WATER IN PALM BEACH
A Civic Association Water Committee Program
Palm Beach gets its water from the City of West Palm Beach. In 1999, the Town signed a 30 year agreement to purchase water from the City. Palm Beach is West Palm Beach’s biggest customer. West Palm Beach also owns the Town’s water delivery system, i.e. the pipes under Palm Beach roadways. In the agreement, West Palm Beach agrees to provide high quality water to Town residents and systematically repair the aging pipes on the island.
In 2008, poor water quality issues caused residents to call for water independence. Town of Palm Beach officials entered into discussions with West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, and the South Florida Water Management District. Various options were explored including the construction of a reverse osmosis plant for Palm Beach.
At the Town Council president’s request, the Civic Association conducted a study of water usage among Palm Beach residents. The Association also explored creative water conservation measures and introduced Palm Beachers to state-of-the-art “smart irrigation” systems that result in major savings.
West Palm Beach has undertaken an aggressive program to upgrade and improve its water system. The Town of Palm Beach is working closely with the West Palm Water Department to ensure that the interests of Palm Beach residents are a fundamental part of the planned upgrades.
Current Water Restrictions [Effective June 13,2011]
LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION
ALL PROPERTY SIZES
FOR THE TOWN OF PALM BEACH
Odd Numbered Addresses
Lawn watering is permitted on
WEDNESDAYS from
4:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
Watering is not allowed any other time.
Even Numbered Addresses
Lawn watering is permitted on
THURSDAYS from
4:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
Watering is not allowed any other time.
Restrictions apply to sources of water for irrigation including wells, canals, ponds and lakes. However, landscape irrigation using reclaimed water is not restricted.
Low volume systems such as drip, bubble and microjet systems that apply water directly to root plant zones may be used any time.
Hand Watering
Hand watering of stressed plants is permitted for 10 minutes per day using a single hose, with an attached automatic shutoff nozzle or trigger nozzle.
SMART IRRIGATION
The Palm Beach Civic Association strongly supports “smart irrigation” to conserve water in our community. The Association’s Water Committee has thoroughly researched this important new technology and we believe the benefits are beyond any doubt.
Consider that in the Town of Palm Beach, residents and businesses currently consume a staggering 2.5 billion gallons of water per year—roughly 80% for landscaping—at an annual cost of $11.4 million. The average Palm Beach single-family residence uses nearly 1,400 gallons per day, over six times the Florida average.
Smart irrigation technology has been indisputably proven to slash water consumption by 25%-60% in a variety of communities throughout the U.S. Indeed, this technology has never failed to meet expectations. And, early results from those in Palm Beach who have installed the technology over the past year show savings of 40%-60%.
The two primary components that make up smart irrigation are:
- Water conservation sprinkler nozzles (the drops that are sprayed are larger, rather than a wastefull mist)
- Smart controllers that replace the clock timer to regulate when and how much water is applied to each zone.
Landscape professionals report that Palm Beachers overwater; they harm the health of their gardens and lawns by too much irrigation. Perhaps even worse, overwatering leads to runoff of soil and chemicals which pollute our nearby waters. Installed Town-wide, “smart irrigation” systems will save residents, businesses and Town agencies some billion gallons of water and several millions of dollars per year, without affecting the beauty of our island, while enhancing our environment.
The cost of a “smart irrigation” controller ranges from $200 for a small property to $1,400 for a very large single-family residence property. Once tuned, these systems require almost no maintenance. Based on a wealth of empirical data, we are confident that the typical payback will be under 15 months. In my case, the payback was only 6 months.
For multi-family properties—condo and apartment buildings—the short payback periods are equally impressive.
The Civic Association does not endorse a particular vendor for smart irrigation technologies or the contractors that install them. The following system and irrigation contractors have participated in Civic Association Water Workshops to show the community how these technologies work, and have Palm Beach County representatives.
Systems
Irrigation Contractors
- AquaPro 561-963-3046
- Sunnyland Irrigation 561-686-2400
- Superior Sprinkler Systems 561-833-3271
- Tropical Irrigation 561-842-2010
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
Civic Association members are encouraged to comment on issues. These comments can be read by any visitor to our website but only members can comment at this time.
If you are a member of the Civic Association, enter your email address that you have given to the Civic Association and a password will be sent automatically to your email inbox. Once you have the password, you can enter comments on any Issue page. Return to the screen below and enter your email and the new password that was sent to you.
The Civic Association encourages thoughtful and civil viewpoints expressed about all sides of an issue. We do not accept anonymous or inappropriate comments. We will delete them. If you see such comments, please report them to us at MikeBrown@PalmBeachCivic.org
Sample Viewpoints:
#1: Palm Beach is too dependent on West Palm Beach for its water needs. The Town should take steps to become water independent.
#2: The current water contract locks in the Town as a West Palm Beach water customer until 2020. Palm Beach is West Palm Beach’s biggest customer and, as such, should negotiate a better deal to ensure quality water and reliable delivery for Palm Beach residents.
#3: The Town should build its own water plant.
#4: The water business is complicated and costly. Environmental permitting is difficult and outside authorities regulate everything from of water quantity to water quality. Building a new facility is not the best way to become water independent.
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