Seminole County commissioners are set to review a 10-year plan on Tuesday for where the county utility will find water as the region grows, and the cheapest option on its list is getting customers to use less.
The Water Supply Facilities Work Plan comes before the board as a work session item at its Nov. 10 meeting. Utilities Director Johnny Edwards and Mary Thomas of Carollo Engineers are listed as presenters. Staff is asking the board to authorize carrying out the plan, with changes to the county's comprehensive plan to follow later for a separate vote.
Why the plan is due
Florida law gives local governments 18 months after the Central Florida Water Initiative adopts its regional supply plan to fold their own water projects into their comprehensive plans. The regional plan was last updated Nov. 12, 2025, so Seminole's update is due by May 12, 2027, according to the county's presentation.
The county pumps groundwater under a consumptive use permit from the St. Johns River Water Management District that runs until Sept. 23, 2029.
The water district now limits withdrawals from the Upper Floridan Aquifer to what a utility showed it needed in 2025, the slides say, so any added demand has to be met through conservation or alternative sources such as deeper wells, surface water, aquifer recharge or reclaimed water.
What the options cost
The presentation's main conclusion is that the county's current permit allocations and treatment plants will meet future demand. It adds that pending rules could affect those allocations in ways that are not yet known, and staff is weighing several options in case they are needed.
