Officials split on whether completion timeline is realistic
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
The Apopka City Council this week discussed the logistics of the flood mitigation solutions for the chain of lakes in the Piedmont-Wekiwa Road/S.R. 436 area, which is the recipient of two grants totaling more than $6 million.
The short-term solution would include obtaining an emergency permit from Orange County, dredging a pond at the Wekiva Village subdivision to help with the upcoming pumping and restoration of original pond volume, and the city setting up sediment controls and retention ponds with geo fabric, concrete blocks and flocculation blocks.
The long-term solution would involve building a pump station that would draw excess water from Border Lake and transfer the water to a yet-to-be expanded retention pond at a wastewater treatment plant.
For the short-term solution, the city of Apopka secured approval from residents for the right of way. The city is still working on getting final approval for both the long-term and short-term solutions from Lumen, an internet service provider that owns property next to Border Lake.
“They’re receptive,” Mayor Bryan Nelson said at the City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 2. “They don’t see any problem. Obviously, it’s a big company and so [it] never, never moves that fast. But we’re hoping to get this one wrapped up very soon.”
Border Lake will be pumped down about 3 feet, while Lake Jackson McDade and Piedmont lakes will be pumped down between 1 and 2.5 feet. City staff used the funding approved from the previous council meeting for the pump rentals and fueling.
Once the permit is secured, the city could expect to start pumping within a week at a 24/7 rate. Local residents requested that the city conduct the work 24/7 in order to complete it within three weeks.
Nelson outlined the long-term solution, which included collaborating with Lumen and Utilities Inc. for a midterm solution involving a pump station on the Lumen property.
“What we’ll do is end up putting a pump station on the it would be the east most side of Border Lake, which is still the Lumen property,” Nelson said. “We would tie it in the midterm project, would be to tie it into the Utilities incline. We’ve gotten also verbal approval from Utilities Inc, or whatever the new name is, to add right into their pipe. They have a 16-inch pipe that runs from there the Wekiva area, all the way out to our Cleveland (Street wastewater) plant. So, we’d be able to take that, the water and excess water off Border, put it into that pipe, and run it all the way out to our wastewater plant there at Cleveland.”
Later during discussion among the City Council and city staff, Diana Almodovar, city civil engineer, clarified that the excess water won’t be pumped directly into the Cleveland Street wastewater plant, but into an expanded retention pond that is yet to be constructed.
The city of Apopka was approved for two grants totaling more than $6 million for the flood mitigation. The grants are to go toward constructing a permanent stormwater treatment system to cut down flooding and improve water quality for irrigation and aquifer recharge.
The first is a state grant from Apopka Wekiva Springs Region Aquifer Recharge and Flood Protection, which will provide $2.5 million state funding with a required local match of $2.5 million. The project this grant will fund is a joint project between Apopka, Orange County, Seminole County, Florida Department of Transportation, and St. Johns River Management District.
The other grant is the Apopka Wekiva Springs Region Alternative Water Supply and Flood Protection, which is $3.75 million in federal funding and requires a local match of $2 million.
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez asked for herself and other commissioners to receive copies of the updates Nelson gave. She also asked if the city has the capacity at the wastewater plant to handle the excess water. In response, Nelson said Apopka discussed with Ocoee and Winter Garden representatives about a regional plan to help with water needs and the design phase for the Golden Gem retention pond.
Commissioner Alexander H. Smith asked about the timeline for implementing the pumps. In response, Nelson confirmed the pumps and piping are already secured.
Commissioner Nick Nesta inquired about the cost of the pumps and monitoring, with the vendor providing both pumps and monitoring services. He also asked whether the timeline is realistic for seeing the long-term solution come to fruition.
“Not to make a pun out of this, but a lot of this seems like a pipe dream of getting it done next year,” Nesta said. “I mean, there’s almost no, no way that’s going to happen next year.”
Almodovar said it’s a matter of obtaining all of the needed permits and funds in place before construction starts.
“We want to make an effort to have to have it done next year, definitely,” she said.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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