance (O&M), and total production costs. As shown,
the cost estimates are provided for plant capacity increments of 5, 10, 15, and 20 million gallons per
day (mgd) on a maximum day demand (MDD) basis. The table below presents a summary of the total
production costs for each technology, including the annualized capital costs, the annual O&M costs
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 26
for each production rate case, and an annual renewal and replacement (R&R) fund deposit (which is
not included under O&M costs).
Ranking of Alternative Water Sources
Although a strictly quantitative ranking of the alternative water supply options is not possible, it is
possible to make practical judgments regarding the three alternatives. While all three alternative
water supply sources are positive with respect to water availability, all three possess uncertainties and
some level of risk. All three differ in cost, some significantly. While implementation schedules are
similar, the implementation timeframe for any of the three would be a number of years.
At this point, seawater desalination is the least desirable alternative, because it is the most
expensive technology and the most energy intensive. As an alternative to seawater, saline groundwater
from the Boulder Zone may be feasible, but confirmation of this would be subject to a feasibility
study that examines use of the Boulder Zone as a water source.
As a potable water supply alternative, the surficial aquifer presents some difficulties related to water
quantity protection, since all of the wells would be very shallow with the most productive zones
in the central part of the County in the upper 50 feet of the aquifer. Water quality variability is
also an issue. Because of low productivity, the surficial aquifer would require a large number of small
wells producing small quantities of water. In addition, the impacts on adjacent users of the surficial
aquifer could put the County in the same position as expanded use of the UFA with respect to
agricultural wells. In the past, the County decided against using this source and elected to go to
the UFA.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 27
Table 3.B.9
Summary of Probable Cost for Treatment Technologies Using Various Raw Water
Sources
Raw Water Source!
Treatment Method!
Plant Capacity (mgd)
Raw Water
Source
Concentrate
Disposal
Capital Cost
Annual
O&M Cost
Production Cost
($/1000 gallons)4
Current Costs of UFA Using Low Pressure RO - Actual Costs (FY 2007-2008)
13.611 Groundwater
Surface
Water
Discharge
$30,000,000 $5,102,572 $2.05
Fresh Surface Water Using Microfiltration/Ultra filtration
5 Surface Water N/A2 $14,191,000 $1,078,000 $2.10
10 Surface Water N/A2 $24,397,000 $1.57$1,720,000
15 Surface Water N/A2 $33,064,000 $2,289,000 $1.36
20 Surface Water N/A2 $41,025,000 $2,841,000 $1.22
Surficial Aquifer Using Nanofiltration
5 Groundwater
Deep
Injection Well
(DIW)
$24,178,000 $1,646,000
$3.42
10 Groundwater DIW $33,576,000 $2,836,000 $2.34
15 Groundwater DIW $41,573,000 $3,913,000 $1.95
20 Groundwater DIW $50,188,000 $4,992,000 $1.75
Continued Use of UFA Using Low Pressure RO-New WTP and Wellfield
5 Groundwater DIW $34,693,000 $1,758,000 $4.41
10 Groundwater DIW $48,579,000 $3,181,000 $3.04
15 Groundwater DIW $64,086,000 $4,526,000 $2.65
20 Groundwater DIW $79,077,000 $5,910,000 $2.42
Seawater RO Treatment
5 Surface/
Ground Water3 DIW $39,429,000 $3,145,000 $5.95
10 Surface/Ground
Water3 DIW $64,094,000 $6,230,000 $4.77
15 Surface/Ground
Water3 DIW $92,828,000 $9,248,000 $4.48
20
Surface/Ground
Water3 DIW $115,436,000 $12,432,000 $4.18
113.61 mgd is new WTP capacity expansion at north county RO plant; actual average production for the FY2008-2009 is projected
to be 8.89 mgd. Production cost based on actual average production estimate of 8.89 mgd (3,246 mgy)
2MF/UF do not produce a concentrate steam as with nanofiltration and RO systems. Residuals need to be removed from the
backwash water and chemicals in the backwash solution may require neutralization prior to disposal.
3Costs include only treatment. Cost of an influent pipeline or deep well to the Boulder Zone as a source is not included. Deep Injection
Well disposal would vary between $5.5 million and $11 million for the water treatment plant capacities presented. 4Annual O&M and
production costs are based on average daily demand using a maximum daily demand/annual average daily demand ratio.
As a future long-range source of potable water, surface water located in western Indian River
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 28
County represents a good first choice. In the western part of the county, surface water resources
appear to be abundant, and treatment would not be as energy intensive as other technologies. After
the initial construction of approximately 20 miles of pipeline that may cost from $10 million to $20
million, the operating costs would be low. Currently, the SJRWMD is evaluating the availability of
water from the St. Johns River. This evaluation will assess minimum flows and levels, and will
determine water availability in the District’s existing and proposed water management areas.
Preliminary analysis has shown that a significant amount of water is available in the C-25 canal basin
and the adjacent Upper St. Johns basin. This water is currently discharged to tide. Recently, the
SFWMD and the SJRWMD initiated discussions regarding construction of a reservoir in the area
to capture currently wasted water. In addition, the proposed 10,000-acre Fellsmere Water Management
Area (FWMA) is a potential significant additional source of fresh surface water.
Prior to the county choosing surface water as an alternative water source, however, the SJRWMD will
need to commit to the permittability of fresh surface water in western Indian River County. To
determine the optimum location for withdrawals and ensure a sustainable withdrawal even during
dry/drought periods, a great deal of coordination with the SJRWMD will be necessary. In addition,
the use of an Aquifer Storage and Recovery system may be necessary to ensure dry season water
availability.
In terms of water supply, the UFA will continue to be the county’s water supply source until an
alternative water supply source, such as surface water, can come on-line. A conservative estimate of
when an alternative water supply such as surface water could be on line is 2018. Given that this is
the case, an interim expansion of withdrawals from the UFA will be necessary.
In 2018, raw water withdrawal is projected to be approximately 17.10 mgd. While current wellfield
capacity is approximately 15.5 mgd (based on six wells at South County and three wells at North
County), the current North County RO plant expansion will increase the county’s potable water
capacity to 18.21 mgd.
Water Supply Plan
Because Indian River County is not currently in a SJRWMD Priority Water Resource Caution Area, the
county is not required to complete a 10 year water supply facilities work plan at this time. Even though
the county is not currently required to develop a water supply facilities work plan, the county is and has
been proactive in identifying and working toward establishing an alternative water supply source. For
that reason, the county is coordinating with SJRWMD in the district’s water supply assessment and in its
water supply development-related initiatives that affect the county.
According to the county’s alternative water supply analysis, in a best case scenario a new water supply
source could not be on line until 2018. That timeframe could be even l onger if a surface water
reservoir needs to be constructed. Given these constraints, another existing surface water alternative
may be a better choice. That is to utilize water from the C-54 Canal. Regardless, the county will
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 29
county will need to continue to utilize the UFA as a source to bridge the gap until the new source can
be developed.
Overall, the C-54 strategy could be the most cost effective because the county would continue to utilize
existing treatment plant technology and facilities even with surface water as a public water supply
source. At such time as a new potable water supply source comes on line, the withdrawals from the
UFA could be reduced and used as a reserve source, if that is feasible.
