During the late 1960's and early 1970's, concerns arose about the long term, potentially adverse economic and environmental effects of private water and sanitary sewer franchises. These concerns prompted the Board of County Commissioners to initiate preparation of one of its first planning efforts. The 1971 study, Water and Wastewater System Master Plan, 1 identified water pollution as the principal rationale for proposing the creation of a
Countywide, County owned and operated water and wastewater treatment system. Public support for the implementation of a portion of the plan was strengthened by a drought during the winter of 1970-71, which led to widespread well failures and to the enactment of emergency watering restrictions by the Board of County Commissioners.
A 1975 engineering study entitled, Central County Pollution Control Zone Engineering and Cost Analysis of Water and Wastewater Systems, 2 focused on particular problems associated with development of water and
wastewater systems within the mid County area.
In 1978, a citizen's Ad Hoc committee was appointed. Its findings concurred with earlier recommendations to create a countywide potable water system.
The committee urged the Board of County Commissioners to continue creating special utility districts capable of becoming bulk water customers to a Countywide treatment and supply system. The recommendations proposed a phased development of existing water resources within the County,
including the establishment of a wellfield in eastern Sarasota County as the initial supply source, followed by development of surface water supplies, such as the Myakka River and Cow Pen Slough. It was this report which helped stimulate interest and support for the County to examine the T.
Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve for use as a long term potable water supply source. Additional recommendations called for negotiations among Sarasota, DeSoto, and Charlotte Counties in an effort to create a tri-county water authority capable of utilizing the Peace River as a long-range supply source.
The Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority was created in 1982 by interlocal agreement among Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties. Hardee County withdrew in 1983 and a new interlocal agreement among the current members, Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota Counties, was approved in 1984. The Authority is an Independent Special District of the State created pursuant to Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, in recognition by its member governments that provisions for water supply needs and protection of water resources is best
accomplished by maintaining a regional water supply authority. By Florida Statute, the primary function of the Authority is to ensure that future water supplies and the development, recovery, storing, and supplying of water resources for county or municipal purposes are completed in a manner that gives priority to encouraging conservation and reducing adverse
environmental effects of excessive or improper withdrawals from
SWFWMD urged the County to concentrate upon the development of an in County water supply. This suggestion, in conjunction with the Ad Hoc citizens committee report identifying the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve as a potential water supply source, prompted the Board to seek additional information regarding the tract Sarasota County also requested the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to perform extensive
exploratory hydrological studies on the surficial aquifer of the tract. These studies, which were completed in 1980, provided the basic foundation for developing the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve as a potable water supply. In 1982, the Board proceeded with statements of financial
commitment to acquire and develop the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve; voters approved a referendum to purchase the tract.
Resolution No. 82-200 was also adopted to establish an ecological
monitoring program for the Reserve, as well as determine the overall needs for acquiring and conserving additional portions of the Reserve. The
ecological monitoring requirements have been incorporated in the water use permit for the Carlton plant.
The Sarasota County Water System - Study Phase Report 3 was submitted to the Board in November 1985. This report focused on the design of a water treatment plant and a water transmission network sufficient to serve the County's projected needs. The recommendation of this report was for the County to proceed with the adoption of a "staged approach" to developing a water treatment plant capable of being expanded on a modular basis.
Additionally, the Board agreed to consider efforts to secure water for potential customers, and to study the rate making requirements of combining the existing system with a Countywide water supply system.
The Water System Master Plan Update Report 4 completed in 1985, detailed the expansion of the County's potable water network. This study
concentrated on projecting water usage within the existing SUD 1 service area. The study included revised population projections within the service area, refined historical usage data, and recommended improvements in the various facilities of the system. This report, with its refined usage data, was the basis for determining the level of service standard for potable water.
The November 1994 document, Preliminary Engineering Report - Central Water and Wastewater Service, 5 was prepared to update previous efforts for the phasing and design of a centralized utility system. Although the report primarily addressed the provision of central sewer service in areas of the urbanized, unincorporated area utilizing septic tanks, the report also identified those areas relying on private wells for water supply. The study established 226 project areas where central water and sewer service were not available. The project areas encompassed a total of 37,341 platted lots of record with 30,188 existing homes, 13,910 of which were served by private water wells.
In 1996 a master plan was prepared specifically addressing water storage, distribution and treatment needs for the southern portions of the County’s service area. The master plan reviewed existing system information and facilities, utilized the CYBERNET computer model to evaluate demand scenarios and various system alternatives, and presented a series of recommendations for future operation and maintenance functions and capital improvements.
In 1997, the Florida Legislature amended Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, to require the water management districts to prepare district-wide Water Supply Assessments (WSA). Based on the results of the WSA, Regional Water Supply Plans (RWSP) were required for areas where existing and reasonably anticipated sources of water were determined to be inadequate to meet future demand. The WSA addresses the needs of all classes of water users, not just public suppliers.
The SWFWMD WSA was completed and accepted by the SWFWMD Governing Board in June 1998. Four water supply planning regions were identified for purposes of preparing the WSA, with Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto and Charlotte Counties comprising the southern region. Work then began on the development of the RWSP, which was adopted by the
Governing Board in August 2001.
