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BCC looks to future of reclaimed water
Conservation methods may include reduction of days to use reclaimed water and metering to supplement education programs.
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
PINELLAS COUNTY - Although the Board of County Commissioners expressed concerns about current availability of reclaimed water in northern parts of the county, approval was granted on Tuesday for consulting services for four additional phases.
The BCC unanimously approved three agreements for professional consulting services for north county reclaimed water distribution systems. One agreement was with Boyle Engineering Corporation for North County Phase 2A. The second agreement was with Jones, Edmunds & Associates Inc. for North County Phase 2B. The third agreement was with King Engineering Associates Inc. for North County Phases 3A and 3B.
Commissioner Karen Seel said she was very concerned that the county was going to continue to expand the reclaimed water system in the north county and have no guaranteed water supply.
Currently, reclaimed water is not available in the north county for irrigation purposes on Monday, Tuesday and Friday until further notice.
Pick Talley, director of the county's Utilities Department, said work was being done to expand the reclaimed water supply. He said the county had an agreement with the city of Clearwater until 2012 for 3 million gallons of reclaimed water a day.
Seel asked if it was fair to go forward with expanding the reclaimed water system knowing that in the future the system may lose its supply from Clearwater.
Tally said Clearwater did not want to extend a contract past 2012 because of its own reclaimed water supply needs. The city of Clearwater recently decided to start metering reclaimed water use.
Tally said Clearwater wanted the county to enter into a contract at the metered rate. The current contract supplies water to the county at a rate of 10 cents a gallon. The metered rate would be 80 cents a gallon.
"We have the water until 2012," Tally said. "Then we'll have to develop other sources."
The Commission said ensuring a continuing supply of reclaimed water should begin now, not in 2012.
Commissioner Susan Latvala said serious consideration should be given to limiting the days reclaimed water could be used.
"I think people would still be happy to have it and pay for it," she said.
Another idea to conserve reclaimed water use in the future was putting in meters.
Tally said meters were an option to increase conservation of reclaimed water, but he said the use would involve additional expenses.
Commissioners discussed using a combination of restricting reclaimed water availability to two days and the use of meters.
"If we reduce the number of days to two days, people can water their lawns all day for those two days," Commissioner Ronnie Duncan said. "But with a meter, they know eventually a higher rate is going to kick in."
Tally said the ultimate goal was to remove all water use for irrigation from the potable water supply.
He said the supply of reclaimed water from the South Cross Bayou was more than enough to meet demands in the south part of the county. He said the facility produced 20 to 22 million gallons a day with usage of only 13 million gallons a day.
He said in the future when the expected 30,000 customers were hooked up to the system, the surplus supply could be eliminated. For now, he said, conserving water in south county would create a problem of needing to pump more reclaimed water into the bay and become a concern of the Department of Environmental Protection.
Tally said his department would continue its Healthy Lawn education program.
"Over watering your lawn causes stress to the lawn," he said. "You get weeds, disease, fungus and pests."
The BCC directed Tally to study the possibility of restricting days of availability and metering for the future. Commissioner Harris said people with shallow wells should be included in the plan.
Tally said he would look into the suggestions, but would not recommend restricting days beyond the north county restrictions or meters now.
"We're not talking about implementing it today," Welch said.
"We have to have a plan," said Harris.
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Article published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006
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