Fort Lauderdale staff outline how water and sewer capacity letters are issued, what developers must pay

Fort Lauderdale staff and the Public Works capacity-modeling team explained on June 2 how the city evaluates requests for water and wastewater capacity and how those determinations affect developers and the public.

The update matters because the city’s capacity letters and underlying calculations determine whether new projects can connect to existing water and sewer infrastructure, whether developers must pay to expand systems or wait for capital projects, and how impact fees and reserved capacity are tracked.

At the meeting, Igor Masilyev, a capacity modeler funded by Public Works and based in the city’s Development Services Division, described the application and modeling process for a capacity-availability letter. “For that, they submit application to us, with all the numbers, the ERC calculations, ERC, Residential Connection, calculations and their flows and site plans. We look at it and we determine how well it fits or does not fit the current, water and, the water and waste water and, force means pump stations,” Masilyev said.

Masilyev and colleague Alejandra Simon explained that the team runs hydraulic and sewer models to evaluate three components: the gravity mains, affected pump stations (force mains), and the wastewater-treatment plant. Their written report, they said, typically runs eight to 10 pages and details whether the development can be supported by existing infrastructure or what upgrades are required.

The task force heard staff describe how capacity is reserved and when it becomes committed. Staff said an availability letter is issued after a developer pays for the analysis; the letter is valid for one year to secure a developer’s DRC (Development Review Committee) approval. “Once we get a final DRC sign off, that flow is considered committed,” Masilyev said. Committed flows move from a preliminary queue into the city’s calculations of reserved capacity.

On funding and responsibility, staff said several outcomes are possible when a project requires infrastructure upgrades. The report will list required improvements; developers may build needed upgrades themselves, possibly receiving reimbursement up to the capital-expansion amount, or they may wait for the city’s capital-improvement program (CIP) to address the area. Staff said impact fees — charged per ERC — are collected for system expansion. A staff member provided current impact-fee figures during the meeting: $1,977 per ERC for water and $1,888 per ERC for sanitary sewer.

The task force also heard how capacity planning interacts with neighboring jurisdictions and large contracted users. Staff said the city holds contractual allocations for large users and monitors monthly flows; if a partner city’s flows approach contractual limits, that can constrain new development in that partner city.

Members asked operational questions: how on-site stormwater review is handled (that is performed by DSD engineering, staff said), whether fire-flow requirements are included (they are), and what triggers upgrades at pump stations. Staff said they use a pump-run-time guideline: if a pump station runs more than about 10 hours per day, it is considered a candidate for capacity upgrades.

Discussion only; no formal policy change was adopted. Staff said letters and modeling follow existing city procedure and that the task force’s role is informational and advisory. The city staff invited follow-up questions and said developers are advised to coordinate early with DSD and Public Works to avoid delays.

Looking ahead, staff said the report and the city’s evolving CIP schedule determine whether a developer must fund an earlier upgrade or wait for a planned city project to increase capacity.