The RWSP identified countywide demands through the year 2020 for
agriculture, public supply, industrial, and recreational users. The RWSP also identified potential new sources of water to meet these demands. The
quantity of water from the potential new sources exceeds the projected deficit in the southern region by a factor of three. The RWSP does not dictate specific projects but rather provides a list of projects for users to choose from.
Concurrent with the development of the RWSP, Sarasota County retained the services of consultants CH2MHill to complete a Sarasota County Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP). 6 Whereas the SWFWMD RWSP identified needs of all classes of users to the year 2020, the County’s WSMP looked at only potable water demands through the year 2030. The WSMP identified 25 supply alternatives and ranked those alternatives in a decision matrix based on factors to maximize reliability, ability to permit, resource management benefits, customer satisfaction, and management flexibility, and to minimize costs. The WSMP did not recommend specific projects.
Because of the close timing to the creation of the Water Planning Alliance, the WSMP was forwarded to the Alliance for their use in evaluating water supply demand projections and potential projects on a regional basis. In conjunction with the County’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan amendment, Growth Management developed population projections to the year 2050.
The demand projections in the WSMP were updated in April 2002 to reflect the new population estimates.
In November of 2001, Sarasota County Utilities completed the Wastewater Management Plan 7 that evaluated the north, central and southern service areas for wastewater treatment. This plan outlined strategies for optimizing flows to regional wastewater treatment facilities, effluent disposal or reclaimed water supply and demand projections and biosolids disposal issues, all of which are discussed in the Sanitary Sewer Section of this Chapter.
In May of 2002, Sarasota County, along with representatives from every county and municipality in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota Counties, and the Englewood Water District met as the Water Planning Alliance (Alliance). The Alliance is a voluntary planning body which addresses water supply needs for the four-county region over a 20-year time frame. The goal of such a cooperative effort is to prevent any “water wars”
in the future as the region grows. The Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority acts as the administrative agency for the Alliance.
The Alliance conducted a multi-phase Regional System Planning and Engineering Study to evaluate supply and demand needs for potable and reclaimed water within the region. Phase I focused on an assessment of the existing water supplies, treatment facilities and delivery methods. Phase II was completed in August of 2005 and focused on future water supply assessments and project prioritization. This feasibility study looked at a 20 year period (2003-2023) to address the region’s future water supply needs The role of the Alliance is to evaluate projected demands and potential water supply projects on a regional basis. By planning cooperatively, the region can prevent potential adverse environmental impacts from
concentrated water withdrawals in any particular water system and meet the water supply needs of the region.
In October 2005 the water authority member governments and water customers adopted the second amended interlocal agreement to the Master Water Supply Contract, (MWSC). The MWSC established the terms and conditions for providing potable water from the Authority to its member governments and customers. The Master Water Supply Contract is valid for a term of 35 years. Each water customer has an option to extend the contract for an additional term of 35 years. An important MWSC provision requires that on an annual basis each entity shall provide the Authority with its potable water demand projections for a 20-year period. These projections are used by the Authority for planning purposes. The MWSC further stipulates that the projections provided for the first 7 years of the 20-year planning period represent a contractual obligation on the part of the Authority to develop supplies and on the part of the members and customer(s) to purchase those supply quantities.
The information developed by the Water Planning Alliance was used by the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority to develop an Integrated Regional Water Supply Master Plan which was completed in March 2006. This 2006 Master Supply Plan included a Capital Improvement Program, which identified projects through the 7-year MWSC planning period from 2006 through 2013. The Master Plan also includes an
evaluation of water supply opportunities for the Authority to consider that go beyond the 7-year MWSC planning period, for the years from 2014 through 2025.
In 2006 Sarasota County updated its 2001 Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP). The purpose of this update was to address the County’s water supply needs through the year 2050. During this same period of time (concurrently) the Southwest Florida Water Management District adopted its 2006 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). The County has been working to coordinate its water supply needs with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA), the Water Planning Alliance (WPA), and its associate members to develop adequate water supply strategies in concert with these regional initiatives.
The Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority’s Master Plan was released in final draft form in December 2006, and finalized in
September 2008. The Master Plan includes a preliminary evaluation of new regional supply opportunities, with an emphasis on providing a high degree of reliability. This Master Plan projected water demands through the year 2025.
Pursuant to a change in Florida Statutes (Sec. 163.3177(6)(c)); Sarasota County amended its comprehensive plan to include reference to its adopted 10-year Water Supply Facilities Work Plan entitled Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan Water Facilities Supplement, dated September 2009. 8 Shortly thereafter in July of 2011 the Southwest Florida Water Management District adopted its 2010 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP), and
Sarasota County updated its 10-year Water Supply Facilities Work Plan, in 2012 9 along with amending its comprehensive plan in accordance with state statute.
In June of 2013, the Board of County Commissioners accepted the 2012 Water Supply Master Plan, 10 which included the previously accepted 10- year Water Supply Facilities Work Plan along with additional data and analysis out to the 2050 planning horizon.