INTEGRATED WATER SUPPLY PLANNING IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA: A MODEL FOR COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLANNING

East Central Florida has been confronted with the prospect of future limitations on its freshwater resource while the region's water demand is projected to increase by 76%. One local community within the region chose to address this crucial issue by developing a regional water authority through consolidation of the utilities of the county and one of its two cities. A regional water authority will provide the community a better vehicle from which to plan for the future and to form additional regional partnerships to develop future water resources. The regional authority required local entities to compromise, share power, and relinquish power to a separate independent authority. Since its creation, the water authority has embarked aggressively on developing regional partnerships and integrated water resources planning. The formation of this regional water authority provides a model for the resolution of utility challenges of today and in the future which are regional or cross utility boundaries.