Accordingly, the county’s policy should be to:
• Continue using the UFA as an interim water supply source until such time as a surface water
supply source can be brought on line.
• Coordinate with the SJRWMD to obtain authorization to utilize surface water from the
District’s existing water management and conservation areas. Specific target sources, water
availability, permitting requirements, and pipeline routes should be addressed. Requirements
for feasibility studies should be determined as required by the SJRWMD. If the source is a
new reservoir, then ownership of the reservoir, costs of land, and financing should be
addressed.
• Develop a preliminary schedule that addresses the annual steps needed to develop a new
surface water supply by 2026.
TREATMENT
Treatment is a major part of the principal potable water system. Overall, water treatment issues relate
to water quality and treatment plant capacity.
Water Quality
Because the county has been successful in decommissioning private treatment plants and connecting
those customers to the regional system, the county does not have a private treatment plant problem.
Regardless, the county does need to continue its efforts to decommission the remaining private
plants.
With the county system, there are no quality nor quantity problems. As with all utility systems, water
quality in the county system is regularly monitored and exceeds minimum standards. From a
quantity perspective, the county system currently has sufficient capacity to serve its existing
customer base. An important consideration, however, is that adequate treatment capacity be
available to accommodate the demands of future growth and development.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 30
In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of potable water customers in
the county and also a significant increase in per capita water usage. From 1995 to 2006, per
capita/per day potable water use rose 40%. This could be due to any number of reasons. One such
reason could be an increase in the number of homes, subdivisions, and commercial developments
using potable water for irrigation purposes. According to the county utilities department, at least 50%
of all water usage is attributed to irrigation. Another reason could be the increase in the number of
residential units with swimming pools. Also, the increase in water usage may be attributed to an
increase in the number of commercial and industrial users in the county since 1995.
Currently, the county’s potable water system meets all federal and state regulations for safe drinking
water. To ensure that safe drinking water standards are maintained, the county performs regular
testing of drinking water.
Although the county operated potable water system consistently provides clean safe potable water,
there are some problems with private franchised water treatment plants and private wells. Generally,
these problems relate to the quality of raw water and the efficiency of the water treatment process.
Those problems are summarized as follows:
• lower quality of treatment compared to regional water treatment plants and higher
risk of groundwater contamination
• lack of funds and interest on the part of private plant owners to upgrade, maintain,
and retrofit facilities
• age of treatment plants and frequent breakdowns
• lack of centralized control
• cost and insufficiency of the monitoring process
• problems with operation and maintenance (lack of experienced personnel to operate
all the private plants)
Brine Discharge
At present, the County Utilities Department is implementing the Spoonbill Marsh initiative, an
innovative project that will treat brine from the North County RO plant in a coastal marsh system and
reduce impacts on the lagoon. This project is being undertaken because FDEP would not renew the
county’s permit to discharge brine directly into the lagoon. Although brine from the North County
water plant will soon be treated in a coastal marsh system, brine from the south county RO plant will
continue to be discharged into the south relief canal. The county is presently exploring alternatives,
including mixing concentrate with stormwater and reclaimed water for irrigation, for disposing
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 31
disposing concentrate from the South County RO plant.
Currently, the county is under a consent order from FDEP to relocate concentrate out of south relief
canal within two years. To achieve that reduction, the county will need to consider several options
for south county brine disposal. These options are: creating another marsh treatment system,
establishing a county deep well injection system, mixing brine with reuse water, or entering into a
partnership with the City of Vero Beach for deep well injection in the city’s deep wells. Given the
probability of the county having to address the South County R.O. plant brine discharge, the county
should evaluate each of the referenced options.
Water Conservation
Generally, an increase in per capita potable water use is not a good trend. Such an increase could
deplete water supply sources faster. To conserve water supply sources, the county needs to ensure
that water is used more efficiently. One way to do that is to emphasize use of reclaimed water and
treated stormwater for irrigation purposes. If more stormwater is retained on development sites and
used for irrigation, groundwater supplies will be recharged, and stormwater flows to surface
waterbodies will be reduced. In conjunction with common water conservation practices, utilizing
stormwater and reclaimed water for irrigation purposes will enhance water resource preservation.
Recently, the St. Johns River Water Management District established a water conservation program
called Florida Water Star. This program focuses on new residential construction and is intended to
provide water-efficient options for homes and landscaping. This is a voluntary program that home
builders may participate in. Since this program can enhance water conservation efforts, the county
should encourage home builders to participate in the program. In so doing, the county should
provide builders an incentive to participate in the Florida Water Star Program by expediting permit
reviews for participating builders.
Private Plants
As indicated in the background section of this Sub-Element, the reason that the county started
providing potable water services was due to problems at private treatment plants. In many cases, the
problems with private plants were due to the operational aspects of the plants, rather than with the
plants themselves. Because of those problems and their environmental impacts, the County Utilities
Department has decommissioned 26 private plants. When those private plants were decommissioned,
the former customers of those plants were connected to the county system. Currently, only three
private plants continue to operate.
To avoid a repeat of past problems, to ensure the financial viability of the regional system, and to
discourage urban sprawl, new private plants are generally prohibited within the urban service area.
Consistent with provisions of the Future Land Use Element of this plan, private plants may be
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Community Development Department Indian River County 32
allowed outside of the urban service area to serve development projects that meet specific criteria for
the following:
• clustering of residential development within agricultural areas;
• clustering of residential development within privately owned upland conservation areas;
• clustering development within mixed use districts; or
• traditional neighborhood design communities.
• new towns.
The three existing private plants are the Fellsmere Management Corporation Plant, the Countryside
Mobile Home Park, and the Sun Agriculture Facility. Currently, the county is working on connecting
the Countryside north mobile home park to the regional system. While the Fellsmere Trailer Park
plant, which serves the Fellsmere area, will continue operation, the other plants will eventually be
decommissioned, and their customers will be connected to the county system. In the long term, the
county’s policy is to serve all areas with a centralized potable water system.
DISTRIBUTION
Another important component of the potable water system is water distribution. With its network of
pipes, mains, and tanks, the distribution component of the regional potable water system must be able
to serve existing and future development. For this to occur, further expansions to the existing
distribution network within certain parts of the urban service area are needed.
The principal components of the potable water distribution system are pipes and pump stations.
Because Indian River County has a relatively new potable water system, those pipes and pump
stations are generally in good condition. Overall, the major lines are in place and are sized to
accommodate future growth.
The county’s overall plan for growth and development is reflected in the Future Land Use Element of
the comprehensive plan. That element defines where the community will grow and where growth
will be limited. As indicated in the Future Land Use Element, the urban service area is the area
deemed appropriate for future urban type development. Accordingly, it is within the urban service
area that utility lines and other infrastructure components will be available.
Although potable water service should generally be limited to lands within the urban service area, the
county has allowed sites contiguous to the urban service area boundary to connect to the regional
potable water system, and that is appropriate.
There are also other types of development allowed outside the urban service area, where potable
water service is appropriate and in some cases necessary. These include clustered development in
agricultural planned development projects, new town projects, traditional neighborhood design
projects, agricultural businesses, and agricultural industries. For these uses, the county should allow
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 33
connection to the public water system or construction of a privately owned system, where connection
to the public system is not feasible. In those cases where a privately owned system is allowed, the
county should require that a franchise be obtained from the county and that any plants and
distribution systems be built to county standards and, where deemed appropriate by the county, be
dedicated to the county without compensation.
