Orange City neighbors anxious for Mill Lake flooding to recede

FDOT has installed extra pumps

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Sep 9, 2008 - 10:23:25am

Residents in the vicinity of East Blue Springs and Orange avenues in Orange City are holding their noses and watching the waters left in their neighborhood by Tropical Storm Fay.

They are questioning why the water level isn't going down, and wondering why the Florida Department of Transportation hasn't done more about it.

The intersection of Blue Springs and U.S. Highway 17-92 flooded during the storm. Mill Lake, on the east side of U.S. 17-92 between Graves and Blue Springs avenues, was completely overwhelmed by rain from the storm.

Water poured into the neighborhood, covering streets and making an island out of Mount Barrien Primitive Baptist Church.

Mill Lake was purchased and converted years ago by the Department of Transportation (FDOT), to hold stormwater running off a widened U.S. Highway 17-92. Now, Orange City is turning to FDOT to solve the current problem.

The water standing in the neighborhood stinks. Neighbors want it gone.

FDOT engineers and officials say they have been working to bring the levels down.

Twenty-plus inches of rain from Fay overwhelmed the system, FDOT spokesman Steve Homan said.

Two pumps normally pump water out of the retention area at a rate of 750 gallons per minute. Workers brought in a larger pump, which has been pumping 1,200-1,300 gallons per minute in an attempt to alleviate flooding.

On Saturday, Sept. 6, a contractor brought in an 8-inch-pump, the largest pump available. It was supposed to pump 2,500-3,500 gallons per minute.

But by Monday, Sept. 8, residents said they had noticed only a slight decline in water levels. The dry weekend helped.

The Department of Transportation wasn't happy with it, either. FDOT engineer Todd Hammerle said even the 8-inch super pump was replaced Sept. 8.

"We got a better one," he said. "Hopefully, in three to four days, the roads will be back open. We should see a significant difference in a week."

A 10-inch stormwater line carries water from Mill Lake west across town, to the St. Johns River.

Hammerle said in his 13 years with FDOT, he's never seen Mill Lake flood the way it flooded after Fay.

Area resident Carson Blue doesn't understand why it's taking so long to bring water levels down.

"A church has been inundated, and a home, plus all that water standing. It's a health concern, and it's right in the center of town," Blue said.

He added, "I appreciate what they've done. It's taken two weeks to get it done. There's no excuse for not taking care of it."

Area resident Evelyn Robinson said of Mill Lake, "It has been a thorn in my side for a long time."

She added that this is the first time she has seen flooding last so long or cause flooding in yards where it hasn't gone before.

After the triple hurricane whammy of 2004, Robinson said, "There was water — there was water across Blue Springs. We've not had the idea we were living in a flood zone."

The water is now stagnant and stinking, she said, and it's a health concern. Homes in the area use septic tanks, which may have been compromised by water flow through the ground. Robinson is also concerned about mosquitoes and dead fish. She fears officials aren't taking health concerns to heart.

People in the area look after each other.

"We're a close-knit community," Robinson said. "I understand the businesses are a top priority, but it seems like unless it was a business, it was forgotten."

She, Blue and other residents made a number of calls to FDOT about the flooding.

Robinson's brother Enoch Durant and his wife, Betty, live at 220 S. Orange Ave. Floodwaters from Fay still surround their house.

"We have been in a motel the past 14 days. We just moved back in yesterday," Enoch Durant said Sept. 8. The couple couldn't afford a motel any longer. "When we left here, the toilets weren't flushing, but they are flushing now."

Durant was at work Sept. 8, but worried about Betty, who was at home.

"My wife is afraid to come out, afraid to drive through the water. She's afraid of snakes, too."

Water still sits across the front of the house and driveway, and water moccasins have been spotted in the water, Enoch Durant said.

Volusia County Health Department Environmental Manager Paul Minshew said the stink indicates there may be coliform bacteria in the water. Water from septic-tank drain fields rises to the top of the ground and mixes with water standing there, contaminating it with bacteria.

"The dead fish are not helping," Minshew said.

The Health Department does not normally test floodwaters.

"There are no standards set for floodwaters," he said.

Viruses and parasites in the water may well not show up in test results, and water in one spot could test differently from water in a spot 20 yards away.

Residents who want their well water tested can pick up kits from the Health Department at 121 W. Rich Ave. in DeLand. They will receive instructions, and should return kits right after collecting a water sample.

Minshew urged residents to avoid the floodwater, and not let children or pets play in it. He also encouraged residents to throw away anything porous, such as clothing, that may have been contaminated by floodwater.

He, like the others, is wishing for dry days to help bring water levels down.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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