Oak Hill to break ground on septic-to-sewer project on Jan. 19 at Indian Harbor Estates

Headline Surfer Illustration / Work is scheduled to begin later this month to convert septic tanks into sewers in the Indian Harbor Estates of Oak Hill.

From SERA KING / Headline Surfer

OAK HILL, Florida – The city of Oak Hill will break ground on Wednesday, January 19, to convert sewage treatment plants in Indian Harbor Estates to a more environmentally friendly centralized sewage collection system.

The groundbreaking event takes place at 11 a.m. on the corner of East Ariel Road and US 1.

The joint venture, involving the City of Oak Hill, Volusia County, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Indian River Lagoon Council, and the St. Johns River Water Management District, will improve the water quality of Mosquito Lagoon by adding around 285 sewage treatment plants in residential areas in close to the lagoon to a central sewage collection system.

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, sewage treatment plants in urban and coastal areas can significantly affect resources, especially in residential areas crisscrossed by tidal channels.

Septic systems do not always adequately remove nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to water growth such as algal blooms that shade marine vegetation and deplete fish life in the waterways. Wastewater from sewage treatment plants migrates from farms into waterways. It also seeps into the groundwater, which can eventually migrate into the Floridan aquifer, resulting in high levels of nutrients in springs and drinking water supplies.

Due to the proximity of Indian Harbor Estates to the lagoon, this remediation project was included in the Mosquito Lagoon Reasonable Assurance Plan, which encompasses the efforts of local stakeholders to develop and implement restoration activities and projects to restore water quality to the lagoon within 15 years.

“The start of this project is a cause for celebration,” said Oak Hill Mayor Doug Gibson. “The real success, however, will be a fully restored Mosquito Lagoon – something that is certainly worth celebrating.”

“The start of this project is a cause for celebration,” said Oak Hill Mayor Doug Gibson. “The real success, however, will be a fully restored Mosquito Lagoon – something that is certainly worth celebrating.”

To fund the project, Volusia County and the Indian River Lagoon Council contributed $ 350,000 for the design, while the City of Oak Hill received a $ 250,000 grant from Florida state lawmakers for other pre-construction work.

Funding for the city’s construction project was provided through a $ 2.5 million grant from the St Johns River Water Management District and up to $ 4.8 million in grants and loan proceeds from the DEP.

As a utility company, Volusia County will lease and operate the sewage collection system to service the city’s long-term debt.

About the byline author: Sera King is the co-editor of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 Lake Mary, FL internet news agency that has served Greater Orlando, Sanford and Daytona Beach through HeadlineSurfer.com since 2008. Sports Features), a videographer and a caricaturist for the media. King received her BA in Business Administration from the Metro Orlando campus at Ana G. Mendez University in 2008. Headline Surfer is published by Henry Frederick, award-winning journalist from central Florida.