The major distribution system issues include service area, system evaluation and maintenance,
system expansion to serve areas presently served by private wells, and system expansion to serve
new development.
Service Area
Although the potable water service areas for the county and the City of Vero Beach have been set for
many years, recent events have initiated interest in reconsideration of those service areas. Of
particular concern are the unincorporated areas and the Town of Indian River Shores served by the
City of Vero Beach.
Currently, Vero Beach serves those areas outside its corporate limits based on interlocal agreements
with the Town of Indian River Shores and the county. While those agreements expire in 2016 and
2017 respectively, the county and/or Town must provide notice to the City by 2012 if either the
county or the Town wants to terminate its agreement on the 2017 termination date.
In the past, neither the county nor the Town had considered terminating its service area agreement
with the City. Recently, however, the City indicated that water and sewer rates would increase
significantly in the next few years. Besides the rate increases, the lack of representation in City
utilities rate setting is also a concern for unincorporated county and Town residents. Unlike city
residents, customers living outside the city limits cannot vote in city council elections and therefore
have no representation on utility matters.
For the reasons outlined above, the county’s policy should be to maintain a dialogue with the City
and the Town regarding utility service areas and to initiate a study to assess the financial feasibility
of consolidating utility services or terminating the City of Vero Beach service area agreement in
2017. That study should address the costs and revenues associated with consolidating utility services
or absorbing city utility customers in the unincorporated area and the Town into the county system.
Potable Water Need and Land Use
With the 1990 adoption of the comprehensive plan, the county established its urban service area. The
intent of the comprehensive plan is to direct most growth into that area and to provide urban type
services to development in that area.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 34
Since 1990, there have been two significant changes regarding the provision of potable water. The
first change has been the substantial increase in the customers served by centralized potable water
systems. The second change is the reduction in the number of private water treatment plants
operating in the county.
Over the last twenty years, the county’s potable water system has expanded and now serves all
urbanized areas of the county, including major commercial and industrial nodes. With that
expansion, the county’s potable water system adequately met the potable water demand from new
residential and nonresidential developments. There are, however, some existing residential
developments with undersized lots that are not connected to the county potable water system.
While the county’s primary concern regarding the distribution of potable water relates to the
expansion of the network to accommodate growth, a secondary concern is to eliminate potential
health risks. Among the principal sources of potential health risks are residential subdivisions with
“undersized” lots. Generally, wells associated with undersized lots have a greater risk of
contamination. This problem is due to inadequate separation between septic tank drainfields and
wells. Without adequate separation, the potential of contamination from septic tanks seeping into
wells is greatly increased. Thus, potable water wells on undersized lots are susceptible to
contamination.
In 2006, 30,402, or 63%, of the existing 48,188 residential units in the unincorporated area of the
county, were connected to the county’s potable water supply system. Consistent with the county’s
potable water master plan, the potable water system will be expanded within the USA in the future.
This expansion will involve providing service to subdivisions with undersized lots.
Between 1995 and 2006, 22 subdivisions with undersized lots were connected to the county potable
water system. In most of these cases, the cost of connecting those subdivisions to the regional potable
water system was funded through assessments paid by the property owners benefiting from the
expansion.
A review of the county utilities department’s assessment projects indicates that most residents of
existing unconnected residential subdivisions would like to be connected to the county potable water
system, but they are not willing or able to pay for the connection. In the past, the county utilized
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to connect several low income neighborhoods in the
Wabasso area to the county potable water system. The CDBG program, however, is a competitive
funding source and is available only to low and moderate income neighborhoods. In the future, the
county may, whenever the opportunity becomes available, apply for CDBG or other federal or state
grants to connect homes in existing residential neighborhoods to the county potable water system.
As indicated by recent land use and development patterns, the county has been successful at directing
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 35
directing growth, both residential and non-residential, into the urban service area. The county has
also expanded centralized potable water service within the urban service area. From 1990 to 2008,
expansion of the county's water service was extensive in terms of the increased geographic area
served and in terms of new customers. During that period, water customers increased by 137% (from
17,000 to 40,300 customers). Due to the extension of water lines, centralized potable water service is
now available to most of the urban part of the county, and 94 out of 183 subdivisions having lots
which are "undersized" are now served by a centralized potable water system.
According to current county land development regulations, each new subdivision within the urban
service area is required to connect to the regional water system if the development meets criteria
contained in the Water and Wastewater Connection Matrix for New Development. That matrix states
that, for subdivisions, connection is required if the development meets either of the following criteria.
- It is within one-quarter of a mile of existing water lines; or
- It contains 25 or more lots.
Currently, the county’s regional potable water system serves commercial/industrial development as
well as residential development. Since plan adoption, the regional potable water system has been
expanded to all commercial/industrial areas in the county, including the three I-95
commercial/industrial nodes. As a result of that expansion, the development potential of land within
the Urban Service Area has greatly increased for both residential and commercial/industrial projects.
Although the regional potable water system service area has been greatly expanded, there are still
several areas not yet served. Those areas include more than 100 residential subdivisions, some of
which are not suitable for individual wells on each lot. For that reason, additional expansion of the
system within the urban service area is planned. Included in these areas are Vero Lake Estates; parts
of Roseland, Wabasso, Winter Beach; and other areas.
In the future, expansion priority should be given to subdivisions where the Indian River County
Health Department has determined that the risk of private wells becoming contaminated is
unacceptably high. Several factors should be considered when making that determination. First,
existing development using contaminated wells should be given the highest priority for connection to
the regional system. The next level of priority should be for existing development where the
separation distance between wells and septic tank drainfields is insufficient.
Another factor that should be considered in establishing the potable water system’s expansion
priority is the development rate. To reduce the number of new wells which could become
contaminated, service to fast growing areas should be provided before service to slow growing areas.
In so doing, service should be expanded in a contiguous, rather than “leap-frog”, manner.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 36
Due to the increased risk of contamination associated with the use of private wells on undersized lots,
the county should continue to expand the potable water distribution network to serve the subdivisions
indicated in Table 3.B.10. Most of those subdivisions contain lots that are too small to accommodate
the required 75 foot separation distance between potable water wells and septic tanks. For that
reason, some lots cannot be developed. If those lots were connected to a centralized potable water
system, however, then they could be developed.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 37
