Zephyrhills and Dade City will connect their water systems as a hedge against emergencies and future development along U.S. 301, the highway that runs between them.
City commissioners in both cities recently approved a 25-year interlocal agreement to turn their spigots on if either city is in need. Each city would pay whatever the going rate is at the time.
The first step is installing about 3 miles of 12-inch water pipes and fire hydrants along the east side of U.S. 301 from Phelps Road to somewhere near the highway’s intersection with U.S. 98 Bypass in Dade City.
“The water will be used on an as-needed basis, mainly for emergencies,” said John Bostic, Zephyrhills’s utilities director.
But city officials want to prepare for more rooftops and shops that could one day populate the highways and byways of Zephyrhills and Dade City.
A $2 million grant awarded to the City of Zephyrhills by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will pay for construction. The project’s design, by Jones Edmunds & Associates, is nearly completed. The construction contract will be bid this summer, with an anticipated completion date of summer 2016.
Bostic said the initial plan to route the water pipes along the west side of the highway changed when the Florida Department of Transportation decided to install 10-foot wide multi-use trails on the west side of the road as part of a repaving project.
Construction on that project is under way.
The dividing line for maintaining the new water lines and serving customers will be Centennial Road.
Both cities rely on multiple public wells to supply residents and businesses with drinking water drawn from the Floridan aquifer system. Zephyrhills draws most of its water supply from wells permitted within the Hillsborough River Groundwater Basin, with some water also from a small portion within the Withlacoochee River Basin.
The Southwest Florida Management District is the state agency that issues water use permits. Currently the Hillsborough River basin is on the agency’s list of “areas of water resource concern.”
Dade City’s permitted wells are within the Withlacoochee basin.
“Hillsborough is definitely more restricted,” said Gordon Onderdonk, Dade City’s utilities director.
The long-range strategy of a unified water system traces back to the East Pasco Water Coalition, which was founded in 2009 through an interlocal agreement with Zephyrhills, Dade City, St. Leo and San Antonio. Onderdonk said the group meets about twice a year.
Predictions then were for demand to exceed water supply within 20 years. Swiftmud records show demand is high, but municipalities have reduced overall water usage in the last five to 10 years. Water restrictions, including limited lawn watering, and reclaimed water programs are among reasons for the decrease.
But as the economy recovers, developers are eyeing new projects that could add to water demand.
“There’s a lot of talk about (development) along U.S. 301,” Bostic said.
If it materializes, Zephyrhills and Dade City officials say linking their water systems will be a good backup.
Published April 8, 2015
