Reusing water to support the landscape
Reclaimed water is treated wastewater reused for an authorized purpose. Palm Beach County explains that reclaimed irrigation water helps conserve fresh drinking-water supplies and is distributed separately from potable water.
The supplied Bulk Reclaimed Water Agreement is between Palm Beach County and United Civic Organization, Inc. (UCO), dated August 19, 2003. It provides for County delivery of reclaimed water to the Century Village lake system for landscape irrigation.
Understand the agreement. Coordinate the work. Protect shared resources.
How the agreement describes the arrangement
The County supplies reclaimed water to a defined Point of Service, where its system connects to the Century Village lake system. The lake system includes canals, lakes, and surface-water bodies supplying portions of the community’s irrigation system.
This is a bulk community arrangement. It is not a promise that reclaimed water is delivered directly to every unit or every individual sprinkler. Confirm the actual equipment and service route for a particular association.
The agreement limits use to landscape irrigation within Century Village, while expressly allowing boating on Lake Century to continue. That provision does not establish permission for swimming or drinking lake water.
Source: supplied agreement, introductory recitals and §§4–6. County background: Learn About Reclaimed Water.
Who is responsible under the 2003 document?
| Party | Responsibilities described |
|---|---|
| Palm Beach County | Design, construction, operation, and maintenance of its reclaimed-water system up to the Point of Service, including the meter. Obtain necessary County-side approvals and provide required signs and warnings. |
| UCO | Design, construction, modification, operation, and maintenance of the lake and landscape-irrigation systems on the Century Village side of the Point of Service; comply with applicable requirements and secure required approvals. |
| Individual associations | They are not named as the contracting parties. Their particular maintenance, payment, or coordination duties require review of other applicable agreements, documents, and current arrangements. |
Section 6 also addresses preventing flow into adjoining properties without County consent. The agreement’s allocation between UCO and the County should not be treated as a complete map of every association’s present-day responsibilities.
Source: agreement §§6–7. Ask for system maps and current responsibility boundaries when planning repairs.
Supply, lake levels & safeguards
- Supply limit: Section 7 states a peak instantaneous flow rate not exceeding 250,000 gallons per day. This is a contractual limit, not a statement of actual daily consumption.
- Availability: Section 8 makes supply dependent on the County having sufficient reclaimed water. It permits reductions or interruption, with specified fee adjustments.
- Lake-level control: Section 9 provides for a water-level sensor linked to a County-side flow-control valve that shuts off delivery if the authorized lake elevation is exceeded.
- Backflow protection: Section 10 requires specified meter and dual-check-valve installations and Health Department approval before service begins.
- Water quality: Section 11 requires delivered reclaimed water to meet applicable laws, regulations, and standards.
What did the original payment terms say?
Section 12 separates a fixed monthly charge from a charge based on delivered volume. The following are historical first-year terms, not current price quotations.
| Original charge | First-year amount / formula |
|---|---|
| Monthly base fee | $3,257, payable irrespective of delivered quantity under the general fee definition. |
| Monthly commodity fee | $0.04 per 1,000 gallons delivered to the Point of Service. |
| Ordinary annual base escalation | One-half of the specified CPI change, with a maximum annual escalation of 3%. |
| Ordinary annual commodity escalation | The specified CPI change, with a maximum annual escalation of 3%. |
Historical illustration: At those first-year rates, delivery of 1,000,000 gallons would produce a $40 commodity charge, plus the $3,257 monthly base fee: $3,297 in total before any other applicable adjustment. This example does not describe current use or billing.
The agreement also addresses recalculation for regulatory changes, cancellation options, and potentially continuing payment obligations. Do not assume the ordinary 3% escalation ceiling applies to every possible adjustment. Have counsel review §12 and any later documents for a live question.
A bulk invoice does not, by itself, show how costs are allocated among associations or residents. Obtain the applicable UCO budget and allocation information.
Has it been renewed or changed?
