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Oakland seeks larger water allocation and longer permit term as town hits CUP limit
Summary
Town staff and consultants told the commission that Oakland has reached the current consumptive‑use permit limit and has applied to the St. John's River Water Management District for increased groundwater allocation and a permit term extension, proposing options of about 1.29–1.34 million gallons per day and a term extension to 2045 alongside plans for conservation and an alternative water supply project.
At the May 26 meeting, Mike Parker, the capital projects coordinator, informed the commission that the town’s groundwater withdrawals are at the current Consumptive Use Permit (CUP) limits (an average of about 890,000 gallons per day and an annual cap of about 325 million gallons). Parker said staff submitted a permit modification application to St. John’s River Water Management District seeking an increase in allocation and an extension of the permit term.
Consultants from CPH provided the technical presentation. Victoria Marachovich, a project engineer with CPH, outlined demand projections that assume roughly 1,759 new dwelling connections over 20 years and described per‑capita trends. She said the town’s five‑year average per‑capita use is trending near 150 gallons per capita per day (gpcd), and that an alternative water‑supply offset (a service water harvesting project for irrigation) could reduce per‑capita demand toward 120 gpcd.
CPH told the commission the town requested two modification scenarios in the May 11 submittal: an increased allocation of approximately 1.29 million gallons per day (if the district does not extend the permit term) and about 1.34 million gallons per day if the district issues an extension through 2045; they also requested an extension of the permit’s expiration from 2037 to 2045. CPH staff said the district typically requests additional information, may add conservation conditions, and that the modification process is lengthy but could take months.
Commissioners and residents asked about irrigation rules, private irrigation wells, monitoring, and enforcement. Staff and consultants said irrigation schedules follow St. John’s River Water Management District rules (odd/even address schedules) and that private irrigation wells are subject to the same rules but are not reflected in the town CUP projections. Town staff described ongoing conservation outreach and implementation measures, including an alternative water‑supply project now in design (anticipated construction by 2030) and possible enforcement via code enforcement or police for off‑cycle watering.
No binding action was taken at the May 26 meeting; staff said they would continue coordination with the water management district and report back as the modification process proceeds.
