Planning board says city has enough potable water for next 10 years, transmits plan to commission

The Planning and Zoning Board voted to transmit a required 10-year water-supply plan update and related comprehensive-plan amendments to the City Commission on a favorable recommendation.

Assistant Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Yaczek presented the update and told the board "in short, it says that for the next 10 years, we have enough water. We do not need an alternative water supply." He said the update also adjusts the planning horizon and levels-of-service figures that appear in the comprehensive plan.

The nut of the recommendation is procedural: the board, acting as the local planning agency, transmitted the plan with a favorable recommendation so the City Commission can consider it in ordinance form. After Commission review there will be two readings; if approved the transmittal package will go on to the South Florida Water Management District and the Broward County Planning Council for their reviews before incorporation into the city's comprehensive plan.

Board members asked technical questions about what the infrastructure element covers and where measurements apply. Yaczek said the infrastructure element covers potable water, sewer and related facilities and that the plan includes updated consumption assumptions; he cited a per-capita consumption figure "around 81 or 82 gallons per day" as the working estimate in the report. The board discussed whether security matters (such as reservoir security) belong in the current transmittal; one member referenced a report of an IED found in a reservoir in another city, and Yaczek replied that water-security operations are handled by utilities and that this transmittal focuses on supply and infrastructure planning.

The board voted to transmit the update with a favorable recommendation to the City Commission. The item will next appear before the City Commission for ordinance readings and subsequent agency review.