Apopka officials on Wednesday outlined the next phase of work at the Golden Gem Reclaimed Water Facility, including construction of a distribution pump station, reconstruction of a storage pond and continued evaluation of conditions that contributed to failures at the site. 

The discussion took place during a City Commission workshop devoted to the approximately 350-million-gallon reclaimed water facility, which city officials described as a key component of a regional water-reuse network serving northwest Orange County. 

“This project was envisioned more than a decade ago as a regional solution for the reclaimed water storage and distribution as growth shift[ed] to the northwest Orange County,” Public Works Director and City Engineer Vladimir Simonovski said. “Apopka is positioned to benefit from a system that ensures long-term water reliability.” 

Simonovski said the city has expanded its reclaimed water system over the last 15 to 20 years with assistance from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. He noted the district purchased 100 acres in 2009 to help the city develop the facility and that the city recently approved a seventh amendment to its agreement with SJRWMD. 

The facility is designed to store reclaimed water for reuse irrigation, helping reduce groundwater withdrawals while supporting regional water needs. Simonovski said the city recycles “100% of Apopka’s wastewater into reuse irrigation.” 

The workshop also included an update on the facility’s distribution pump station, which Simonovski described as “the heart of the system.” 

“The pump will take the stored reclaimed water and push it into the distribution system,” he said. “Once this is built, the facility becomes fully operational.” 

The pump station bid was advertised May 31, with bids scheduled to be opened June 30. Construction is expected to begin before Sept. 1 and take approximately 18 months. 

Kevin Friedman, project manager with Tetra Tech, discussed findings from the firm’s evaluation of the facility’s pond liners and subsurface conditions. 

Among the observations were liner seam failures that resulted in leakage, deterioration of liner material and the presence of gravel and rock fragments beneath the liners. 

“Those conditions — rocks — can cause issues with the liner,” Friedman said. “Protrusions could result in punctures and further kind of lead to bigger issues with leaking.” 

Friedman said the reconstruction design will focus on improving soil conditions beneath the liner, monitoring groundwater levels and installing a more robust 60-mil high-density-polyethylene liner with a protective soil cover. 

“If it’s installed properly, and with the soil cover, I mean, you’re looking 40-plus years,” Friedman said when asked about the expected lifespan of the proposed liner system. 

The city’s immediate focus is restoring the smaller West Pond to service. According to workshop materials, the design of the West Pond is expected to be completed in August, with reconstruction targeted for completion by March 2027. A schedule for reconstruction of the larger East Pond has not yet been established. 

During public comment, Golden Gem Road resident Albert McKimmie urged the city to conduct additional investigation of conditions beneath the East Pond and consider drainage issues he believes contributed to the facility’s problems. 

“There’s a whole lot of things that we’re not mentioning, and I think they need to be addressed,” McKimmie said. 

Mayor Nick Nesta said the June 17 workshop would not be the city’s last public discussion of the project. 

“This isn’t going to be our last discussion on this,” Nesta said. “We’re going to continue to make sure that everybody’s updated, questions are answered, updated presentations as we get new information.”