Dundee considering one-year moratorium on new development due to water shortage

DUNDEE, Fla. - A town in Polk County is running out of water and it may put a big 'stop' to new housing development.

Dundee Mayor Sam Pennant says when he first moved to the town nearly 20 years ago, the housing developments you see now were all citrus groves.

"It was quiet. Quaint. And then before you know it, it just exploded," said Pennant. "I guess the things that attracted me, attracted just about everybody else."

The population was around 2,500 people back then. Fast-forward to now, and it has grown to 7,000.

Developers build new neighborhoods and the town's infrastructure just can't keep up.

The town isn't out of water right now, but it will be if it keeps developing at the fast pace it's going.

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"Currently the town of Dundee is operating on a 917,500 gallons per day water permit and we're right at that. We're at 90% of our capacity, so we're figuring out how to move proactively with our developments coming in," said Tandra Davis, the Town Manager.

To make sure they don't hit their limit, the town is considering a one-year moratorium on new builds so they can have more time to find solutions.

In the meantime, they do have a plan in place.

"We have an interlocal agreement with Winter Haven where we'll be getting within the next 18 months another 500,000 gallons per day," said Pennant.

The town also has an agreement with Polk County Water Co-Op that can provide another 500,000 gallons per day, and will be coming online in 2028.

Agricultural wells could also be transferred to their water permit, which could happen in the next six to nine months.

"It was projected close to 5,000 new units that's possibly coming on and that's a big number," said Davis. "It was initially saying it could double our population, but it's going to be more than that. We're going to have to make sure we're looking at every avenue possible to prepare for that."

A draft ordinance will be presented during a Planning and Zoning Meeting on Thursday, August 15. Then town commissioners will have a first read of the ordinance at the end of the month.

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