Swiftmud OKs City's Water-Use Increase

BROOKSVILLE | The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board on Tuesday approved a water use permit that will authorize the city of Lakeland to withdraw up to 30.2 million gallons of ground water per day based on an administrative law judge's recommended order.

The permit renewal requires the city to implement an environmental monitoring and management plan to ensure that the permitted groundwater withdrawals don't damage wetlands and other water resources.

Lakeland officials will be required to implement a wetlands-improvement plan for about 400 acres of wetlands in the Northeast well field.

The permit renewal authorizes groundwater withdrawals of up to 28.03 mgd from the city's Northwest well field and up to 4 mgd from the Northeast well field, not to exceed a total of 30.2 mgd. The maximum withdrawal amounts are established to allow rotation between well fields to minimize environmental impacts.

The permit expires March 24, 2014.

Swiftmud's action comes nearly three months after the administrative judge's ruling that said the city could pump 29.5 mgd of water. City officials had been arguing for months with Swiftmud over the permit, which city officials see as crucial for development.

In January, Lakeland City Manager Doug Thomas said the ruling ensures Lakeland will have enough water to meet its needs for the foreseeable future.