Winter Haven advances Bradco Farms aquifer recharge and wetlands restoration study with $1.5 million alternatives analysis

City of Winter Haven staff recommended the commission authorize an initial alternatives analysis for the Bradco Farms East Winter Haven Aquifer Recharge and Wetlands Restoration Project with Resource Environmental Solutions (Rez), a green-infrastructure firm, in a contract not to exceed $1,500,000.

The study — expected to take about 10 months after a notice to proceed — will evaluate three approaches to recharging and storing water at the site, including rapid infiltration basins, managed aquifer recharge wells and aquifer storage and recovery systems. The analysis will include geotechnical borings, environmental assessments and a detailed cost estimate to guide a later design and construction phase.

Why it matters: the Bradco Farms site sits at the headwaters of the Peace Creek watershed and within the chain-of-lakes system that underpins Winter Haven’s water supply and local ecology. City staff and Rez said the project aims both to increase aquifer replenishment — they estimated possible recharge at around 2 million gallons per day in conceptual materials — and to restore and protect hundreds of acres of wetlands while providing public nature-area benefits.

City project lead Gary (first name provided in the meeting) told commissioners the city has acquired the Bradco Farms property and intends to expand the wetland footprint on and around the site. "We have received a $6,375,000 grant from Resideo, Florida. ... Rez is going to bring with them a grant from Coca Cola of $1,500,000," Gary said during the presentation, noting PepsiCo also remains involved in the effort.

Matt Stallman, director of regulatory affairs and a project manager for Rez (Resource Environmental Solutions), told the commission Rez focuses on "slowing water down and cleaning water up and using nature to do so." He described Rez’s role as performing the alternatives analysis, preliminary design and cost modeling and said Rez would lead project management and engineering work during the study phase.

Stallman outlined three technical pathways the analysis will explore: converting open water areas to rapid infiltration basins if soils are suitable; using permitted recharge wells (they noted permits were in hand for an Upper Florida recharge well and for an alternative aquifer storage/recovery approach); and configuring storage and conveyance cells that dovetail with restoration and public-access amenities. He told commissioners the alternatives analysis would include a "technical suitability report" followed by a detailed cost assessment to let the city choose the most cost-effective approach.

Project scale and funding: Rez and city staff said the project will expand wetland area to roughly 470 acres as the city acquires additional parcels (staff estimated roughly another 100 acres of wetland procurement as part of the effort). Gary summarized existing funding commitments from private partners and said the city has other state and federal appropriations under consideration; he also said more funding will be needed for construction and that the city expects to explore bonds or a WIFIA loan for later phases.

Commissioners queried the role of corporate supporters. Gary clarified PepsiCo’s support is "for water replenishment," not for park or trails construction. Stallman and staff said scenic and recreational elements such as boardwalks, trails and a nature center are part of the long-term vision but will be developed only after the technical approach, configuration of water-treatment cells and final design are chosen.

Timing and next steps: city staff recommended issuing a notice to proceed on the alternatives analysis and later returning to the commission with a task order and design-phase cost estimates. Stallman said the alternatives analysis should finish in about 10 months after notice to proceed. Gary said the city has budgeted for the initial investigative work and that existing grant commitments already cover a portion of the early costs.

What the commission recorded on the agenda: the staff report presented the alternatives analysis as an initial, investigatory phase and recommended entering negotiations with Rez for an alternatives assessment capped at $1,500,000. The transcript does not record a formal motion or vote on that recommendation during this meeting segment.

The Bradco Farms project was presented as the first large-scale public-private restoration and managed recharge project the city would undertake as part of the "Sapphire Necklace" green-infrastructure initiative that links multiple water-management and habitat sites across Winter Haven.

Sources and on-the-record remarks in this article are drawn from the Feb. 2025 Winter Haven City Commission meeting transcript, including statements by city project staff identified as Gary, and by Matt Stallman of Resource Environmental Solutions.