City of Gainesville - File #: 201103.

• File #: 201103.
• Version: 4
• Type: Discussion Item
• Status: Passed
• File created: 4/12/2021
• In control: Utility Advisory Board
• On agenda: 7/27/2021
• Final action: 7/27/2021
• Title: Proposed Cost Agreement with St. Johns River Water Management District to Meet Lake Brooklyn and Geneva Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) (B) **This item was presented to the UAB on July 8, 2021.** Summary: GRU staff worked with St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) staff to develop a proposed cost participation agreement which will enable the City of Gainesville d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities (“GRU”) to comply with Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) rules for Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva. Under the proposed agreement GRU will pay $2.71 million to SJRWMD as a cost participation for the Black Creek Water Resource Development Project. The agreement will ensure GRU’s compliance with these MFLs through at least 2045. GRU will pay the money into an escrow account, which has a separate escrow agreement associated with it. The proposed cost participation and escrow agreements will be presented to the SJRWMD governing board for their approval on July 13, 2021. Staff recommends th...

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
7/27/2021	4	City Commission	Approved as Recommended	Pass
7/19/2021	4	City Commission	Continued
7/8/2021	4	Utility Advisory Board
6/17/2021	3	City Commission	Heard
4/15/2021	2	City Commission	Approved as Recommended

Title
Proposed Cost Agreement with St. Johns River Water Management District to Meet Lake Brooklyn and Geneva Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) (B)

**This item was presented to the UAB on July 8, 2021.**

Summary: GRU staff worked with St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) staff to develop a proposed cost participation agreement which will enable the City of Gainesville d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities (“GRU”) to comply with Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) rules for Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva. Under the proposed agreement GRU will pay $2.71 million to SJRWMD as a cost participation for the Black Creek Water Resource Development Project. The agreement will ensure GRU’s compliance with these MFLs through at least 2045. GRU will pay the money into an escrow account, which has a separate escrow agreement associated with it. The proposed cost participation and escrow agreements will be presented to the SJRWMD governing board for their approval on July 13, 2021. Staff recommends that City Commission approve the agreements and have the mayor sign them, upon approval of SJRWMD governing board.

Explanation
Groundwater withdrawals in Florida are regulated by five regional water management districts. GRU has a consumptive use permit (CUP) for the Murphree Wellfield issued by the SJRWMD. A portion of GRU’s service area also extends into the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) to the West. The water management districts develop regulatory criteria known as MFLs for individual water bodies in order to ensure that they are not significantly harmed by aquifer drawdowns due to pumping in the region. If it is deemed that a water body is being significantly harmed, the district must issue a recovery plan for restoring water levels. Recovery plans often include projects and other provisions that CUP permit holders must comply with.

The SJRWMD has developed proposed MFLs for Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva in Keystone Heights along with a proposed recovery ...