Water/Wastewater U,lity Perspec,ve on North Florida Water Challenges

Transcription

1 Water/Wastewater U,lity Perspec,ve on North Florida Water Challenges Rick P.E. Gainesville Regional U,li,es North Florida U,lity Coordina,ng Group 1

2 North Florida U,lity Coordina,ng Group JEA Atlantic Beach Neptune Beach Jacksonville Beach Orange Park Clay County Utility Authority St. Johns County GRU 2

3 Common Goals/Needs Meet water supply needs for people Protect/Restore Natural systems 3

4 } Technically complex issues } Nutrient vs. flow impacts } Natural cycles vs. manmade impacts } Long range } Growing popula,on } Increasing needs for public supply, self supply, agriculture, etc. } Funding limited Water Challenges

5 U,lity Needs for Policy & Regula,ons } Sound science based } Well ve@ed w/ realis,c cost impacts } Fair & equitable } Results oriented } Consistency & stability

6 Recent Developments for North } Joint Regional Water Supply Plan } MFLs Florida } North Florida Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) Model } 2016 Water Legisla,on } Poten,al Reclaimed Water Legisla,on

7 North Florida Regional Water Supply Partnership Organized approach with stakeholder input for joint water supply plan Plan expected to provide robust list of poten,al projects North Florida U,lity Coordina,ng Group members collec,vely 99 projects totaling $370M to $480M over 20 yrs 7

8 North Florida Regional Water Supply Partnership Projects needed should be defined when MFLs & Recovery & Preven,on Plans are set Cri,cal MFLs currently being re-evaluated Lakes Geneva and Brooklyn Lower Santa Fe & Ichetucknee Rivers Other MFLs North Florida Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) model key to Water Supply Plan and MFLs 8

9 North Florida U,lity Group Water Use 9

10 North Florida Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) Groundwater Model 10

11 Why do we need models? Separa7ng effects of rainfall vs. pumping is cri7cal & difficult Short & Long-term weather drive drama,c flow & level changes Public tends to remember the way things were Difficult to perceive weather trends & correlate them with flows & levels 11

12 Lower Santa Fe & Ichetucknee River MFLs Droughts in 1990s & 2000s Unprecedented low rainfalls Record low river & spring flows & levels Public concern 12

13 Rainfall & Lower Santa Fe River Flows 13

14 Water Use in North Florida Region Flat 14

15 Lakes Brooklyn & Geneva Wet period (Perceived normal ) Dry period 15

16 Lake Brooklyn Water Level & Rainfall 16

17 Conclusions Rainfall varia,on dominate varia,ons in flows & levels in these systems Low flows in Santa Fe & Ichetucknee Rivers & springs driven by unprecedented drought in 1990s & 2000s Keystone lake levels driven by mul,-decadal rainfall Even with sophis,cated sta,s,cal analyses, difficult to discern effects from pumping vs. weather 17

18 Simplified Water Balances Do Not Work Pumping impacts on flows and levels generally not one for one Depends on magnitude & distance from water body Evapotranspira,on (ET) ET ~68% of water budget vs. Pumping ~1-2% Varies spa,ally Varies significantly w/ rainfall and other factors Mi,gates for low rainfall, pumping, other stresses Return flows & other mi,ga,ng factors 18

19 Groundwater Modelling Understanding complex hydrologic systems requires complex models NFSEG Model Expected to be significant step forward in modeling Very complex Collabora,ve development process Needs to be well before used for planning or regulatory decisions 19

20 2016 Water Legisla,on Some Key Provisions: More organized approach for priori,zing funding major water supply projects Consump,ve use permit incen,ves for water conserva,on Priority Focus Areas for Outstanding FL Springs OSTDS Remedia,on Plan Some concern about,meline & emergency rulemaking provision for MFLs for Outstanding Fl Springs Agriculture BMPs Advanced Treatment Requirements for new WWTPs 20

21 Reclaimed Water FDEP Reclaimed Water Workgroup Florida na,onal leader in reclaimed water Reclaimed water important component of water supply development Should not set mandates on amount of reuse Types & amount of reuse vary significantly by region due to geology, demographics, & proximity to poten,al reclaimed water users Reuse systems require significant investment from u,lity ratepayers 21

22 Reclaimed Water Interest/development of potable reuse Improve opportuni,es for reuse through funding & some policy changes 22

23 Conclusions Water supply & water quality issues are increasing concern statewide Funding improving but s,ll limited To be successful, water policy must be Sound science based Equitable Collabora,ve Results based 23