A deal to put most of South Florida under permanent, three-day-a-week water restrictions — among the loosest in the state — has begun to unravel at the 11th hour, amid utilities' demands that they not be forced to reduce water use.

The Southeast Florida Utility Council, which represents 35 utilities, says the new rules could penalize their members for promoting water conservation. That's because the rules could let the South Florida Water Management District to cut back the amount of water that utilities are allowed to pump from the ground and sell.

The utilities want guarantees that their water usage permits will not be reduced as consumption drops. In a recent letter to water managers, the council suggested amendments to the proposed rules, which were set for a South Florida Water Management District board vote on Friday.

Without the guarantees, the utilities fear, they will be forced to invest in expensive alternatives, such as desalination plants and reservoirs, once the economy recovers and growth resumes.

"When the growth comes back and when the demand comes back — and it will — we're going to be in a position of, again, having to go to highly expensive alternative water supplies," Palm Beach County Utilities Director Bevin Beaudet said at a water resources advisory committee meeting last week. "We have no money for it."

Read more at the Palm Beach Post.