Winter Haven Approves $129K for Alternative Water Supply Pipeline Design
by James Coulter
To provide an alternative water supply from Lake Wales to Winter Haven and nearby communities, city commissioners approved funding to plan and design a proposed extension of a transmission line.
At their regular meeting on Mon. June 8, 2026, Winter Haven commissioners voted unanimously to approve their consent agenda, with one item on a project for The Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC).
The project will extend the city’s existing transmission main by approximately 2,300 feet, consisting of 1,400 feet of new main and a 900-foot extension to a receiving facility on Derby Avenue East.
This new transmission will enable the city to receive the county’s alternate water supply from Lake Wales and distribute it to the neighboring cities of Auburndale and Lake Alfred.
The City of Winter Haven, along with 15 other municipalities, formed the PRWC to coordinate planning for future growth and to address the county’s long-term water supply needs.
To meet these needs, the PRWC has been developing an Alternate Water Supply (AWS) to prevent the over-dependence of the traditional Upper Floridan Aquifer as a main water source. By 2045, the county will be expected to supply nearly 106 MGD of water, according to the PRWC website.
Through the PRWC, Winter Haven will receive 4.17 million gallons per day (MGD) of AWS from a new facility in Lake Wales via a 60-mile transmission line.
The water will be delivered to the city’s receiving facility on Pollard Road, with 1.65 MGD being distributed to Auburndale and 1.0 MGD to Lake Alfred.
“This project will improve the regional water system and allow water to be delivered through the City of Winter Haven to Auburndale,” wrote Gary Hubbard, Water Department Director. “By using the City’s existing system, PRWC member governments will avoid the cost of constructing a separate transmission main, resulting in significant savings.”
To help receive and distribute this AWS, the transmission line extension will be planned, designed, and permitted by Dewberry Engineers, Inc., whose services are estimated to cost $129,555.
Funds are currently budgeted in both this fiscal year and the next, and the City and PRWC are preparing a reimbursement agreement under which the City will be reimbursed 100 percent of its investment in the water main installation. The project is expected to be ready for construction by July 2027.
“This project supports the City’s ongoing Capital Improvement Program by upgrading and expanding water infrastructure to provide reliable, high-quality service to Winter Haven and neighboring communities,” Hubbard elaborated.
