Clermont requests $500,000 for land near Wellness Way; city cites $500,000 DEP study grant for regional alternate water options
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Summary
City staff asked council to request $500,000 for land acquisition in the southern service area to site a future water plant and reported a recently signed $500,000 DEP grant for a regional alternate water supply study involving county partners.
City of Clermont staff asked the council to include a $500,000 legislative appropriation request to acquire land in the city’s southern service area, around Wellness Way, as a site for a future water plant intended to provide redundancy and improve reliability for the southern system.
Public Works staff described the southern Wellness Way area as currently served by a single feed from the water plant and said the master plan calls for an additional plant to serve long‑term growth. “Our southern area down in Wellness Way is currently fed from a single feed,” staff said, arguing that a second feed or a local plant would improve resilience if the main line breaks.
Staff estimated a full new plant would cost “somewhere right around in the $30,000,000 mark.” Council members discussed impact fees collected from subdivisions in the Wellness Way area, and staff noted that prior impact‑fee credits and required upsizing of pipes mean the city’s impact‑fee balance does not fully cover construction.
On the related matter of regional study and funding, staff reported the city recently signed a $500,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to fund an alternate water study covering a regional area with Lake County as a partner. Staff said the study will examine options such as stormwater capture, surface‑water withdrawals, and other alternatives to reduce groundwater withdrawals. “Last week, we just signed our grant that we got from DEP for $500,000. It’s for an alternate water study,” staff said.
Council members pressed for details about acreage needs; staff said a 3‑acre minimum would suffice for a basic plant site but recommended planning for 10 acres to allow future expansion. Staff also described coordination needs with neighboring jurisdictions and Orange County parcels abutting the proposed site and said negotiations and intergovernmental conversations will be necessary.
Because the workshop does not hold formal votes, the $500,000 request for land acquisition remains a staff proposal for inclusion in the city’s legislative packet. Councilors asked staff to prepare a one‑page summary for legislative review and to continue conversations with county partners and developers about long‑term planning and funding options.