TABLE 3.B.10
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
SUBDIVISIONS HAVING UNDERSIZED LOTS & USING PRIVATE WELLS
1. Brumley Acres
2. Cadenhead
3. Charles Subdivision
4. Cherry Lane Manor
5. Cherrywood Estates
6. Citrus Gardens
7. Davilla Park
8. Durrance Development
9. Durrance Place
10. El Vero Villa
11. Ercildoune Heights
12. Fletchers Addition to Winter Beach
13. Forbes and Hamiltons Plat of Quay
14. Forbes and Hamiltons Revised Plat
15. Gallentine Subdivision
16. Gifford School Park
17. J. T. Gray's Town of Gifford
18. Granada Gardens Unit #1
19. Graves add. to Wabasso
20. Hardee Addition Subdivision
21. Hardee #2
22. Haven View
23. Haven View Addition #1
24. Hicks Subdivision
25. Hill Side
26. Hobart Estates
27. Indian River Acres
28. Indian River Highlands
29. Indrio Gardens
30. Inlet View
31. J.C. Acres
32. Jackson Brothers Subdivision
33. Jennings Addition to Quay
34. John W. Massey, Jr.
35. Karr
36. Kenilworth Estates
37. Laser Park 1
38. Mobile Villa Estates
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 38
39. Naranga Tract/Shellmound Beach
40. North Carolina Colony
41. Oak Lane Addition
42. Ocean Breeze Heights
43. Orchid Island
44. Orchid Isle Estates
45. Palm Gardens
46. Pine Lake Estates
47. Pine Metto Park
48. Pinson
49. Rivenbark Unit 2 (partially served)
50. Riverview (center condominium served)
51. A.G. Rose Addition
52. Roseland
53. Townsite of Roseland
54. Roseland Gardens
55. Roseland Lake
56. Sawyer Gardens
57. School Park Subdivision
58. Sebastian Grove Estates
59. South Moon Under
60. Sunniland Homesites
61. Tropicana Homesites
62. Vero Lake Estates
63. Vero Tropical Gardens Subdivision
64. Verona Estates
65. Vickers Subdivision
66. Wabasso Heights Replat
67. Wabasso Lows Park
68. Wabasso Manor
69. Wabasso Manor Addition
70. Wabasso Manor Replat
71. Wabasso Tourist Court
72. Town of Wauregan
73. Weona Park
74. Winter Beach Highlands
75. Winter Beach Park (52nd Avenue only served)
76. Winter Grove
Source: Indian River County Utilities Department
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 39
Funding Expansion/Capital Improvements
Being an enterprise operation, the County Utilities Department is financially self-sufficient, with no
general tax money allocated for utility system capital or operational expenses. Revenues to pay for
distribution system expansion are generated through impact fees, assessments, line extension fees,
and developer’s contributions. Thus, lines are paid for as they are expanded, and they are expanded
in response to demand. Therefore, any extension of the water distribution network is funded
primarily from revenue obtained from landowners who benefit from the extension.
Generally, capacity charges and line extension fees pay for the future capital expansions identified in
the Potable Water System Master Plan. If there is a need for expansion of county utility
infrastructure in an area sooner than the Utility Department's need assessment indicates, there must
be some financial commitment from other sources. In some cases, the county can extend a line
through an agreement between the County and a developer. This type of agreement requires the
developer to provide for the extension of lines at a size meeting Master Plan needs with possible
reimbursement provided in the future when other customers hook onto the system and pay applicable
charges.
Once the main lines are in place, smaller lines branch off into developments and subdivisions. These
smaller lines are funded by developers or with assessments. Through these methods, potable water
service is provided to an area, and assessments are the responsibility of the benefitting landowners.
After an assessment line is installed, individual property owners can have a plumber connect their
buildings to the system. Prior to receiving service, however, a property owner must pay any utility
capacity charges, deposits, and meter installation fees. Utility capacity charges may be financed for
up to 5 years. Through its local housing assistance program, the county can pay utility capacity
charges for very low and low income households. The county can also use federal and state grants,
such as Rural Economic and Community Development Program (formerly the Farmers Home
Administration) Grants and Community Development Block Grants, to expand water service to areas
with a high percentage of low and very low income households.
In the past, the county has acquired private water systems and incorporated them into its network. It
is expected that this practice will continue in the future because private systems generally cannot
provide the same level of service at reasonable costs that the county's centralized system can provide.
A list of potable water system capital improvements is provided in the Capital Improvements
Element (CIE) of the county’s comprehensive plan. Since the county’s CIE must be updated
annually, projects completed will be extracted from the list of capital improvements, and new
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 40
projects will be added as needed. The current Five Year Capital Improvements Plan for Potable
Water and Sanitary Sewer is shown in Appendix A.
Almost all of the capital improvements needed for the 2025 expansion were included in the 2008
expansion. As part of the 2008 expansion, all of the 2025 needed wells, all of the 2025 needed
membrane skids, and all but one of the 2025 needed membranes were put in place. Therefore, the
only needed capital improvement for the 2025 expansion will be the addition of one membrane to an
existing membrane skid. Since the county’s water plants are interconnected, the utilities department
has flexibility as to which plant is expanded to accommodate projected demand.
Service to New Development
The Utilities Department Master Plan identifies main lines that must be installed along major
corridors. Unlike other distribution lines, “Master Plan” lines usually do not connect directly to a
potable water user.
Besides the assessment process, another way to expand the distribution system is through platting
and site plan approval requirements of new development. For example, current land development
regulations mandate that each new subdivision within the Urban Service Area connect to the
centralized potable water service system if the proposed subdivision meets either of the following
criteria.
• It is within one-quarter of a mile of existing water lines; or
• It contains 25 or more lots.
For non-residential projects, only those located more than ¼ mile from the existing system and
demanding less than 2,000 gallons per day are not required to connect to the regional system.
Those requirements must be maintained to ensure that expansion of the regional potable water system
occurs in a logical manner and to ensure that the costs of system expansion are paid by the
beneficiaries of the expansion. Even when a development project does not meet the above criteria,
the project must connect to the regional potable water system if the project is deemed unacceptable
for service by private wells due to increased health risks.
SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS
The county potable water system has sufficient existing and programmed capacity to accommodate
Average Daily Demand through 2030.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 41
Although the regional potable water system service area has been greatly expanded, there are still
several areas not yet served. Included in these areas are most of Vero Lake Estates; parts of
Roseland, Wabasso, Winter Beach, and other areas. Expansion priority should be given to
subdivisions with undersized lots and areas where the Indian River County Health Department has
determined that the lack of centralized potable water is a threat to residents' health.
Most importantly, the county needs to address future water supply issues. With its recent alternative
water supply assessment, the county started that process. In the future, additional water supply
initiatives will need to be undertaken.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 42
GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
GOAL
Indian River County shall have an efficient potable water system that prevents degradation of
existing resources, promotes orderly growth and development, and meets existing and projected
demands.
OBJECTIVE 1 Service Concurrent with Development
Through the time horizon of the plan, there will be sufficient capacity in the regional potable water
system to accommodate all new development within the urban service area.
POLICY 1.1: New development within the unincorporated portion of Indian River County
shall be approved only when sufficient water supply capacity and potable water facility
capacity are available, either on-site or off-site, to provide needed potable water service.
POLICY 1.2: The County Utilities Department, on an annual basis, shall inspect all private
potable water plants in Indian River County.
POLICY 1.3: The county hereby adopts a potable water level of service standard of 250
gallons per day per equivalent residential unit of treatment capacity, a minimum design flow
of 500 gallons per minute, a minimum storage capacity of 13.5 million gallons, and a
minimum pressure of 40 PSI for potable water facilities.
POLICY 1.4: Through its computerized permit tracking system and its concurrency
management system, the county shall continue to implement procedures to update facility
demand and capacity information as development orders and permits are issued.
POLICY 1.5: The Utilities Department, on an as needed basis, shall provide summary
reports containing capacity and demand information for each public potable water plant
within the county service area.
POLICY 1.6: The county shall continue to allow the use of private wells in rural areas for
single-family units and for small retail establishments. The use of private wells must be
approved by the appropriate regulatory agencies and be consistent with the attached water
and wastewater connection matrix.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 43
POLICY 1.7: No development permit shall be issued by the county for projects to be served
by the City of Vero Beach Utilities Department until the city notifies the county that adequate
water supplies and potable water facility capacity are available to accommodate the project.
