Winter Haven hears plan to guide 20-year, integrated '1 Water' strategy; commission asked to adopt resolution

City staff and consultants presented the '1 Water Master Plan' and asked the Winter Haven City Commission to adopt Resolution 26-05 to authorize work guided by the blueprint. The presentation by Black & Veatch emphasized integrated management of potable supply, reclaimed water, wastewater and stormwater across the city and surrounding lakes.

Consultant John Dinges said the plan ties water supply, natural systems and land‑use decisions into a single, adaptive framework and prioritizes actions the city can take now and over decades. He said conservation measures can delay costly new supplies, noting that measures including irrigation kits carry a high benefit‑cost ratio and “conservation isn't just feel good. It has bottom line of benefits for the environment and for your expensive infrastructure.”

Staff and consultants laid out several core outcomes: a capital improvement program of roughly 107 projects spanning 20 years; nature‑based projects described as a “sapphire (SAFIRE) necklace” of interconnected water‑storage and recharge sites that also provide recreation and habitat; and a decision tool to reprioritize projects as funding or opportunities shift. The plan identifies multiple funding sources — state and federal grants, revenue bonds, developer contributions and phased rate adjustments — and includes a communications and stakeholder engagement strategy for grant and partner outreach.

Standards and capacity numbers presented to commissioners: Winter Haven currently uses about 11.5 million gallons per day; staff described agreements and new sources that should expand available capacity, including a 1,500,000‑gallon agreement with the Park Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) and newly drilled Lower Bridal wells projected at roughly 3–3.5 million gallons per day. Consultant and staff projections put long‑term city water needs in the range of 18–20 million gallons per day over future decades, with wastewater flows and reclaimed water use growing in parallel.

Staff stressed the plan is adaptive, not strictly sequential: projects can be advanced or deferred based on funding availability or land‑partner opportunities. City staff also highlighted that many benefits from natural system investments can be quantified and used to strengthen competitive grant applications. Commissioner discussion touched on sequencing flexibility, potential market opportunities for surplus treated water in the region, and litigation affecting regional supplies.

Next steps identified by staff include formal adoption of the plan framework, evaluating a Florida Water Star ordinance, launching a key performance indicator dashboard, pursuing priority grant applications and advancing early design and permitting for priority projects. The record in the meeting shows staff recommended approval of Resolution 26-05; the transcript does not record a final commission vote on the resolution.