Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #247FY0102

North Palm Beach Water Supply Plan Implementation

Requester:

Henry Dean, Executive Director

Organization:

South Florida Water Management District

Project Title:

North Palm Beach Water Supply Plan Implementation

Date Submitted:

1/15/2002 1:48:21 PM

Sponsors:

Ken Pruitt

Statewide Interest:

Appropriations for capital outlay will be utilized to manage and store both local and regional surface water.� These projects are components of the SFWMD Lower East Coast Regional Water Supply Plan and will provide measurable improvements in system-wide operational flexibility, flood protection, and environmental/public water supply.

Recipient:

South Florida Water Management� District

Contact:

Frank Bernardino

3301 Gun Club Road

Contact Phone:

(561) 718-2345

West Palm Beach 33406

Counties:

Palm Beach

Gov't Entity:

Yes

Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit):

Project Description:

This project encompasses L-8 Storage and Conveyance Improvements and Loxahatchee Slough Flowway Improvements.� Together, these components minimize adverse estuarine discharges, improve public utility water deliveries and optimize the ecological health of environmentally sensitive systems in northern Palm Beach County. These components deliver runoff normally discharged to tide to enhance environmental and public water supplies for all of northern Palm Beach County, including the Loxahatchee River, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River.���

The L-8 Storage and Conveyance Improvements include the permitting and construction of surface water storage reservoirs.� The reservoirs provide sub-regional storage, improve levels of local 298 District flood protection, and conserve runoff normally discharged to the Lake Worth lagoon.�� Stored water will be conveyed to the City of West Palm Beach's Water Catchment Area through the design, permitting, and construction a new pump station (450 cubic feet/second) and improvements to a minor canal reach (L-8 Tieback Canal).

The Loxahatchee Slough Flowway Improvements include the design, permitting, and construction of a hydrologic reconnection from the West Palm Beach Water Catchment Area to the Loxahatchee Slough and the design, permitting, and construction of a control structure to manage the outflow from the Slough to the Loxahatchee River.� These structural improvements are identified as a component of the Loxahatchee River Minimum Flow and Level Recovery Plan that will be codified in the Florida Administrative Code.

Measurable Outcome Anticipated:

New storage reservoirs are proposed to reduce discharges to estuaries.� Measurable outcomes� include increasing the certainty of water supply and improving existing levels of local flood protection.� The project captures, stores, and delivers the necessary volumes of water to meet environmental, agricultural, and urban water supplies through 2020. Lake Okeechobee users, Palm Beach County, Indian Trail Improvement District, City of West Palm Beach, City of Palm Beach Gardens, and the Town of Jupiter are all beneficiaries of this project.

The Loxahatchee Slough Flowway Improvements will enhance thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive lands (West Palm Beach Water Catchment Area and Loxahatchee Slough) in northern Palm Beach County, and provide deliveries of fresh water needed to meet Minimum Flows and Levels for the Loxahatchee River, a nationally designated Wild and Scenic River.

Amount requested from the State for this project this year:

$3,600,000

Total cost of the project:

$13,600,000

Request has been made to fund:

Construction

What type of match exists for this project?

Local

Cash Amount:

$4,100,000

In-Kind Amount:

$500,000

Was this project previously funded by the State?

Yes

Fiscal Year:

2001-2002

Amount:

$1,000,000

Is future-year funding likely to be requested?

Unknown

Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?

No

Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?

No

Is there a documented need for this project?

Yes

Documentation:

SFWMD Lower East Coast Regional Water Supply Plan

Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?

Yes

Hearing Body:

Palm Beach County Commission, City of West Palm Beach

Meeting Date:

8/1/2001