OBJECTIVE 2 Regional System Expansion/Correction of Deficiencies
By 2030, at least 75% of all existing residential units in the county will be connected to a regional
potable water system.
POLICY 2.1: The county shall continue to offer its utility line assessment program to areas
with private wells within the County Utilities Department service area.
POLICY 2.2: The county shall continue to offer up to 10 year financing for all utility
assessments.
POLICY 2.3: Within the County Utilities Department service area, the subdivisions having
undersized lots and designated as requiring potable water service due to public health threats
shall be given priority for the provision of public water service.
POLICY 2.4: The county shall provide potable water service to areas where the risk of
private well contamination is determined by the Indian River County Environmental Health
Department to be unacceptably high. The county shall recover costs through assessment of
those landowners directly benefitting from the improvement.
POLICY 2.5: The County Utilities Department shall implement the potable water system
programs and capital improvements identified in Appendix A of this element of the
comprehensive plan.
POLICY 2.6: Prior to 2011, the County will coordinate with the City of Vero Beach and the
Town of Indian River Shores to prepare a financial analysis of options related to the
possibility of consolidation of utility services. This analysis may consist of, but is not limited
to: the possibility of the County serving utilities to the Town of Indian River Shores,
currently served by the City of Vero Beach and the Unincorporated area of the South Barrier
Island, currently served by the City of Vero Beach, full consolidation of the City of Vero
Beach Utility with the Indian River County Utility or making no changes in the existing
utility service areas. Based on the results of a financial analysis of the various service options,
the Board of County Commissioners will consider implementing the results that show the
best financial and operational benefits.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 44
OBJECTIVE 3 Potable Water and Groundwater Quality
Through the time horizon of the plan, the county potable water system will continue to meet the
standards of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523; the Florida Safe Drinking
Water Act, Section 403.850 - 403.864, FS; Chapter 381, FS; and Rules 62-550, 40C-2, 40C-3, 17-22,
and 64E-8, FAC.
POLICY 3.1: The County shall continue to use the Upper Floridan aquifer as the primary
source of potable water and use reverse osmosis as the principal raw water treatment method
for its regional potable water system. With that water source and treatment method, the
county will provide its customers with good quality water that meets the requirements of the
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523; the Florida Safe Drinking Water Act,
Section 403.850 - 403.864, FS; Chapter 381, FS; and Rules 62-550, 40C-2, 40C-3, 17-22, and
64E-8, FAC.
POLICY 3.2: The county, through the Environmental Health Department, shall monitor and
evaluate all private water treatment plants. The results of this evaluation shall be considered
during the prioritization of potable water service expansion.
OBJECTIVE 4 Water Conservation
By 2020, the county’s per capita water use will be less than the 2006 level of 104 gallons/day.
POLICY 4.1: The county shall require the use of irrigation quality (I.Q.) effluent meeting
FDEP standards for irrigation in parks and facilities having significant open space areas (golf
courses, medians, etc.) when those areas are located within the County Utilities Department
service area and are within 1 mile of the nearest effluent reuse line. Reuse must be
authorized by the appropriate regulatory agencies. When a project meets the above criteria,
the developer shall be required to construct an effluent reuse line for treated wastewater to be
used for spray irrigation.
POLICY 4.2: The county shall continue to apply the requirements of Chapter 926 of its land
development regulations, which require the use of drought tolerant vegetation, the use of
efficient irrigation systems, and the preservation of existing native vegetation.
POLICY 4.3: In order to eliminate irrigating during rain or when ground is saturated,
irrigation systems at county facilities shall be either manually operated or utilize automatic
systems with sensors.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 45
POLICY 4.4: The county shall renew its annual contract with the SJRWMD to identify and
require property owners to plug or valve free flowing artesian wells.
POLICY 4.5: The county shall encourage home builders to participate in the SJRWMD’s
Florida Water Star Program by expediting review of their permits.
POLICY 4.6: The county’s water pricing system shall continue to be equitable, but shall
continue to charge an exponentially increasing unit rate for high volume residential users
(those using more than three times the Level of Service standard established in policy 1.3).
POLICY 4.7: To quickly and efficiently respond to any leakage, the county shall continue to
implement its leak detection program.
POLICY 4.8: The county shall require all new subdivisions and projects of 25 or more
lots/units that are within a ¼ mile of an effluent reuse line to connect to the effluent reuse
line. When a project meets above criteria, developer shall be required to construct an effluent
reuse line.
POLICY 4.9: By 2011, the Utilities Department shall revise its current pricing plans to
further discourage excessive water use and to provide incentives to customers for saving
water.
POLICY 4.10: The county shall require new developments to use water from retention
ponds, instead of water from wells, for irrigation.
OBJECTIVE 5 Capital Improvements
Thorough the time horizon of the plan, the county will have completed all programmed capital
improvements shown in Appendix “A” of the Potable Water Sub-Element in order to maximize the
use of existing facilities and discourage urban sprawl.
POLICY 5.1: In conformance with the review process for the Capital Improvements Element
of this plan, the county shall maintain a five-year schedule of capital improvement needs for
public facilities.
POLICY 5.2: Proposed capital improvement projects shall be evaluated and ranked
according to the following priority level guidelines:
• Level One - whether the project is needed to protect public health and safety, to fulfill
the county's legal commitment to provide facilities and services, or to preserve or
achieve full use of existing facilities.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 46
• Level Two - whether the project increases efficiency of use of existing facilities,
prevents or reduces future improvement costs, provides service to developed areas
lacking full service or promotes in-fill development.
• Level Three - whether the project represents a logical extension of facilities and
services within a designated service area
POLICY 5.3: In order to guarantee provision of more than the minimum level of service, the
county shall 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.
POLICY 5.4: The county potable water system shall continue to operate as an enterprise
system which is financially self-supporting.
POLICY 5.5: The county shall fund potable water capital improvements and expansions
through user fees, impact fees, developer’s agreements, assessments and other appropriate
fees and funding mechanisms.
POLICY 5.6: The county shall pursue state and federal sources of funding available for the
improvement and expansion of utility services.
POLICY 5.7: Consistent with the policies of the Future Land Use Element of this plan,
centralized water service shall be limited to the following areas:
• Areas within the Urban Service Area;
• Areas where the county has legal commitments to provide facilities and services as of
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 47
of the date of adoption of this plan;
• Areas outside of the Urban Service Area where at least a portion of the site is
contiguous to an Urban Service Area boundary as depicted on the Official Future
Land Use Map. These areas are subject to the following provisions:
The maximum density of such land shall be as shown on the Official Future
Land Use Map, and the provision of centralized potable water service shall
not be justification for an increase in maximum density;
Potable water line extensions shall be limited to laterals and minor lines
connecting land uses to main lines; and
In no case shall centralized potable water lines be permitted to extend more
than 500 feet from the centerline of a roadway which is an Urban Service
Area boundary, or more than 500 feet from the Urban Service boundary when
the boundary is not a roadway.
