The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a water use permit that will authorize the City of Lakeland to withdraw up to 30.2 million gallons of ground water per day (mgd) based on an administrative law judge’s recommended order.
The city requested an administrative hearing after its application for a 10-year water use permit with total withdrawals of 36.8 mgd, with 8.77 from its Northeast well field, was modified by the District. The District proposed the renewal as a six-year pemit with an initial total withdrawal of 33.03 mgd, with 28.03 mgd from the Northwest well field, 1.5 mgd from the Northeast well field and 3.5 mgd from the Combee well field.
The permit renewal authorizes groundwater withdrawals of up to 28.03 mgd from the city’s Northwest well field and up to 4 mgd from the Northeast well field, not to exceed a total of 30.2 mgd. The maximum withdrawal amounts are established to allow rotation between well fields to minimize environmental impacts.
The permit renewal requires the City of Lakeland to implement an environmental monitoring and management plan to ensure that the permitted groundwater withdrawals do not cause unacceptable adverse impacts. The city also will be required to implement a wetlands improvement plan for approximately 400 acres of wetlands in the Northeast well field.
The city is also encouraged to pursue a water use permit for the Combee well field for its future water needs and/or additional mitigation for the impacts of pumping at the Northeast well field.
The permit expires on March 24, 2014.