The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday modified a water use permit for the City of Tarpon Springs.
The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 1.38 million gallons of water per day. The new permitted quantity is 4.2 million gallons per day.
The increased quantities will allow the city to develop a brackish water wellfield to supply its own water demand for a population that is projected to exceed 34,000 in 2015. Currently, the city imports much of its water through Pinellas County Utilities.
The city received voter approval for the project in a citywide referendum in 2006. The District's "Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board(Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/pinellas-anclote.php is providing $20 million to help fund the brackish groundwater wellfield and a reverse osmosis treatment facility to produce drinking water from the locally available resource.
The District had planned to issue the permit in October 2010, but a Tarpon Springs resident filed an objection to the permit, which delayed approval of the permit modification until an administrative hearing could be conducted. The administrative law judge assigned to the case recommended dismissal of the resident's objection, allowing the District to move forward with the issuance of the permit.
The permit requires the city to maintain meters on existing and proposed withdrawal points; record and report monthly meter readings; monitor and report water quality and aquifer water levels; submit annual reports on residential water use, reclaimed water supplied, per capita water use rates and wellfield operation; and monitor wetlands.
The City of Tarpon Springs permit expires Oct. 15, 2015.
The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 1.38 million gallons of water per day. The new permitted quantity is 4.2 million gallons per day.
The increased quantities will allow the city to develop a brackish water wellfield to supply its own water demand for a population that is projected to exceed 34,000 in 2015. Currently, the city imports much of its water through Pinellas County Utilities.
The city received voter approval for the project in a citywide referendum in 2006. The District's "Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board(Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/pinellas-anclote.php is providing $20 million to help fund the brackish groundwater wellfield and a reverse osmosis treatment facility to produce drinking water from the locally available resource.
The District had planned to issue the permit in October 2010, but a Tarpon Springs resident filed an objection to the permit, which delayed approval of the permit modification until an administrative hearing could be conducted. The administrative law judge assigned to the case recommended dismissal of the resident's objection, allowing the District to move forward with the issuance of the permit.
The permit requires the city to maintain meters on existing and proposed withdrawal points; record and report monthly meter readings; monitor and report water quality and aquifer water levels; submit annual reports on residential water use, reclaimed water supplied, per capita water use rates and wellfield operation; and monitor wetlands.
The City of Tarpon Springs permit expires Oct. 15, 2015.