Planning for Regional Water Supply Needs in Florida through an Integrated Loop Pipeline System

The Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PR/MRWSA) is a regional governmental agency that is responsible for supplying potable water to its member governments consisting of Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties, Florida. The Authority is also responsible for developing new sources of water supply for its members to serve the region. A Regional System Planning and Engineering Study has identified potential new water sources. These potential sources include groundwater, surface water, and salt water, and are located throughout the Peace River area. Development of these potential sources as regional supplies will require continued cooperation of the area's utility systems and the construction of an Integrated Loop Transmission System (Loop System) to move water from existing and new sources to the areas of demand. The Loop System project will create a regional potable water transmission system interconnecting water systems in the Authority's four—county service area. The benefits of a Loop System will allow the Region to optimize and most efficiently utilize the Region's Resources. Interconnecting supplies with major demand locations provides the greatest flexibility to the region by allowing multiple sources to supply multiple areas of high demand. Major benefits of the Integrated Loop System include: 1) Provides for rotational capacity and ability to rest sources, 2) Provides for reserve capacity for emergency transfers, 3) Improves reliability and redundancy, 4) Better matches supply and demand on a regional basis, 5) Optimizes the financial investment on a regional basis.