• Development projects located outside of the Urban Service Area that meet the criteria
of the policies of the Future Land Use Element for:
clustering of residential development within agricultural areas;
clustering of residential development within privately owned upland
conservation areas;
clustering development within mixed use districts; or
traditional neighborhood design communities.
public facilities such as public schools.
agricultural businesses and industries (including biofuel plants)
• Areas where, consistent with Potable Water Sub-Element Policy 2.4, the risk of
private well contamination is determined to be unacceptably high.
OBJECTIVE 6 Privately Owned Public Water Plants
Through the time horizon of the plan, there shall be no instances of Privately Owned Public Water
Plant failures or breakdowns.
POLICY 6.1: The county shall limit the use of Privately Owned Public Water Plants to areas
that meet the following criteria governing connection to the county potable water system:
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department
Indian River County 48
• Development served by existing Privately Owned Public Water Plants may continue
to receive potable water in that manner until centralized service becomes available.
At that time, all development within ¼ mile of a county water line shall connect to the
county system. Developments whose potable water system causes a public health
problem must connect to the regional system regardless of the distance to water lines.
• Privately owned public water treatment plants shall be allowed in areas of
development outside of the Urban Service Area when such development meets the
criteria of policies of the Future Land Use Element for:
• clustered residential development within agricultural planned development
projects;
• clustered development within new town projects;
• traditional neighborhood design communities; and
• agricultural businesses and industries (including biofuel facilities)
POLICY 6.2: The county shall ensure that, prior to the issuance of development orders or
permits for privately owned public water treatment plants, the applicant has demonstrated
that the project complies with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523; the
Florida Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 403.850 - 403.864, FS; Chapter 381, FS; and Rules
62-550, 40C-2, 40C-3, 17-22, and 64E-8, FAC.
POLICY 6.3: The county shall require that issuance of permits for replacement or expansion
of existing privately owned public water treatment plants be conditioned upon compliance
with the most updated version of DEP regulatory requirements and Federal and State water
quality standards as identified in the “Regulatory Framework” section of this sub-element.
POLICY 6.4: To ensure proper maintenance and operation, the Utilities Department shall
inspect all privately owned public water treatment plants on an annual basis.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 49
POLICY 6.5: The county shall require all new privately owned public water treatment plants
to be built according to the current federal, state, and county requirements. In addition to a
county permit demonstrating compliance with county regulations, any developer building and
operating a privately owned public water treatment plant must obtain a state permit
demonstrating compliance with state and federal regulations. Those regulations include but
are not limited to the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523; the Florida Safe
Drinking Water Act, Section 403.850 - 403.864, FS; Chapter 381, FS; and Rules 62-550,
40C-2, 40C-3, 17-22, and 64E-8, FAC. Both state and county permits are required for the
construction of a plant, and for any future expansion or modification of a plant.
POLICY 6.6: At the time the county approves privately owned public water treatment plants,
the county will require that, at the time deemed appropriate by the county, the water
treatment plant and associated water distribution system shall be dedicated to the county for
operation and maintenance without compensation.
POLICY 6.7: The county shall require all future connections to the regional potable water
system to be consistent with the attached water and wastewater connection matrix.
OBJECTIVE 7 Private Wells
By 2020, the number of new private wells permitted annually will not exceed 300.
POLICY 7.1: The county shall limit the use of new private wells to the following:
• Single-family residences located more than 200 feet from any county water line;
• Residential projects that consist of less than 25 units and are located more than ¼
mile from any county water line; and
• Non-residential projects that consume less than 2,000 gallons per day and are located
more than ¼ mile from any county water line.
The county shall require all developments whose potable water system causes a public health
problem to connect to the regional system regardless of the distance to water lines. All new
developments utilizing private well systems shall be required to construct a dry line.
POLICY 7.2: The county shall ensure that, prior to the issuance of development orders or
permits for projects served by private wells, the applicant has received a Florida Department
of Health permit demonstrating that the project complies with the provisions of Rule 64E-8,
FAC.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 50
POLICY 7.3: The county shall require that issuance of permits for replacement of existing
private wells be conditioned upon compliance with the most updated version of DEP
regulatory requirements and Federal and State water quality standards as identified in the
“Regulatory Framework” section of the sub-element.
POLICY 7.4: The county, in coordination with Environmental Health Department, shall
establish public education programs on the proper use, inspection requirements, maintenance,
and abandonment of private wells.
OBJECTIVE 8 Alternative Water Supply
By 2026, the county will utilize alternative water supply sources for at least 18 mgd of demand. The
alternative water source will supplement water obtained from the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA).
POLICY 8.1: By 2015, the county shall study and identify a viable alternative water source.
POLICY 8.2: By 2020, the county shall obtain all necessary permits to construct the
associated infrastructure related to the alternative water support facilities.
POLICY 8.3: By 2023, the county shall complete all construction plans and specifications
associated with the alternative water supply facilities.
POLICY 8.4: By 2025, the county shall complete the construction of all infrastructure
associated with the alternative water supply facilities.
OBJECTIVE 9 Brine Disposal
By 2015, all reverse osmosis water treatment plan direct brine discharges into the Indian River
lagoon will be eliminated.
POLICY 9.1: By 2010, the county shall identify a viable alternative brine discharge method
for the South County RO Plant.
POLICY 9.2: By 2012, the county shall obtain all necessary permits to construct the
associated infrastructure related to the brine disposal facilities.
POLICY 9.3: By 2013, the county shall complete all construction plans and specifications
associated with the brine disposal facilities.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 51
POLICY 9.4: By 2015, the county shall complete the construction of all infrastructure
associated with the brine disposal facility for the south county RO plant, and the facility shall
be operational.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 52
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
An important part of any plan is its implementation. Implementation involves execution of the plan's
policies. It involves taking actions and achieving results.
For the Potable Water Sub-Element, implementation involves various activities. While some of these
actions will be ongoing, others are activities that will be taken by certain points in time. For each
policy in this element, Table 3.B.11 identifies the type of action required, the responsible entity for
taking the action, the timing, and whether or not the policy necessitates a capital expenditure.
To implement the Potable Water Sub-Element, several different types of actions must be taken.
These include: expansion of plant capacity, extension of the distribution network, implementation of
interlocal agreements, coordination, and preparation of studies and evaluation and monitoring
reports.
Overall plan implementation responsibility will rest with the planning department. Besides its
responsibilities as identified in Table 3.B.11, the planning department has the additional
responsibility of ensuring that other entities discharge their responsibilities. This will entail notifying
other applicable departments of capital expenditures to be included in their budgets, notifying other
departments and groups of actions that must be taken, and assisting other departments and agencies
in their plan implementation responsibilities.
TABLE 3.B.11
POTABLE WATER SUB-ELEMENT
IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX
POLICY #
TYPE OF ACTION
RESPONSIBILITY
TIMING
CAP. EXPEND.
