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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #869 |
| Lake Region Water Treatment Plant (LRWTP) |
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| Requester: |
Robert Weisman, P.E. County Administrator |
Organization: |
Palm Beach County |
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| Project Title: |
Lake Region Water Treatment Plant (LRWTP) |
Date Submitted |
1/4/2008 7:22:54 AM |
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| Sponsors: |
Aronberg |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| This project is regional in scope, is intended to meet a documented need of statewide interest, is intended to produce a measurable result and has tangible community support. |
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| Recipient: |
Palm Beach County |
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Contact: |
Todd Bonlarron |
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301 North Olive Avenue |
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Contact Phone: |
(561) 310-7832 |
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West Palm Beach 33401 |
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Contact email: |
Tbonlarr@co.palm-beach.fl.us |
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| Counties: |
Palm Beach |
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| Gov't Entity: |
Yes |
Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
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| Project Description: |
| Palm Beach County is requesting $3,500,000 as partial funding for the new Lake Region Water Treatment Plant to serve the existing and future water supply needs of the Cities of Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay. The cities have all been designated as Rural Areas of Critical Economic Concern under Governor Jeb Bush�s Executive Order Number 01-26. The new Lake Region Water Treatment Plant (LRWTP) will produce high quality, treated water from deep groundwater sources to eliminate drinking water quality problems, particularly total trihalomethanes associated with the use of surface waters from Lake Okeechobee and implicated by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry as causing public health concerns for pregnant women in the Glades Region. The use of groundwater as a source of potable drinking water will also eliminate conflicts between the use of Lake Okeechobee surface waters for drinking water and its use to meet the needs of Everglades Restoration. In addition, with operational control changes planned to lower the regulated water levels in Lake Okeechobee to protect the Herbert Hoover Dike from failure due to seepage or wave run-up and overtopping during hurricanes, water availability for the three cities is further jeopardized. The use of groundwater as a water supply source will eliminate the threat of running out of water during droughts. The use of groundwater will also eliminate water quality problems after hurricanes when the Lake water becomes full of sediment and dead fish that clog the surface water intake systems of the cities. Lake Okeechobee has also been subject to blue-green algal blooms, some of which are potentially toxic, causing significant taste and odor problems. The LRWTP will take brackish water from the Floridan aquifer, a deep groundwater source, treat it using reverse osmosis to remove salinity, and produce a superior potable water. The LRWTP will meet existing and future water quality standards, and eliminate water supply problems currently present at the cities of Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay . |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| Eliminate the potential for public health and water availability concerns. Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay use Lake Okeechobee as a source of raw water for drinking water. Lake Okeechobee receives stormwater inflows from major agricultural areas including dairy farms, livestock pastures, sugar cane fields, small vegetable farms and sod farms and is heavily nutrient enriched as well as highly colored, having the potential for pesticide and herbicide contamination . Organic material in the water gives rise to trihalomethanes (THM) in the water upon treatment with chlorine; THM are cancer-causing chemicals according to the US EPA. The Palm Beach County Health Department has documented support in �The elimination of the communities� (Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay) dependence on a threatened surface water source and the effective treatment of an alternative water supply are necessary to ensure safe potable water supply for the citizens and quests of the region.� |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$3,500,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$58,000,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Construction |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local, Federal |
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Cash Amount |
$ |
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In-kind Amount |
$24,500,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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Yes |
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Fiscal Year: |
2007-2008 |
Amount: |
$1,500,000 |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Lake Region Water Treatment Plant Conceptual Analysis Report presents need for the project within th |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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Yes |
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Hearing Body: |
Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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Yes |
| Is the project eligible under section 403.885(2),F.S. to protect public health or the environment; and implement plans developed pursuant to the Surface Water Improvement and Management Act created in part IV of Chapter 373,F.S., other water restoration plans required by law, management plans prepared pursuant to 2.403.067,F.S., or other plans adopted by local government for water quality improvement and water restoration? |
Yes |
| Is your project addressed in a state, regional or local plan (such as a SWIM Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Local Master Plan, etc.)? |
Yes |
| Name the plan and cite the pages on which the project is described: |
| Palm Beach County Utility Master Plan, Palm Beach County Comprehensive Plan, South Florida Water Management District Lower East Coast Regional Water Supply Plan (LECRWSP). |
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| Are requesting funding for a stormwater, surface water restoration, or other water management project? |
No |
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| Are you requesting funding for a wastewater project? |
No |
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| Are you requesting funding for a drinking water project? |
Yes |
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| Have you received or applied for funding for this project from DEP's State Revolving Fund (SRF) program under section 403.8532,F.S.? |
No |
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| Is the project under construction? |
Yes |
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| Have you provided a match? |
Yes |
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Amount: |
24500000 |
Source: |
Federal, SFWMD, Local Funding |
