Altamonte Springs’ city attorney said the city of Apopka has repeatedly cut off or reduced reclaimed water flows, violating the terms of both cities’ 50-year agreement that was executed in June 2013.  

In a Jan. 27 certified letter to the city of Apopka — reviewed by The Apopka Chief — Altamonte Springs city attorney Mary L. Sneed wrote that both cities entered into the agreement to help Apopka meet future water demands while reducing its reliance on groundwater. 

Under the “Agreement for the Delivery of Reclaimed Water,” which Sneed attached to the letter, Apopka is required to “routinely receive and accept up to 4.5 million gallons per day (MGD)” of reclaimed water from the Altamonte Springs Regional Water Reclamation Facility (ASRWRF).  

“Despite the clear and unambiguous language of the Agreement, Apopka has continued a troubling trend of requesting that Altamonte reduce flow and/or closing of the valve dating back to October of 2018,” Sneed wrote. “The agreement does not authorize Apopka to unilaterally curtail, limit, or direct reductions or suspensions in the delivery of reclaimed water.” 

Apopka’s “arbitrary reductions” force Altamonte to scramble to reallocate the water, creating “significant operational, environmental and financial impacts,” according to Sneed. Altamonte received the last directive from Apopka to reduce flow in December 2025, according to the letter.   

“The ASRWRF is not an isolated ‘on/off’ valve that Apopka can direct to be turned on and off without consequences not only to Altamonte but also to other agencies that indirectly rely on Apopka’s performance and could also be impacted by its failures,” Sneed wrote. 

The correspondence noted that sudden flow reductions are particularly difficult to manage during “wet weather conditions.”  

“[Altamonte Springs] “will not continue to heed Apopka’s reduction or stoppage requests or Apopka’s continued failure to fulfill its obligations to its partner under the Agreement,” Sneed wrote.   

Altamonte requested that Apopka provide a written operational plan within 10 days outlining how the city intends to meet its contractual obligation to accept up to 4.5 million gallons of reclaimed water per day. 

In a formal response dated Feb. 10, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson expressed surprise at the legal escalation, noting that neither his office nor the city administrator had been contacted regarding the issue prior to the certified letter. 

“What I am surprised about is the issue being raised in your letter,” Nelson wrote, adding that communications at the operations level had previously been viewed as helpful. 

Nelson included emails showing the December 2025 exchange started with an Altamonte request to increase the flow of water for 24 hours. About 30 hours later, Apopka asked if the flow was going to return to the previous level, Nelson said.  

Nelson disputed Altamonte’s claims that Apopka has “cut off” the flow at any time since 2018, except for rare instances of required system maintenance.  

“On the contrary, there are many days where Altamonte does not send any, or very little, reclaimed water to Apopka, which then requires us to supplement our system with additional pumping from our wells to meet demand,” Nelson wrote. 

Nelson said he is willing to meet with Altamonte officials to “ensure both operations are on the same page” moving forward. As of Wednesday, he said Altamonte had not replied to his offer.