Headline Surfer illustration / Work is planned to begin later this month to convert septics in Oak Hill's Indian Harbor Estates to sewers.
By SERA KING / Headline Surfer
OAK HILL, Fla. -- The City of Oak Hill will break ground on Wednesday, Jan. 19, to convert septic systems in Indian Harbor Estates to a more environmentally friendly central sewage collection system.
The groundbreaking event will take place at 11 a.m. at the corner of East Ariel Road and U.S. 1.
The collaborative project - 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 Mosquito Lagoon's water quality by converting approximately 285 residential septic systems near the lagoon to a central sewage collection system.
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, septic systems in urban and coastal areas can significantly impact resources, particularly in residential communities interspersed with tidal canals.
Septic systems don't always adequately remove nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which result in aquatic growth such as algal blooms that shade out marine vegetation and deplete fish life in waterways. Septic system effluent migrates from yards into waterways. It also seeps into the groundwater, which can ultimately migrate to the Floridan Aquifer, resulting in high nutrient levels in springs and drinking water supply.
Due to Indian Harbor Estates' proximity to the lagoon, this remediation project was listed among the top water quality priorities in the Mosquito Lagoon Reasonable Assurance Plan, which details local stakeholders' efforts to develop and implement restoration activities and projects to restore water quality in the lagoon within 15 years.
"The start of this project is a reason to celebrate," Oak Hill Mayor Doug Gibson said. "However, the real success will be a fully restored Mosquito Lagoon – something surely worth celebrating."
"The start of this project is a reason to celebrate," Oak Hill Mayor Doug Gibson said. "However, the real success will be a fully restored Mosquito Lagoon – something surely worth celebrating."
To pay for the project, Volusia County and the Indian River Lagoon Council contributed $350,000 for design while the City of Oak Hill obtained a $250,000 grant from the Florida State Legislature for other preconstruction tasks.
Funding for the city's construction project has been 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 the utility service provider, Volusia County will lease and operate the sewage collection system to ensure payment of the city's long-term debt.
About the Byline Writer: Sera King is associate publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet in Lake Mary, FL serving greater Orlando, Sanford, and Daytona Beach via HeadlineSurfer.com since 2008. She's also a byline writer (business, community & sports features), a videographer, and a cartoonist for the media outlet. King received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Metro Orlando Campus of Ana G. Mendez University in 2008. Headline Surfer is published by Henry Frederick, Central Florida's award-winning journalist.