1.1
Land Dev. Regulations
Planning
Ongoing
NO
1.2
Monitoring Procedures
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
1.3
Land Dev. Regulations
Planning
Ongoing
NO
1.4
Monitoring Procedures
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
1.5
Summary Reports
Planning
As Needed
NO
1.6
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/IRCHD
Ongoing
NO
1.7
Land Dev. Regulations
Planning
Ongoing
YES
2.1
Service Provision
Utilities
Ongoing
YES
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 53
2.2
Service Provision
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
2.3
Evaluation Process/
Service Provision
Utilities/IRCHD
Ongoing
YES
2.4
Evaluation Process/
Service Provision
Utilities/IRCHD
Ongoing
YES
2.5
Capital Improvements
Utilities
Ongoing
YES
2.6
Feasibility
Utilities/Planning
2012
NO
3.1
System Maintenance
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
3.2
Monitoring & Evaluation
Utilities/IRCHD
Ongoing
NO
4.1
Land Dev. Regulations
Planning
Ongoing
NO
4.2
Land Dev. Regulations
Planning
Ongoing
NO
4.3
Building Design
BCC
Ongoing
NO
4.4
Coordination
BCC/SJRWMD
Ongoing
NO
4.5
Building Regulations
Building
Ongoing
NO
4.6
Pricing System
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
4.7
Leak Detection
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
4.8
Land Dev. Regulation
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
4.9
Pricing Schedule
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
4.10
Land Dev. Regulation
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
5.1
CIP Maintenance
Finance/Utilities
Ongoing
NO
5.2
CIP Evaluation &
Prioritization
Finance/Utilities
Ongoing
NO
5.3
Capacity Monitoring &
Plant Expansion
Utilities
Ongoing
YES
5.4
Land Dev. Regulations
Finance/Utilities
Ongoing
NO
5.5
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities
Ongoing
YES
5.6
Funding Mechanism
Utilities/Finance
Ongoing
NO
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 54
5.7 Land Dev. Regulations Utilities/Planning Ongoing NO
6.1
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
6.2
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
6.3
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning/ IRCHD
Ongoing
NO
6.4
Plant Inspections
Utilities
Ongoing
NO
6.5
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
6.6
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
6.7
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
7.1
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning
Ongoing
NO
7.2
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning/ IRCHD
Ongoing
NO
7.3
Land Dev. Regulations
Utilities/Planning/ IRCHD
Ongoing
NO
7.4
Public Education
Program
Utilities/ IRCHD
Ongoing
NO
8.1
Feasibility Study
Utilities
2015
NO
8.2
Permits
Utilities
2020
NO
8.3
Plans
Utilities
2023
NO
8.4
Construction
Utilities
2025
NO
9.1
Study
Utilities
2010
NO
9.2
Permits
Utilities
2012
NO
9.3
Plans
Utilities
2013
NO
9.4
Construction
Utilities
2015
NO
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 55
EVALUATION & MONITORING PROCEDURES
To be effective, a plan must not only provide a means for implementation; it must also provide a
mechanism for assessing the plan's effectiveness. Generally a plan's effectiveness can be judged by
the degree to which the plan's objectives have been met. Single objectives are structured, as much as
possible, to be measurable and to have specific timeframes, the plan's objectives are the benchmarks
used as a basis to evaluate the plan.
Table 3.B.12 identifies each of the objectives of the Potable Water Sub-Element. It also identifies the
measures to be used to evaluate progress in achieving these objectives. Most of these measures are
quantitative, such as percentage of existing units connected to the regional system, per capita water
use, completion of the identified improvements of system, and others. Besides the measures, Table
3.B.12 also identifies timeframes associated with meeting the objectives.
The Utilities Department staff will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the Potable Water
Sub-Element. This will involve collection of data and compilation of information regarding facility
capacity, expansion, and new development permitted. This will be done on a regular basis. As part
of the county's concurrency management system, the Utilities Department will continually monitor
the facility capacity to ensure that potable water level-of-service standards will be maintained.
While monitoring will occur on a continual basis, formal evaluation of the Potable Water Sub-
Element will occur every five years in conjunction with the formal evaluation and appraisal of the
entire comprehensive plan. Besides assessing progress, the evaluation and appraisal process will also
be used to determine whether the Potable Water Sub-Element objectives should be modified or
expanded. In this way the monitoring and evaluation of the Potable Water Sub-Element will not only
provide a means of determining the degree of success of the plan's implementation; it will also
provide a mechanism for evaluating needed changes to the plan element.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 56
TABLE 3.B.12
POTABLE WATER SUB-ELEMENT
EVALUATION MATRIX
OBJECTIVE #
MEASURE
TIMEFRAME
1
Availability of sufficient capacity
Through the time horizon of the
plan
2
% of residential units connected to
regional system
By 2030
3
Compliance with federal and state
standards
Through the time horizon of the
plan
4
Per capita water use
By 2020
5
Completed improvements
Through the time horizon of the
plan
6
# of privately owned public water plant
failures or breakdowns
Through the time horizon of the
plan
7
# of new private wells permitted
annually
By 2020
8
Alternative Water Supply
By 2018
9
Brine Disposal
By 2015
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 57
Table 3.B.13
Water and Wastewater Connection Matrix for New Development
Inside of the Urban Service Area
Connect Not Connect
Single Family:
Within 200’ of system
Outside of 200’ of system
X
X
Residential Projects:
Subdivision, multi-family, site plan, PD, DRI
Within ¼ mile of the system
25 units or more
Less than 25 units
X
X
Outside of ¼ mile of system
25 units or more
Less than 25 units
X
X**
Non-Residential Projects:
Subdivision, site plan, PD, DRI
Within ¼ mile of system
2,000 gallons daily flow or more*
Less than 2,000 gallons daily flow*
X
X
Outside of ¼ mile of system
2,000 gallons daily flow or more*
Less than 2,000 gallons daily flow*
X
X**
* Daily flow refers to water consumption or sewer generation.
**The applicant for any development project, where such project will not connect to a centralized
system, must sign a developer's agreement with the Indian River County Utilities Department to
operate on a private system with a commitment to connect to the regional system when service is
available. These agreements shall be conditioned upon demonstration of compliance with applicable
federal, state, and local permit requirements. When using a private system or on-site facilities, the
developer must construct a dry line or wet line at the time of construction, if required by the Utilities
Department. The final determination for the type of non-residential establishment which can utilize a
private system shall be made by the Utilities Department, Community Development Department, and
Environmental Health Department.
Comprehensive Plan Potable Water Sub-Element
Community Development Department Indian River County 58
System Availability: A system is considered available when a collection or distribution line exists in
a public easement or right-of-way.
Distance Determination: Distance determinations are made from the nearest point of the project
(area of development) to the public facility directly through public easements or public rights-of-way.
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5
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0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
12
"
W
M
o
n
2
7
t
h
A
v
e
f
r
o
m
1
3
t
h
s
t
S
W
to
1
7
t
h
S
t
S
W
(
M
a
d
e
r
a
I
s
l
e
s
&
E
c
h
o
La
k
e
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
3
4
1
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
3
4
1
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Ti
e
S
o
u
t
h
C
o
u
n
t
y
B
r
i
n
e
L
i
n
e
t
o
Ex
i
s
t
i
n
g
F
M
$
2
7
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
2
7
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
58
t
h
A
v
6
5
t
h
S
t
t
o
6
9
t
h
S
t
&
a
l
o
n
g
61
s
t
a
n
d
6
9
t
h
S
t
$
5
0
,
0
0
0
$
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
4
5
0
,
0
0
0
$
2
3
2
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
1
,
2
3
2
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
N
o
f
W
i
n
d
s
o
r
&
P
o
l
o
C
l
u
b
E
x
t
e
n
s
i
o
n
$
-
$
-
$
2
2
5
,
0
0
0
$
2
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
2
4
5
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Co
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
v
e
P
l
a
n
P
o
t
a
bl
e
W
a
t
e
r
S
u
b
-
E
l
e
m
e
n
t
Co
m
m
u
n
i
t
y
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
m
e
n
t
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
In
d
i
a
n
R
i
v
e
r
C
o
u
n
t
y
6
0
Sv
c
e
T
r
a
n
s
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
L
i
n
e
s
O
s
l
o
P
k
,
Vi
l
l
a
g
e
s
o
f
V
B
G
a
r
d
e
n
s
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
7
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
7
0
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
In
s
t
a
l
l
1
2
"
W
M
a
l
o
n
g
6
6
t
h
A
v
e
f
r
o
m
16
t
h
S
t
t
o
S
R
6
0
&
1
6
"
W
M
a
l
o
n
g
16
t
h
S
t
.
