District Wins Regional Tap Water Quality Award, Targets Rate Stability
Published on April 12, 2026
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The St. Lucie West Services District (SLWSD) has been recognized as the winner of the Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) Region VIII Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest, held on May 8, 2026, at the Havert L. Fenn Center.
Hosted during Drinking Water Week, the annual competition highlights utilities that demonstrate excellence in water treatment and quality. Water samples are evaluated on taste, clarity, odor, and overall quality by a three-person judging panel composed of Florida residents who are not affiliated with water utilities or participating organizations, providing a consumer-based perspective.
The District will now advance to the statewide FSAWWA competition. The winner of that contest will go on to represent Florida at the National American Water Works Association “Best of the Best” Tap Water Taste Test during the organization’s annual conference.
“Even though we are a smaller government utility compared to some of the larger and known regional providers that participated in the contest, this recognition reinforces that we are on the right track by focusing on quality over quantity, which is what our St. Lucie West residents and customers deserve,” said SLWSD Assistant Utilities Director Thomas J. Bayer, who represented the District and received the award during the event.
Although the SLWSD is a master planned community development primarily serving St. Lucie West with water utilities, wastewater management, and stormwater operations, it continues to maintain utility rates lower than many surrounding Treasure Coast providers while delivering high quality water and utility services. As part of its long-term infrastructure and financial planning efforts, the District is currently expanding operations to fully serve the Reserve Community Development District (CDD), a neighboring master planned community located west of Interstate 95 and adjacent to St. Lucie West, which includes residents of the PGA Village. This incorporation, once complete by early 2028, is limited to water utility and wastewater management services only.
The Reserve CDD incorporation builds upon an existing utility partnership under which the SLWSD has historically provided approximately 80 percent of the Reserve CDD’s potable water supply. Under the new agreement, the SLWSD will transition to providing full water utility services to the Reserve CDD, with customers expected to begin receiving direct utility billing from the District upon completion of the incorporation.
“Maintaining St. Lucie West as our primary service focus remains extremely important because it allows us to continue delivering the level of quality and customer service our residents expect,” said SLWSD District Manager, Joshua Miller. “At the same time, incorporating the Reserve CDD into our customer base has become a necessary long-term solution that benefits both communities by helping maintain lower and more stable utility rates.”
Miller added that continuing the partnership provides the most practical and cost-effective path forward for both districts.
“The alternative would have been for the Reserve CDD to seek another provider or construct independent utility infrastructure, both of which would have significantly increased costs for its residents,” Miller said. “If the District had chosen to end the agreement without a replacement structure in place, SLWSD would have experienced a reduction in revenue, which would have placed upward pressure on future utility rates for existing SLWSD customers.”
Under the new agreement, approximately 2,200 additional customers from the Reserve CDD, including residents of PGA Village, will transition into the District’s utility system. The incorporation expands the District’s customer and revenue base, strengthens long term operational efficiency, and helps reduce pressure for future utility rate increases amid rising regional costs of living and fuel price instability. These broader cost pressures directly affect District operations, including fleet maintenance and the transportation of critical water treatment equipment and parts.
Major infrastructure improvements associated with the Reserve CDD incorporation are currently being funded by the Reserve CDD and these costs are not being passed on to existing St. Lucie West Services District residents. Any past SLWSD rate adjustments are not related to this project. These improvements are necessary to bring existing Reserve CDD utility infrastructure into compliance with SLWSD standards prior to completion of the incorporation.
--------------------------------------------------
Photo caption: Assistant Utilities Director, Thomas J. Bayer (center), received the award on behalf of the St. Lucie West Services District for the Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) Region VIII Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest, held on May 8, 2026, at the Havert L. Fenn Center.