Irrigation system project to address lake’s flooding
Residents raised concerns about the financial burden, maintenance and possible environmental impacts of the irrigation system designed for Clear Water Lake that was discussed at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, prompting the scheduling of an August workshop to revisit options and address citizens’ concerns.
Vladimir Simonovski, public works director/city engineer, presented the Clear Water Lake irrigation system design project, meaning no action was to take place on the agenda item.
Local communities have been impacted by flooding caused by Clear Water Lake overflow, and homeowners have expressed frustration over the city’s management.
At Wednesday’s meeting, residents were unhappy that the city expected them to foot the bill for the solution when they were not the ones who caused the problem. Rather, water issues have been worsened by new developments popping up in the city because when trees are cleared away for and concrete is poured, they create impervious surfaces that can’t absorb water.
“What caused this wasn’t Clear Lake Estates’ fault,” James Mater, president of the Clear Lake Landing homeowners association, said. “It wasn’t Clear Lake Landing’s fault. It was the overgrowth of the community. It’s exactly what everybody complains about.”
Mater called the city’s proposed irrigation system “lipstick on a pig,” questioning the system’s maintenance cost including the possibility of taking out a loan, and that the system itself is not a financial asset to the 142 homes in his community. Mater also said that neither he nor the residents were informed about the July 16 presentation in advance.
In Feb. 2023, the city deployed emergency pumping for Clear Water Lake, a closed basin system with irrigation water inflow that causes rising water levels. This temporary pumping finished in April 2023, which reduced the lake level by 3.4-ft and cost $194,150.
The proposed long-term alternative solution chosen to mitigate the flooding at Clear Water Lake is to recycle surface water as an irrigation source.
Simonovski said this solution was the best alternative because it imposes less stress on the city’s reclaimed water system and the Clear Lake Landing homeowners association owns Clear Water Lake. The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) approved this solution.
Balmoral Group started the project design in April 2024 for $68,900. This past January, the design was finished and permitted with the SJRWMD consumptive use permit, which allows surface water withdrawal for irrigation down to an elevation of 63 feet.
The normal water level is at an elevation of 65 feet. The current Clear Water Lake elevation is 69.3 feet, according to the presentation.
Construction cost of the Clear Lake Water irrigation project is estimated to be $456,000: $397,200 for construction plus $59,600 as a 15% contingency.
The Avian Point community already contributed $60,000 to the irrigation project, and the city may contribute another $60,000, leaving the homeowners association with an approximate cost of $336,000 divided by 142 units, or about $2,400 per household, Simonovski said. To date, the city’s expense is $263,000, including $104,000 for emergency pumping and $60,000 for design costs, he added.
Two other alternative solutions that were considered were to pump water surface to the Northshore Reclaim Water Treatment Plant and to redo the temporary pumping whenever needed, Simonovski said.
The community workshop for the Clear Water Lake flood mitigation is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the Apopka City Hall council chamber.
Editor’s note: In the previous version of this article, there were two errors, one regarding the amount of money that the Avian Point community contributed to the irrigation project, and the other mistake regarding the design costs. The correct amount for both instances is $60,000. We regret the error.