• Build a system of “backbone” water mains located along major county highways
• Designing and constructing water extension lines from the backbone system
• Establishing consistent water line extension policies and an annual building plan
Engineering Services
• Manage design, construction of all water lines for Polk County
• Manage inspection and permitting of all water lines
Reservoir Management
• ICWD funds, manages improvement and ongoing maintenance of Turner Shoals Dam at Lake Adger
• Combine ICWD and Polk County water sources so both can share long-term access to more than 14 million gallons of water a day
Water Resources Planning
• Determine how to best use three water sources of a Polk County-ICWD system
• If a future water treatment plant is needed, ICWD would build it to serve entire Polk County-ICWD region
Regulatory Compliance
• Ensure state, federal permitting, environmental and other regulatory requirements are met
• Continue water sampling and testing

Where We Are Today

ICWD has successfully managed a large part of Polk County’s water system for six years (2008-2014). During this time, Polk County and its citizens have benefitted from increased access to public water and new customer services, including:
• Enhanced fire protection with the addition of nearly 130 fire hydrants
• More than 45 miles of water lines added
• Three reliable water supply options ensure Polk County has plenty of water for citizens, businesses, schools and all needs
• Easy access to customer support and new bill pay options
• Stable and low water rates

Areas for More Work with ICWD

Polk County wants to improve the public water system to continue to support good growth, jobs and quality of life for residents well into the future.
Continuing to partner with ICWD for trusted technical expertise and services allows the county to provide lower cost water services to citizens, without added staff, equipment and taxes. Services that Polk County is discussing for more long-term assistance from ICWD include:
Water Distribution
Countywide
• Planning and engineering to extend water service to more customers and areas of the county
In a Sept. 22 work session, the Polk Board of County Commissioners focused on exploring options to continue expanding the countywide water system with more support and expertise from the Inman-Campobello Water District (ICWD).
Longer term partnership discussed
To reach Polk County’s goals for an affordable, countywide system, a longer-term agreement with ICWD is needed. A 20-year term is being discussed. Polk County is considering having ICWD provide full water system services through the revenues generated from Polk County water bills. Polk County’s water rate terms would be those that ICWD already has in place. Each year, ICWD would reinvest a set percentage of the revenues from Polk County to build the county’s backbone water main system. It would also reinvest funds to repair and maintain the Turner Shoals dam at Lake Adger. Polk County would continue to own all the water lines, dam and water assets that exist in the county. It would continue to oversee and approve annual water line construction and dam maintenance through a joint oversight committee. The committee members would include three Polk County members and two ICWD members.
In addition, the county would have the option to make grants or fund additional water line projects in any given year. ICWD would manage these projects for the county.

— submitted by
Interim Polk County
Manager Marche Pittman