Section 2 gives the agreement a 20-year term beginning on the Service Initiation Date, renewable by mutual written agreement. Section 13 sets a planned service start on or before March 1, 2005 unless the parties agreed otherwise in writing.
Ask UCO or County Water Utilities for the current executed agreement, renewal or replacement documents, amendments, actual service initiation record, current rate schedule, and recent invoices.
Sections 14–23 address default and termination notices, easements, indemnification, force majeure, remedies, assignment, formal notices, recording, and written changes. These provisions matter if there is a dispute or proposed system change; a brief summary cannot replace contract review.
Find the recorded document and related records
The supplied copy shows recording on August 29, 2003, as instrument 20030515561, Official Records Book 15769, pages 0756–0765. The County resolution reference is R2003-1217.
Use the Palm Beach County Clerk’s Official Records search to look for the instrument or book/page reference. Confirm the returned document’s title, parties, and dates. Search separately for later agreements or amendments; absence of a search result is not proof that none exists.
Exhibit A identifies lakes and drainage canals through recorded descriptions and plat references. It should not be used as a substitute for a current survey, ownership opinion, or engineering system map.
Deeds & property recordsWhat residents should know
Reclaimed irrigation water is not drinking water. Follow posted signs and operator instructions; do not connect irrigation equipment to household plumbing or use an irrigation outlet for drinking, cooking, bathing, or pet water.
Report broken sprinklers, unusual runoff, persistent standing water, or damaged equipment to your association or manager so the responsible operator can be contacted. Describe the location and include photographs where safe.
Do not assume a low lake level, brown lawn, or overflowing area proves a contract breach. Delivery controls, weather, equipment, irrigation settings, and supply availability need investigation.
A board’s practical checklist
- Keep the current documents. Retain the agreement, amendments, responsibility map, and relevant budget information.
- Clarify the handoffs. Identify who operates shared systems and who maintains local irrigation equipment.
- Understand the cost. Ask how bulk charges are allocated and which local maintenance expenses your association pays.
- Coordinate projects. Consult the responsible entity before modifying pipes, pumps, landscaping, shorelines, or control equipment.
- Track problems. Record reports, responsible contacts, diagnosis, repair, and completion.
Shared infrastructure works best with clear responsibilities.
Resources & related reading
County reclaimed-water informationContact UCOLandscaping & pest controlBack to Management & VendorsReviewed October 17, 2026. Based on the supplied 2003 recorded agreement, marked “Not a Certified Copy,” and linked County educational information. Later contractual status, rates, and operational arrangements have not been verified. Consult UCO, County Water Utilities, qualified operators, and counsel for current or disputed matters.
Request a current-status package before using an old rate
Board Synergy recommended practice Ask UCO or County Water Utilities for the actual Service Initiation Date record, current executed agreement or renewal, amendments, current rate calculation, recent invoices, and any relevant operating or permit records. Record which documents were received and which questions remain unanswered.
- Term: identify the controlling start, renewal, replacement, and notice provisions; do not calculate expiration from signature alone.
- Billing: reconcile fixed and volume charges, adjustment notices, quantities, and allocation to associations. Do not apply a general website rate to this bulk agreement without confirmation.
- Operations: identify the Point of Service and responsible contacts for meters, delivery controls, lakes, and local irrigation components.
- Communication: obtain the current reclaimed-water handout and notification instructions; document distribution and follow-up separately from the supply agreement.
Contractual duty The supplied agreement describes a specific historical allocation. Regulatory requirement / operator procedure Permits, safe-use instructions, and current notification duties require their own review. A reported sprinkler fault or low lake level should be investigated, not treated automatically as proof of breach.
Connected agreements and operational guides
- Reclaimed water notice
- Water management century village
- Shoreline restoration maintenance
- Landscaping pest control
- Who manages what?
- Explaining UCO: guide collection
These independent educational summaries are navigation aids. Florida law, association governing documents, UCO procedures, contracts, and court orders have different sources of authority. The suggested checklists are Board Synergy recommended practices. Current enforceability, amendments, rates, and rights require the actual record and qualified review.