The Southwest Florida Water Management District has revised the water shortage emergency order for the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority to meet the drinking water supply for more than 250,000 residents.
This modification allows the Authority to withdraw up to 120 million gallons per day (mgd) from the Peace River for up to 120 days. This increase in the maximum daily intake from 90 to 120 mgd will allow the Authority to take advantage of the high flows typical of the rainy season. This authorization is consistent with the proposed minimum flow for the lower Peace River.
The Authority’s service area includes the City of North Port as well as portions of Charlotte, DeSoto, Sarasota and Manatee counties (Manatee County currently does not receive water from the Authority.) The Peace River is the Authority’s primary source to meet the drinking water needs of its customers. During periods of high river flows, the Authority typically stores untreated water in its reservoir and stores treated water in its aquifer storage and recovery wellfields for later treatment and use during the dry season or whenever river withdrawals are not sufficient to meet drinking water demands.
Since this order was first issued on Aug.13, 2007, the Authority has been able to divert more than 2.9 billion gallons of water more than its water use permit would have normally allowed.
As of July 12, the Authority has 598 million gallons of water in storage.
However, compared to a total storage capacity of about 14 billion gallons, this is an extremely low amount to have in storage. To keep meeting the public health, welfare and safety needs of its service area, the Authority needs to continue capturing as much surface water as possible.