The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday modified a water use permit (WUP) for the City of Lake Wales.
The modified permit increases the permitted quantities. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 3,797,300 gallons of water per day (gpd.) The new permitted quantity is 3,821,000 gpd, which is an increase of 23,700 gpd.
The quantity was increased because the city began providing potable water to the Waverly service area, which used to receive its water from Polk County Utilities. The new permitted quantity should allow Lake Wales to provide potable water to its entire service area without exceeding its permit.
The permit requires the city to investigate the feasibility of using reclaimed water or other alternative water supply sources. The city must submit an annual report on the effectiveness of its water conserving rate structure. In addition, the city must submit monthly withdrawal reports to the District.
The Lake Wales permit expires May 23, 2010.