Straw project to draw 12M gallons of surface water from Lake Monroe for reclaimed supply in Deltona

DELTONA — How much water can a $10.6 million straw pull?

Eventually, 12 million gallons.

The city and the St. Johns River Water Management District last week broke ground on the Florida Straw Project that will, at build-out, withdraw up to 12 million gallons of surface water per day to supplement the city's reclaimed water system.

Officials say the withdrawal shouldn't be noticeable to the naked eye as Lake Monroe spans 8,771 acres.

The project also will help recharge the Blue Spring aquifer to improve the spring's minimum flows and levels.

"As we know, water is a precious resource," Mayor Heidi Herzberg said. "It's something that we really have to continually work on, and reuse is the way to go right now."

The city's state revolving fund loan accounts for $5,722,494 of the work, and the St. Johns River Water Management District grant of $4,879,000 accounts for the rest, according to city records.

The work is taking place near the old community center on Lakeshore Drive across from the boat ramp, which is closed during construction and expected to reopen in June 2023. Boaters in the meantime may use the ramp at Mariner’s Cove Park, 1199 Enterprise Osteen Road.

The water will be pumped to the Alexander Rapid Infiltration Basin site where it will be treated and filtered.

"The desire is we never have to augment reclaimed water with valuable groundwater," John Peters III, acting city manager, said.

Reclaimed water is primarily used in irrigation as it's not filtered or disinfected to the levels required for drinking water.

Groundwater, which is pulled from Florida's underground aquifer, is the main source of drinking water for most of northeast and central Florida.

Some groundwater contaminants occur naturally, but most are a result of human activity, according to the nonprofit Groundwater Foundation.

The Alexander site currently has the capacity to treat up to 4 million gallons, Steve Danskine, the city's acting public works director, said. Additional filtration tanks will be added as the straw project comes together over the next 18 months.

More: For Florida manatees, it will be another long winter, though Blue Spring remains a haven

In addition to supplementing the city's reclaimed water system, excess supply may be shared in the region through interconnected systems.

Mike Ulrich, director of Volusia County Water Resources and Utilities, said developing alternative water supplies for non-drinking water purposes is an important strategy on which municipalities throughout the state are working.

"We’re trying to reduce our impact as more and more people move to the area," Ulrich said.

Flow state

The straw project is a part of the Volusia Prevention and Recovery Strategy, "a comprehensive strategy to protect Blue Spring and six Volusia County lakes from current and potential impacts of groundwater withdrawals, as part of the district’s minimum flows and levels program," Ashley Evitt, a spokesperson with the water management district, said in a news release.

"The strategy calls for groundwater withdrawals in the region to be maintained at or below sustainable limits, or for impacts from the withdrawals to be offset through reuse of reclaimed water, aquifer recharge and water supply projects, as well as through conservation and regulatory measures to protect water resources," Evitt said.

The St. Johns River Water Management District set a minimum flow regime for Blue Spring just over 15 years ago with the intent of protecting the spring "from a reduction in flows that could threaten its water resource values and functions, including its use as a reliable winter warm-water refuge by manatees," according to the district's website.

Blue Spring's flow varies throughout the year as it's largely affected by climatic conditions.

Impact on neighbors

Duke Energy in December cleared trees and brush to prepare for the construction work, which wasn't necessarily to the liking of some residents in the Edgewater and Lakeside condominiums.

"They're a little upset that the vegetative buffer on that property is gone," Danskine said.

However, the city is working on relandscaping the area to bring some of the natural screening back, Danskine said.

Aside from the landscaping loss and intermittent construction work, the project shouldn't have a major impact on area residents, especially once completed.

"The pumps are very quiet, and there should be no odor associated with it when it's in operation," Danskine said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Straw project to augment Deltona's reclaimed water supply breaks ground