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City Council takes action on water plan
By LESTER R. DAILEY
Article published on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 |
CLEARWATER – Back in 2004, Parsons Water and Infrastructure Inc. produced a water master plan for the city of Clearwater.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District approved the plan on Nov. 30, 2006, and state law gave the city 18 months to formally adopt it.
So the City Council scrambled at its May 15 meeting to meet the statutory May 30 deadline.
“The fundamental purpose of a water supply plan is to ensure that the community is able to supply quality drinking water of a sufficient quantity for current and future needs,” a staff memo to the council explained. “According to the master plan, based on population and density projections, the city (of Clearwater) will be functionally capable of providing water through the year 2025.”
The consulting firm of Wade Trim was hired to prepare an amendment to the utility element of the city’s Comprehensive Plan that would incorporate the master plan into its section regarding potable water, and the city’s Community Development Board unanimously recommended approval of that amendment. Now that the council has ratified it, the change must be approved by the state’s Department of Community Affairs.
The city’s goal, according to the amendment, is to “provide, develop and maintain a permanent water supply system to meet the anticipated demand while providing maximum practical protection to the environment at a cost consistent with the public’s ability and willingness to pay.”
To provide an adequate water supply, the city will evaluate its codes dealing with water and coordinate them with Swiftmud. The City’s Engineering Department will determine the adequacy and condition of any water system that Clearwater obtains through annexation and will ensure that the potable and reclaimed water systems which developers of new subdivisions are required to build meet city specifications.
The city will work with Swiftmud, the Pinellas County Health Department and the federal Environmental Protection Agency to develop innovative techniques for augmenting the city’s current water supply. It will continue to seek new water sources, to design new water projects in ways that are compatible with existing natural and man-made systems, and to develop improvements that will conserve water, energy and other resources.
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Article published on Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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