For most of the past decade the rate of new home construction
in Port LaBelle has remained at 1 or 2 homes per month. For 2005 the
new home connection rate has been recorded as 10 to 20 homes per
month – a ten fold increase over prior years. (see the diagram)
With the explosion in water construction comes explosion in connection requests
for the new customers. The PLUS Advisory Board is tracking
the growth in new home construction and water connections.
More...
For the month of July, the number of new home construction
contracts signed by local builders exceeds 60. If all
contracts translate into actual finished homes and
if this pace is sustained over multiple months then
Port LaBelle Utility must take action to meet this
dramatic increase in water demand.
More...
Alongside with the waste water treatment plant data,
and assumption that max inflow during wet season is 150,000 gpd
and that actual load has increased 50,000 gpd in the past 2 years,
it can be estimated that there is a capacity for approximately 250
new connections to the existing wastewater plant.
Attached is the history of the waste water treatment plant loads.
The number of connections is estimated back calculating from the current number of 1080.
(see the diagram)
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Port LaBelle Utility System should begin to formally track local home construction contract sales and building permit issuances. PLUS and Hendry County should also begin immediate action on the short-term options listed above. It should be noted that the state average water consumption rate is 430 GPD per household, suggesting only a modest potential for conservation measures meeting the short-term water demand challenges of Port LaBelle.
Short Term Options:
- Adopt and enforce water use restrictions.
- Require water conservation measures on all new home construction.
- Investigate opportunities for water purchases from the City of LaBelle.
- Limit the number of new building permits issued by Hendry County in Port LaBelle.
- Accelerate completion of the new water treatment plant.
If the pace of home construction levels off at 40 homes per month then by early 2010 the new water treatment plant capacity of 900,000 gallons per day will be exceeded. If, however, the pace of new home construction matches real estate company estimates then the entire capacity of the new water plant could be consumed in early 2007, only months after its completion. Therefore, depending on new home construction rates observed in the coming months, planning for expansion of the new water plant could need to begin very soon.
These water demand projections are based on a model of water consumption per household developed from Port LaBelle Utility System data from January 2000 to June 2005. The model reflects both the typical water consumption rate and the extreme consumption rate for each month.
|
