Having a diversity of water supply sources is more sustainable and can reduce impacts to the environment much more than a single supply source can. Using several source types — such as ground water, reuse water and surface water — allows individual sources to be used when they are abundant and replenished when they are not.
During the summer rainy season, surface water, also known as stormwater, can be used while ground water sources from wells are given a chance to recharge. During drier times of the year, ground and reuse water can be used, giving surface water sources a chance to rehydrate wetlands and water tables. Using multiple water sources greatly reduces the strain on the natural environment by minimizing the competition for limited water resources — Wetlands stay healthier, aquifers are allowed to recharge, and we get the water we need.
Larger interconnected regional systems offer additional benefits by not only having the advantages of diversified water sources, but more of them distributed over a larger, less vulnerable area. Ideally a diversified, interconnected regional water supply system offers the most drought-proof and environmentally sustainable water supply system available.
Sarasota County’s newest water supply initiative captures excess surface water from Cow Pen Slough while also restoring wetlands and bay water quality. Combined with existing County water supply resources, the new Cow Pen Slough water may be adequate to meet the County’s needs for the next 35 years, or more.
But there is a catch. The cost to bring Cow Pen Slough water to your tap exceeds $180 million dollars. The Water Management District has grants available to fund just this sort of water supply initiative, but the District may want Sarasota County to surrender ownership of the water source in order to obtain the grant money. The grant money isn’t really a gift, as Sarasota County taxpayers are one of the larger contributors to the source that funds the grant.
One concept presently being considered to create a regional water supply system is to put all of the region’s combined water supply sources into a pool and have a portion of the rate the same for all customers in the pool. This concept may not be favorable to Sarasota County utility customers. Not all jurisdictions in the water supply pool have been able to identify a long-term, environmentally sustainable water supply source and a funding plan to pay for it. They also may not share Sarasota County’s philosophies on growth. Some regional partners may consider Sarasota’s growth management policies too conservative and opt for more aggressive growth policies that would need additional new water supply sources to accommodate their new growth. And that is certainly their decision.
In terms of new water supplies, the low hanging fruit is gone. Future water supplies will become increasing more expensive as the demand for water competes with limited supplies and the environment. As the region’s thirst for more regional water supplies grows, so too will the price. In a regional rate pool, Sarasota County utility customers may see higher rates caused by non-Sarasota County water consumption. To some degree, we could actually find ourselves subsidizing growth in other jurisdictions.
Decades before regionalization was in vogue, Sarasota County worked with Manatee County in a regional water supply partnership. Sarasota County purchased Manatee County’s excess water supply while Manatee County retained ownership of the supply source. Sarasota County is now in a position to offer the same regional partnership to its neighbors who will need water considerably sooner than Sarasota County will. Sarasota would develop the new Cow Pen Slough water supply, with the help of the Water Management District grant, and offer the excess water supply to our regional partners, while retaining ownership of the supply source. A written agreement between the County and a regional water supply authority would validate this partnership and offer Sarasota County an opportunity to stabilize rates for its utility customers.
A diverse, interconnected regional water supply system is clearly in the best interest of all governments and citizens of Southwest Florida. The recent emphasis on regionalization, by limiting new water supply grants to regional water supply initiatives is commendable. However “regional” should be defined in terms of connectivity, environmental stewardship and sustainability, not ownership.