Utility Expansion Master Plan Update

On November 10, 2021, City Council was briefed by the Cape Coral Utilities Director, on the tentative results of the ongoing Utility Expansion Project (UEP) Master Plan. 

Presently, utilities (water, sewer, and reclaimed water- treated wastewater to be used for irrigation only) are being designed in the North 1 area of the city, and construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2022. The remaining areas of the city without public utilities are the subject of the UEP Master Plan. 

The UEP Master Plan is necessary to prioritize future areas for utility expansion, to identify existing infrastructure needs necessary to accommodate future expansion, to establish realistic schedules, and to establish preliminary cost estimates. 

The entire agenda and presentation given to City Council are available below. 

UEP Master Plan Update

The following is a brief summary of the preliminary findings and recommended improvements with the future service areas. Service areas are shown on the map below.

My Summary

• North 3 will be the next area to receive utilities after North 1. This area is west of Burnt Store Road to the North Spreader Waterway, north of the recently completed North 2 area, and extends north to Kismet Parkway. Utilities are expected to be installed by 2025.
• Also expected to be completed by 2025 is an expansion of utilities north on Burnt Store Road to the city line. This allows the planned Hudson Creek development to move forward and will spur commercial development along Burnt Store Road. Much of this expansion may be funded by the Hudson Creek project. Finally, by 2025, a new 22,000 linear foot sewer main on Veteran's Parkway will be constructed which is necessary for future sewer expansion.
• By 2027, the existing North reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway needs to be expanded from 6 to 18 million gallons per day.
• By 2030, the city intends to construct utilities in the North 4 and North 5 areas. Also, a new water storage tank will be constructed in the northeast section of the city.
• By 2035, the city intends to construct utilities in North 6 and North 7 areas. The city also intends to build a new water reclamation facility (wastewater treatment plant) in the northwest. The site is adjacent to the existing reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway near Chiquita Boulevard.
• By 2040, the city intends to construct utilities in North 8 and North 9 areas.
• North 10 through North 12 areas are planned for 2045.

Yes, planning level cost estimates have been included in the UEP Master Plan and these were shown in the presentation given to City Council. However, these costs are on a macro scale, and it's too early to speculate what each homeowner will pay.

It is important to note that the UEP Master Plan is intended to be a guide for future utility expansion. Specific details of pipe and pumping station placements are not yet completed.

This document will be modified (and boundaries of service areas will likely be realigned) as the project moves forward. In fact, City Council and the Mayor have already requested that engineers look at the possibility of moving North 11 up in the schedule.

So, the next steps are as follows:

• Engineers will address comments from city staff, City Council, and the Mayor, including the pros and cons of constructing utilities in North 11 sooner.
• The UEP Master Plan report will be finalized.
• The city will hire a consultant to re-evaluate impact fees, one-time utility assessments, and user fees taking into account the timing and estimated costs of the above projects.
• The city will hire a consulting engineer to design Area 3 and improvements scheduled to be online by 2025.

Again, this is a high-level master plan and is not intended to include specific project details.

If you have comments and questions that you believe are appropriate at this point in the planning process you may email me at publicworks@nwcape.com.

I will prepare a consolidated response of appropriate comments to the city. You may certainly contact your City Council Member directly if you prefer.

Don Freeman, P.E.
NWNA Public Works Committee