County lands $900,000 grant to help fund water improvement project

Posted On: October 6, 2020

Boosting the nutrient removal capacity of the Ariel Canal stormwater treatment system has been identified as a critical step in improving water quality in the Mosquito Lagoon. And now, Volusia County has a new financial partner in the project – the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The DEP has agreed to fund half of the estimated $1.8 million cost to build the project. On Tuesday, the County Council approved a grant agreement with DEP worth $900,000. For now, the county plans to tap into the stormwater utility fund to come up with its $900,000 share of the cost. However, Ben Bartlett, director of the county’s Road and Bridge Division, told the council that staff is looking to pursue additional grants to further reduce the county’s share of the cost. County Chair Ed Kelley noted that no local tax dollars are going into the project.

The Ariel Canal drains stormwater runoff from an approximately 2-square-mile basin that includes portions of unincorporated Volusia County, the City of Edgewater and the Town of Oak Hill. An existing stormwater treatment pond, located in the Oak Hill area near River Breeze Park, provides treatment for a portion of the stormwater runoff prior to  discharging into the Mosquito Lagoon – part of the Indian River Lagoon system. While the stormwater pond helps filter out pollutants captured by the rainwater as it washes over the ground, some contaminants still end up in the lagoon. The improvement project is expected to significantly reduce the amount of nutrients going into the lagoon by diverting the stormwater runoff into a wet detention pond and then through an additional treatment system before being discharged into the lagoon.

The county along with the cities of Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill and the Florida Department of Transportation collaborated on the development of a reasonable assurance plan, which was implemented to restore water quality in the Mosquito Lagoon. The reasonable assurance plan identifies reducing the nutrient loading from stormwater flowing through the Ariel Canal as one of several projects that will help enhance water quality. Council members were delighted that the project is nearly ready to get under way.

“I’m thrilled to death,” Councilwoman Billie Wheeler said as she made the motion to approve the grant agreement. “This is another one of the good projects that Volusia is doing.”

Councilwoman Deb Denys made mention of the collaboration between multiple agencies and jurisdictions that’s helping to bring the water improvement project to fruition.

“This is a really great regional approach. And I want to thank you for it, because we’re starting to see some real results here,” said Denys. “This is a really big deal.”

An expansion of a previous stormwater retrofit project from more than a decade ago, the planned modifications to the Ariel Canal system are expected to provide a reduction in Total Nitrogen of 1,300 lbs. per year and Total Phosphorous reduction of 210 lbs. per year. The design and permitting phase of the project is nearly completed and the construction contract is anticipated to go out for bid in January