The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed and increased a water use permit for the City of Punta Gorda to meet the projected population growth through 2027.
The previous annual average permitted quantity was 5,358,000 gallons of water per day (gpd.) The new permitted quantity is 8,088,000 gpd. However, the additional quantities will come from surface water, not groundwater. The surface water comes from the Shell Creek reservoir, located near the Hendrickson Dam, at the confluence of Shell and Prairie creeks.
As part of the permit, the city is also required to promote water conservation and comply with the establishment of minimum flows and levels for the Shell Creek system. A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and environment.
In an effort to promote water conservation, the city has tiered water rates which increase with water use, low-flow plumbing fixtures in all new construction, and a rebate program for installing rain sensors for automatic irrigation shut-off.
The city is also using Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) wells to capture excess surface water flows during the rainy season for use in the dry months, and is investigating the feasibility of a reclaimed water system for their service area.
The permit expires July 31, 2027.