Clermont seeks additional $1 million for North Side reclaimed-water storage tank
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Summary
City staff asked the council to include a legislative appropriation request for an additional $1 million toward land purchase and construction of a North Side reclaimed-water storage tank that officials say would improve irrigation supply and pressure for northern neighborhoods.
City of Clermont staff at a Nov. workshop asked the council to include an additional $1 million in this year’s legislative appropriation requests to buy land and advance construction of a North Side alternative water storage tank.
The request, presented by Mark Griffin of Public Works, would fund development of a storage facility sized to support up to a 3,000,000‑gallon tank intended for reuse irrigation and to improve system hydraulics on the city’s north side. “Our first appropriation request is gonna be for our North Side alternative water storage,” Mark Griffin said during the presentation.
The city already has appropriations tied to the project, Griffin said, and staff said the additional $1 million would help with land acquisition and construction steps. Council members and staff discussed the project’s scope: the tank would feed Highland Ranch and Summit Greens neighborhoods, require roughly 3 acres for the immediate facility, and be sited near the old U.S. 50 corridor toward Highland Ranch. Griffin said two realtors are actively searching for properties in the area.
Council members pressed staff for operational details and benefits. A council member asked whether the storage would hold stormwater; Griffin replied, “No, no stormwater in that area. Okay.” Staff explained the facility would store treated wastewater for irrigation — reclaimed water that is treated at the city’s existing wastewater plant and then pumped to the storage tank and distribution system. “So it’s treatment of the wastewater, and then it’s also irrigation,” a council member said, summarizing staff’s description.
Officials discussed how reclaimed storage interacts with the city’s consumptive use permit. Public Works staff said the city’s goal is “to use 100% of our wastewater and put it back out in the system” and that reclaimed irrigation reduces withdrawals from the aquifer because water used for irrigation does not count against the city’s groundwater withdrawal allotment under its consumptive use permit. “This is a conservation project,” Council member Howard said.
Council members also discussed cost and scale. Staff offered a planning figure of about $6,000,000 to serve roughly 2,000 homes in the north service area; council members asked for clearer cost breakdowns and for confirmation of prior allocations. Griffin and staff said the city has already received $1.5 million through past legislative appropriations tied to the project.
Because this meeting was a workshop, council did not vote on the appropriation request. Staff asked council members to include the $1 million request in a one‑page legislative packet to be reviewed with the city’s legislative contacts ahead of session.
The council indicated general support for pursuing the appropriation while asking staff to prepare clearer cost and benefit documentation for the formal legislative packet, including property needs, exact acreage required, and the projected effect on aquifer withdrawals and irrigation rates.
Looking ahead, staff said the city will continue property searches, refine cost estimates and prepare a one‑page summary for legislative review and for final council consideration on the next workshop agenda.
