Upper Kissimmee Basin Regional Water Supply Feasibility - Phase 1
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) believe that traditional groundwater sources in the metro-Orlando area and along the Lake Wales Ridge in Polk County, Florida, are of limited availability. As such, each District has indicated to water users within their jurisdiction that alternative water supplies are needed to meet their future demands. Many of the local utilities within and outside of the SFWMD have identified water resources within the Kissimmee Basin planning area, in particular the Kissimmee River and Upper Chain of Lakes, as potential sources of alternative supply.
Management options for enhancement of environmental conditions in the Kissimmee River and Upper Chain of Lakes are currently being evaluated by SFWMD in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as well as local and state agencies. Until such time as this effort is complete, the system potential to meet future water supply demands remains uncertain. Work to resolve this uncertainty is underway as part of SFWMD USACE joint partnership and is expected to be answered by the summer of 2008.
With so many proposed uses for the Upper Chain and Kissimmee River systems, it is necessary for the SFWMD to review the options for possible resource development of the basin to serve multiple users, for consumptive and other uses of water in the basin. In addition, the SFWMD is responsible for distributing funds under the Water Resources Sustainability program to best fund construction of alternative water supply projects while providing protection of the environmental systems.
An initial project to collect water of opportunity from the Kissimmee River Basin has been proposed for evaluation. Water of opportunity is defined as water that is determined not to be necessary by the ongoing SFWMD/USACE environmental restoration or otherwise allocated by the SFWMDs water use or environmental resource permits. This is the first phase of a feasibility study that will evaluate: surface water quality, regional water demands, identification of alternative water supplies, surface and groundwater availability, storage, regulatory issues, water treatment alternatives and financial analysis.
The overall purpose of Phase 1 is to conduct a feasibility study for developing a new water source to serve customers in the central Florida region. The study will evaluate technical, environmental, regulatory, and economic issues associated with using water from the Kissimmee Basin for possible operation of a regional surface water supply facility to serve interested customers in central Florida.
The specific objectives of Phase 1 are to evaluate surface water quality, regional water demands, identification of alternative water supplies, surface and groundwater availability, storage, regulatory issues, water treatment alternatives, and financial analysis. This webpage is designed to inform the public of the intent of the study as well as track the progress being made in the evaluation.
Water Supply Plans
Kissimmee Basin
