Board authorizes Punta Gorda to purchase seasonal water, defers pricing decision to budget process

Richard Anderson, authority staff, described the interconnect infrastructure with the city of Punta Gorda and the city’s request to purchase water seasonally while expanding its reverse‑osmosis facility. Anderson reviewed the interconnect history and daily exchange practice, noting the two 24‑inch connections and that the systems have exchanged nearly 4 billion gallons since October 2012—about 780,000 gallons per day on average—keeping the line in a ready‑to‑serve status for emergencies or routine maintenance.

Anderson said Punta Gorda’s expansion will add roughly 4 MGD of RO treatment capacity and that the city’s additional purchase need is seasonal (April–June) while the plant expansion comes online. The purchase mechanism is provided for in the interconnect and transfer contract amended in 2016 and 2019; staff emphasized that any sale remains conditional on available water and that the authority performs annual availability checks.

The board adopted a motion to approve Punta Gorda’s request to purchase water up to the quantities identified in the five‑year projection table (tab B), subject to annual available quantities. The board agreed the interconnect charge (government/non‑member rate) should be set through the annual budget process; staff presented several options to be returned in June for board decision. The motion passed unanimously.

Staff reiterated that, historically, the city typically returns water during the rainy season and has rarely made monetary purchases; there was one small purchase during prior construction work.