Seacoast Utility Authority Water Use Permit

1
Seacoast Utility AuthorityWater Use Permit
Steven Memberg, Section LeaderWater Use
Regulation Division, Water Supply
DepartmentJanuary 26, 2009
2
Seacoast Utility Authority
Loxahatchee River
Seacoast Utility Service Area
3
Seacoast Utility Authority

• Utility Service Area includes Palm Beach
  Gardens
• North Palm Beach
• Juno Beach
• Lake Park Unincorporated areas of
  PBC

Hood Road Wellfield
PBG Wellfield
NPB Wellfield
Burma Road Wellfield
4
Seacoast Utility Authority

• Originally permitted in 1976
• Current Allocation
• Population 101,664 (2005)
• Per Capita 190
• Annual 19.31 MGD
• Proposed Allocation
• Population 102,423 (2012)
• Per Capita 190
• Annual 19.46 MGD

5
Consumptive Use Permit Rule Protections for the
Loxahatchee

• Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) covers
• Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River
• (G-92 to River Mile 6)

6
Consumptive Use Permit Rule Protections for the
Loxahatchee

• Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) covers
• Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River
• (G-92 to River Mile 6)
• Including tributaries
• Kitching Creek
• Hobe Grove Ditch
• Cypress Creek

7
Consumptive Use Permit Rule Protections for the
Loxahatchee

• Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL)
• MFL violation occurs when an exceedance occurs
  more than once in a six year period.
• Flows over Lainhart Dam decline below 35 cfs for
  more than 20 consecutive days.
• Average daily salinity concentration on a
  20-day rolling average exceeds two parts per
  thousand at river mile 9.2
• Northwest Fork is not currently meeting the MFL,
  therefore rule requires implementation of a
  recovery strategy

8
Consumptive Use Permit Rule Protections for the
Loxahatchee

• Recovery Strategy
• One component of recovery strategy is the
  implementation of the Regional Water Availability
  Rule

requested allocation will not cause a net
increase in the volume or cause a change in the
timing on a monthly basis of surface and ground
water withdrawn from the North Palm Beach County
/ Loxahatchee River Watershed Waterbodies over
that resulting from the base case
9
Seacoast Utility Authority
Loxahatchee River
Seacoast Utility Service Area
Loxahatchee River Watershed Waterbodies
10
Seacoast Utility Authority

• Regional Water Availability
• Calibrated groundwater flow model
• Annual requested withdrawal of 8,084 MG modeled
  to accommodate two operating plans
• Prime Scenario Hood Road Wellfield
• Alternate 1 Palm Beach Gardens Wellfield
• Transient model using a 27-month scenario
  simulating 1-in-10 drought conditions

11
Seacoast Utility Authority
12
Staff Evaluation

• Regional Water Availability
• No net increase in the volume or change in timing
  on a monthly basis of surface and ground water
  withdrawn from the Waterbodies
• Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL)
• No direct or indirect withdrawal from MFL body
• No contribution to existing MFL violations
• Other environmental considerations
• Drawdown impacts and mitigation for wetlands in
  the wellfields cone of influence are still under
  evaluation.