Support given for reservoir

With the window for public comment on the Clarke County Reservoir draft watershed plan and environmental impact statement closed Monday, government entities in Osceola have pledged their support for the project by way of resolutions in meetings over the past two weeks.

The City of Osceola and Osceola Water Board unanimously approved a joint resolution at their respective Dec. 16 and Dec. 11 meetings. Osceola City Administrator Ty Wheeler stated at the Dec. 16 council meeting that all members of the reservoir commission were encouraged to draft letters or another form of support.

“[It’s the] best practice when proposals are published on the Federal Register,” Wheeler explained. “They just like to see that the local sponsors are supporting it.”

He said Water Works had already prepared a resolution and that it made more sense for it to become a joint one with the city as opposed to having two separate ones that looked identical and therefore could be perceived as less authentic.

“I fully support [having] a joint resolution,” Osceola Mayor Thomas Kedley said.

County support

At Monday’s meeting of the Clarke County Board of Supervisors, the resolution was approved 2-0 after discussion about what the long-term commitment of such a resolution would mean; supervisor Randy Dunbar was absent. Several members of the community and water entity representatives were present to encourage support from the supervisors.

“I am in support of signing the resolution, the only concern I’ve got is there’s a statement on here: ‘The Clarke County Board of Supervisors reaffirms its commitment to reach a cooperation - which I agree with - and continue participation and efforts to secure a reliable, sustainable and long-term water supply for the benefit of Clarke County and the region,’” supervisor Dean Robins said, noting concern at the wording of ‘continued participation.’ “I’m in support of it, however, I don’t know as I’m ready to commit to another 20 years for that water source.”

Robins said his hesitation came from if the current supervisors signed the resolution, would future supervisors be bound to that same resolution, especially if something happened that hindered the current project.

“This is the only solution that is viable,” Osceola Water Superintendent Brandon Patterson said. “I think we’re closer than we ever have been. I think the important part right now is, we just all as a community have to be united and push forward or we’re not going to get to the finish line.”

After talking with the county attorney, it was found the resolution would not be binding to future supervisors, prompting a motion by supervisor Brian Sorensen to approve the resolution of support.

Project recap

Solutions to solve the water problems in Osceola and Clarke County have been looked into for years, starting as far back as the mid-1900s when West Lake was built to become Osceola’s water supply instead of East Lake. At that time, it was noted that West Lake would not sustain the population forever and other alternatives would need to be explored.

The Clarke County Reservoir Commission was established in the early 1990s, with a focus on finding a sustainable water source for the region with the combined efforts of local government bodies. Over the years, many different alternatives have been explored, with the present plan of a new reservoir to be built north of Osceola the best option.

Presently, West Lake has a daily safe withdrawal rate of 0.8 to 0.9 million gallons per day, with a future safe withdrawal capacity predicated at 0.7 MGD. Most recent estimates state that an average 1.2 to 1.3 million gallons go through the Osceola treatment plant on a daily basis. In 20 years, the projected daily withdrawal demand is 2.8 MGD. The new reservoir is expected to provide an additional 1.2 million gallons per day of water, helping to supplement West Lake.

The current plan is also the furthest along in the process the project has been, after facing setbacks in 2011 when the federal program for water projects was defunded for nearly a decade. The commission continued to work on their own during that time and when the program was funded again in 2020 reapplied for assistance. However, it was necessary to rework the environmental impact study as well as assess the project’s impact on anything of historical significance. The commission has been working on the current plan since April of 2021 and completed the draft this fall for review.

With a current project cost estimated at $117 million, an approved plan by the NRCS would open federal funding to cover 100% of engineering costs and 75% of construction costs, furthering the need to have an approved and signed plan.