Deltona has taken steps to end a water-conservation project after work crews uncovered an underground spring.
The City Commission Aug. 5 approved a settlement with the St. Johns River Water Management District to cancel the original grant plan, by having Deltona “repay a portion of the grant that we received,” according to Public Works Director Glenn Whitcomb.
Deltona and the water district had agreed to take surface water from Lake Monroe and pipe it northward to a planned facility for treatment and insertion into the aquifer. The lake water would be tapped from a point along LakeShore Drive, in front of the old Deltona Community Center, and transmitted to a point along Alexander Avenue for treatment and insertion into the soil. The treated lake water would then be infused into the ground to replace the groundwater withdrawn by municipal wells for treatment and potable use.
Known as the “straw project,” the effort was short-lived due to natural conditions unknown at the time of the planning and beyond the city’s control. The straw project had the support of the Water Management District, which regulates the withdrawals from the aquifer and issues licenses, known as consumptive-use permits, to public and private utilities for the treatment, sale and distribution of water to those utilities’ customers.
What seemed like a sound effort to recharge the aquifer and ensure a steady flow of water into Blue Spring had to be abandoned, however, because work crews had struck an underground spring that would not stop spewing.
“[I]n April 2022, construction crews discovered ‘artesian well boils’ along with elevated groundwater pressure conditions below the ground surface at the Project location,” the settlement agreement reads.
“[T]he Recipient halted construction of the Project because the elevated water pressures made it difficult to dewater the site and to provide a safe, stable area for the construction crews during excavation,” the document continues.
While the work was ongoing, city officials closed the boat dock next to the place from which the water would be taken. The boat dock remains closed, and there is no firm date when it will reopen to the public.
The straw project’s original estimated cost — before the problems came to light and prompted its cancellation — was $10.8 million. Deltona received from the state agency approximately $1.3 million. The settlement agreement ratified by the City Commission calls for Deltona to pay to the water district a total of $598,340.66. The city’s payment will be done in two installments, each of which is $298,170.33. The first installment is due Oct. 15, and the second is due on the same date of next year, 2025.
Interestingly, Vice Mayor Jody Lee Storozuk has said the city spent some $6.5 million on the project, and he wants to know more about the fiasco.
“I want somebody held accountable,” he told The Beacon.
Storozuk also said the city’s insurance carrier is trying to pursue repayment of Deltona’s expenses for the straw project.
Whitcomb noted the city had purchased supplies for the construction of the straw project, and these unused items, especially pipes, can be saved and used for other tasks, such as perhaps drainage improvements in the Lake Theresa Basin.
The City Commission approved the settlement with the SJRWMD with a 6-0 vote.
As for the unfinished construction site along LakeShore Drive, Whitcomb said it will be restored, but the cost is not yet known.
“We’re going to be seeking some state funding,” he added.
The pipes and sheet pilings placed in the lake will be removed before the dock is reopened for boaters.
“We’re looking at opening the dock and maybe put in some other docks,” Whitcomb said.
When that will happen has not yet been determined, as city officials have not yet set a time for hiring a consultant and seeking bids from contractors willing to take away the remnants of the ill-fated capital project.
