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Hernando Today

Long Range Plan For Water Sources Presented

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By TONY MARRERO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 20, 2009

Hernando Today

BROOKSVILLE - Moving water across county lines has always been a point of contention in Florida.

But a regional approach to water supply is an inevitable part of the future, and it's time to start planning now in this part of the state, the director of the Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority maintains.

"We don't want to do it in a crisis situation," Jack Sullivan said.

The authority has already put three years of work into a regional water supply plan and is now looking into the feasibility of various projects. On Wednesday, Sullivan presented a vision to the authority's board for an interconnected system to move water back and forth among its member counties - Hernando, Citrus, Sumter and Marion - and the cities within them.

The system would include new groundwater sources. But the goal is to identify alternative water sources and share those, too, Sullivan said.

Cities, counties and utilities should work together to plan and construct the infrastructure for such a system. The Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as Swiftmud, can help pay for it, Sullivan said.

He emphasized the elements of the plan are simply ideas at this stage for water supply sources that could be 30 years or more in the future. But they have great potential, he said.

Among the alternative sources:

• A desalination facility at Progress Energy's Crystal River nuclear power plant. The facility would work like one at the energy company's Apollo Beach nuclear plant. Water taken from the Gulf of Mexico for the cooling towers is warmer and takes less energy to desalinate.

• Surface water from the Withlacoochee River. The river may be trickling now because of the recent drought, but during wet cycles it swells and can be a viable source of surface water, Sullivan said.

• Surface water from the Ocklawaha River. Now that Marion County is back in the authority, the Ocklawaha presents a possible regional resource, Sullivan said.

Sullivan acknowledged there will likely be at least some territorialism from local governments seeking to protect the resources within their borders. But Swiftmud can provide incentives to governments to share, such as longer term groundwater pumping permits, Sullivan said.

Hashing out the differences is possible, but it will take time, so it's important to start now, he said. Sullivan asked the authority's members to bring back the ideas to their various city and county boards, and the response was positive Wednesday, he said.

"They understand we're going to have to have regional water supply sources," he said. "Ultimately we're going to have to have local government buy-in to set forth a long-range plan they're going to participate in."

Because of its rate of growth, "Hernando County is likely the first that would need alternative water supplies," Sullivan said.

Swiftmud is glad to see the authority's "very forward thinking approach," said Ken Herd, the district's water supply program director. It's a way to avoid the water wars in the Tampa Bay area fueled in large part by desperation and a failure to plan.

"The lesson learned from the Tampa Bay region is you shouldn't put all of your eggs in one basket," Herd said. When it comes to funding, the district favors collaborative projects to tap sources other than groundwater, he said.

Hernando Commissioner Rose Rocco, one of the county's reps on the authority board, said she'll do her part to work with counterparts in other counties: "There can be a comfort level there," she said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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