$
6
0
9
,
3
5
6
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
6
0
9
,
3
5
6
Capacity Charges & User Fees
In
s
t
a
l
l
W
e
l
l
s
a
n
d
P
i
p
i
n
g
a
t
N
o
r
t
h
Co
u
n
t
y
R
O
P
l
a
n
t
$
1
,
9
6
5
,
5
8
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
1
,
9
6
5
,
5
8
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
In
s
t
a
l
l
W
e
l
l
N
o
.
7
s
t
S
.
C
o
.
R
O
Pl
a
n
t
$
1
,
2
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
1
,
2
0
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Fa
l
c
o
n
T
r
a
c
e
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
e
r
'
s
A
g
r
e
e
m
e
n
t
$
4
4
,
5
0
2
$
4
4
,
5
0
2
$
4
4
,
5
0
2
$
-
$
-
$
1
3
3
,
5
0
6
Capacity Charges & User Fees
In
s
t
a
l
l
6
"
F
M
i
n
C
o
n
j
u
n
c
t
i
o
n
w
i
t
h
43
r
d
A
v
e
R
o
a
d
W
i
d
e
n
i
n
g
$
3
3
5
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
3
3
5
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
In
s
t
a
l
l
6
"
F
M
a
l
o
n
g
1
6
t
h
S
t
w
e
s
t
o
f
43
r
d
A
v
e
$
1
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
1
0
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
16
"
W
M
f
r
o
m
K
i
n
g
s
h
i
g
h
w
a
y
T
a
n
k
t
o
Co
l
l
e
g
e
L
a
n
e
$
2
9
0
,
4
5
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
2
9
0
,
4
5
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
In
s
t
a
l
l
2
4
"
W
M
a
l
o
n
g
7
7
t
h
S
t
f
r
o
m
66
t
h
A
v
e
t
o
7
0
t
h
A
v
e
t
h
e
n
N
o
r
t
h
t
o
CR
5
1
0
$
-
$
-
$
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
8
8
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
1
,
3
8
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
N.
R
e
g
.
R
e
u
s
e
S
t
o
.
&
R
e
p
u
m
p
Fa
c
i
l
i
t
y
w
i
t
h
T
r
a
n
s
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
M
a
i
n
s
t
o
Ba
r
r
i
e
r
I
s
l
a
n
d
$
1
,
5
0
1
,
3
2
7
$
1
,
1
2
5
,
0
3
8
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
2
,
6
2
6
,
3
6
5
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Co
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
8
"
W
M
o
n
O
s
l
o
f
r
o
m
8
t
h
Ct
.
t
o
9
t
h
C
t
.
$
3
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
3
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Co
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
1
2
"
W
M
a
l
o
n
g
5
3
r
d
S
t
.
E
/
O
RR
,
L
a
t
H
C
a
n
a
l
$
7
9
5
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
7
9
5
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Co
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
2
0
"
W
M
o
n
6
6
t
h
A
v
4
1
s
t
t
o
77
t
h
S
t
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Co
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
2
0
"
W
M
o
n
6
6
t
h
A
v
f
r
o
m
20
t
h
S
t
.
t
o
4
1
s
t
S
t
.
$
-
$
1
,
0
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
1
,
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
2
,
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Ve
r
o
n
a
T
r
a
c
e
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
e
r
'
s
A
g
r
e
e
m
e
n
t
$
4
0
,
1
0
0
$
4
0
,
1
0
0
$
4
0
,
1
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
1
2
0
,
3
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Ma
d
e
r
a
I
s
l
e
/
E
c
h
o
L
a
k
e
D
e
v
A
g
r
e
e
m
e
n
t
$
-
$
-
$
9
7
,
4
0
0
$
9
7
,
4
0
0
$
-
$
1
9
4
,
8
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
Up
g
r
a
d
e
D
a
t
a
f
l
o
w
S
y
s
t
e
m
w
/
A
u
t
o
Va
l
v
e
s
$
2
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
2
0
0
,
0
0
0
Capacity Charges & User Fees
To
t
a
l
E
x
p
e
n
d
i
t
u
r
e
s
$
1
1
,
1
2
8
,
2
7
7
$
3
,
2
4
6
,
8
7
7
$
3
,
3
9
4
,
2
3
9
$
3
,
3
0
5
,
4
0
0
$
1
,
9
2
5
,
0
0
0
$
2
2
,
9
9
9
,
7
9
3
Co
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
v
e
P
l
a
n
P
o
t
a
bl
e
W
a
t
e
r
S
u
b
-
E
l
e
m
e
n
t
Co
m
m
u
n
i
t
y
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
m
e
n
t
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
In
d
i
a
n
R
i
v
e
r
C
o
u
n
t
y
6
1
Co
m
p
a
r
i
s
o
n
o
f
E
x
p
e
n
d
i
t
u
r
e
s
t
o
Re
v
e
n
u
e
FY
2
0
0
9
/
1
0
FY
2
0
1
0
/
1
1
FY
2
0
1
1
/
1
2
FY
2
0
1
2
/
1
3
FY
2
0
1
3
/
1
4
Total
To
t
a
l
R
e
v
e
n
u
e
$
1
7
,
2
9
9
,
7
9
3
$
1
,
2
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
1
,
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
1
,
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
1
,
5
0
0
,
0
0
0
$
2
2
,
9
9
9
,
7
9
3
To
t
a
l
E
x
p
e
n
d
i
t
u
r
e
s
$
1
1
,
1
2
8
,
2
7
7
$
3
,
2
4
6
,
8
7
7
$
3
,
3
9
4
,
2
3
9
$
3
,
3
0
5
,
4
0
0
$
1
,
9
2
5
,
0
0
0
$
2
2
,
9
9
9
,
7
9
3
An
n
u
a
l
B
a
l
a
n
c
e
$
6
,
1
7
1
,
5
1
6
-
$
2
,
0
4
6
,
8
7
7
-
$
1
,
8
9
4
,
2
3
9
-
$
1
,
8
0
5
,
4
0
0
-
$
4
2
5
,
0
0
0
$
0
F:
\
C
o
m
m
u
n
i
t
y
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
m
e
n
t
\
C
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
v
e
P
l
a
n
E
l
e
m
e
n
t
s
\
p
o
t
ab
l
e
w
a
t
e
r
e
l
e
m
e
n
t
\
P
o
t
a
b
l
e
W
a
t
e
r
E
l
e
m
e
n
t
-
w
o
r
k
i
n
g
c
o
p
y
.
d
o
c