TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Approve the Letter to Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) Providing Annual Water Demand Projections Report.
Recommended Action
Approve the letter to the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) providing annual water demand projections report.
Additional Commission Options
Option 1: Approve the letter to the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) providing annual water demand projections report.
• Pros: The letter is required by the existing contract to purchase water from PRMRWSA. The water supply is needed to meet the future water supply needs of the City.
• Cons: Commits utility funds to purchase water.
Option 2: Deny the letter to the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) providing annual water demand projections report.
• Pros: The City would save money in the short term by not purchasing water from PRMRWSA.
• Cons: Denying the letter will result in the city not meeting the conditions of the existing contract to purchase water. If the contract with PRMRWSA is cancelled, the City may not be able to supply adequate water to existing customers in an emergency situation and will not be able to provide adequate water supply for future development.
Background Information
Pursuant to the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) Master Water Supply Contract (MWSC), Section 11, each customer of the PRMRWSA is asked to submit a report by January 15th of each year that identifies the following:
• Total projected water demand by Contract Year for the next 20 years.
• That portion of the total 20 year demand the customer requires the PRMRWSA to fulfill in terms of Annual Average Daily Quantity, Peak Month Average Daily Quantity and Maximum Daily Quantity.
• The basis for each projection.
This information is used to develop future total regional demands and is used as the basis for future development of water sources. The PRMRWSA uses the tenth-year request as the basis for the cost sharing for new water supply development.
Staff recommends keeping the projections of water needed from PRMRWSA at the current 2.865 million gallons per day (MGD) through contract year 2028 and increasing the amount to 4.865 MGD for contract years 2029 through 2045. These numbers are reflected on the 2026 Annual Water Demand/Supply Sources Projections attached. The number is found in the column with the heading “Peace River Schedule B (MGD)”. It is also recommended to keep the City’s future water request from PRMRWSA at zero. This number can be found on the same attachment in the column with the heading, “Peace River Schedule C (MGD)”. By keeping this number at zero it will prevent any financial commitment by the City to develop future water supply with PRMRWSA.
Pursuant to Section 11.2 of the PRMRWSA Master Water Supply Contract, the PRMRWSA is not obligated to accept any change in demand for the first seven (7) years identified in the report. For instance, if next year, the City’s demands and expected growth are significantly higher, North Port would not be able to request guaranteed additional PRMRWSA water until beginning in contract year 2032. If the City had a request for an additional amount of water in any year up to contract year 2032, the PRMRWSA may be able to accommodate that request on a year-to-year basis, but it would not be guaranteed.
Annual projections to be submitted to the PRMRWSA for contract year 2026 continue to reflect the current economic conditions, the water conserving changes required for new construction in the Florida Building Code and reflect a consistently increasing customer base. Staff have reviewed historical and expected growth within the system as a basis for the current year’s projections. The additional 2 MGD increase in annual demands includes the 2 MGD increase in supply to the Wellen Park area as included in the Third Amended Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority Master Water Supply Contract.
The PRMRWSA letter was provided to the City Clerk’s Office on December 22, 2025, for signatures, subject to City Commission approval.
Strategic Plan Pillar
Infrastructure & Facilities Integrity
Financial Impact
The City’s budget for the purchase of water through PRMRWSA for fiscal year 2026 is $3,376,900. This figure is adjusted annually based on the PRMRWSA budget for the water allocation in the Master Water Supply Contract. Since the projections are recommended to stay the same with no additional purchase of water, there is no financial impact related specifically to this agenda item.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. 2026-2045 Annual Water Demand Projections
2. 2025-2044 Commission approved Water Demand Projection
3. North Port Water Demand and Supply Projections Chart
4. PRMRWSA Master Water Supply Contract
5. Amendment 1 to PRMRWSA Master Water Supply Contract
6. Amendment 2 to PRMRWSA Master Water Supply Contract
7. Third Amended PRMRWSA Master Water Supply Contract
Prepared by: Susan Brasefield, Assistant Utilities Director, Administration and Engineering
Prepared by: Michelle Tipp, Utilities Senior Business Manager
Department Director: Tricia Wisner, Utilities Director