In recent years the City of Deltona has taken several meaningful steps toward addressing regional conservation issues. The recent economic downturn has affected many projects within the region but Deltona has moved forward on projects that either have or will have major positive impacts.
In conjunction with the St. Johns River Water Management District, a major storm water retention system was agreed to. In April of 2013 the City dedicated a new, nature based park, aptly named Audubon Park. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty to start with, but with the work of our engineers, contractors, Audubon volunteers, and City staff, it is now a tranquil park with a growing nature based reputation. The primary park entrance is at Doyle Road and Lush Lane (adequate parking available), plus an additional bicycle and walking entrance located on the ‘River-2-Sea Trail’ that runs along the southern end of the City and Volusia County.
Plant and lawn watering is a major source of potable water consumption. The use of reclaimed water will save pumping water from the Floridan aquifer. In 2013, Deltona’s Commission voted to build a new $20 million waste water treatment facility on the Eastern side of the City. Currently under construction, this new facility will allow commercial development without the necessity for additional septic tanks for business development. This facility will provide reclaimed water for irrigation purposes to businesses, schools, and other development. Thus, potable (aquifer supplied) water will be conserved and existing irrigation wells can be capped. Upcoming will be the construction of a $5 million reclaimed water main, connecting the Eastern facility to the Fisher (Western) facility. This will also supply reclaimed water for irrigation purposes along Doyle Road.
The City is also developing a new recharge area on City owned property near Alexander Avenue. The area will recharge both stormwater and reclaimed water. In the next 3 to 5 years the City will also have treatment facilities for stormwater, which will allow it to be used as reclaimed water in the future. The City also has plans for the use of reclaimed irrigation water on future sports fields at the Alexander location, and later, at the Dewey O. Booster Sports Complex.
With this new waste water treatment facility supplementing the current Western (Fisher) Facility, additional reclaimed water will be available for watering on the Western side of the City. While reclaimed water is in use, not all reclaimed water can necessarily be used on a day-to-day basis by one utility. So that this water would not be wasted, the City, in conjunction with the Water Management District, plans to build a 1 million gallon reclaimed water storage tank so that water can be better utilized for irrigation. Also, the City, in conjunction with Deland, Orange City, and Volusia County, as a part of the Blue Springs MFL Prevention and Recovery Strategy (with WMD approval), will be a part of an interconnected reclaimed water distribution system among the four entities. This will allow reclaimed water to be more efficiently used over all of Southwest Volusia County.
To conserve current potable water use and to positively affect the aquifer, the City adopted “Conservation Block Rates”. Basic water consumption is affordable, while high water consumption is priced on increasing rate tiers. This was done to reduce the amount of potable water for outdoor (read “irrigation”) usage by residents. This has caused the use of potable water consumption to be reduced by 1.5 to 2 million gallons daily. In March, 2010, the City adopted “Waterwise Florida Irrigation” and in February, 2014 adopted “The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection and Landscaping Design”. These were adopted to assist in the reduction of irrigation needs on residential lawns and are found in the Deltona City Ordinances under 110-808(d). Lastly, the model FDEP fertilizer ordinance was adopted by the City in 2013.
The City of Deltona has taken water conservation seriously, with major commitments to project development and funds expenditures, to make our City, and Southwest Volusia County, a preferred and desirable place to live, work and play.