Proposed New Charge -
SJRWMD Cost Recovery Charge
Effective, October 1, 2021, customers will see a new line-item charge on their monthly bill.
This charge will remain in effect for 24 months.
What is the charge?
The SJRWMD Cost Recovery Charge is a charge assessed to CCUA customers for their proportional share of funding participation in the St. Johns River Water Management District’s (SJRWMD) Black Creek Water Resource Development Project in Keystone Heights (Black Creek Project). This charge will remain on customer bills for a period of 24 months.
Why is the charge on my bill?
SJRWMD establishes minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water bodies within its boundaries. MFLs define the limits at which further water withdrawals would be significantly harmful to the water resources or ecology of an area. MFLs are one of many tools used by SJRWMD to make water management decisions and prevent significant adverse impacts due to water withdrawals.
Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva in Keystone Heights are regulated by recently adopted MFLs. The lakes are on SJRWMD’s MFL priority list and in current need of a recovery strategy. SJRWMD developed the Black Creek Project to address the MFLs and increase the lake levels in Keystone Heights and ensure groundwater sustainability for water users.
SJRWMD requires permitted water users to participate in recovery strategies up to the proportional share of their customers’ impact to the MFL. Participation in the Black Creek Project is the least expensive option for meeting this obligation. The cost was calculated by SJRWMD and verified by CCUA. The SJRWMD process splits costs between existing and future customers according to the table below:
| Current Customers' Portion |
$1,301,172 |
| Future Customers' Portion |
$5,963,704 |
| Total Project Participation Cost |
$7,264,876 |
How much is the charge?
Existing Customers: $1.09 per month per customer, starting October 1, 2021.
New Construction Customers after October 1, 2021: Per the service availability connection charges, a connection surcharge will be assessed for all new customers (new construction) connecting to CCUA’s system to cover their fair share of project participation. This will ensure current customers are not paying for the impact of future customers related to this project.
Does CCUA believe this is a fairly calculated charge?
CCUA has always been a strong supporter of the community and the environment. We recognize that our customers have an impact on the MFLs and we need to do our fair share. CCUA and its legal team have participated in numerous negotiation sessions with SJRWMD. CCUA is satisfied that our participation costs reflect CCUA customer impact. The negotiated agreement will also protect CCUA’s customers’ water supply allocation approved by SJRWMD for the next 20 years.