DeBary pulls plugs on pumps

BEACON PHOTO/PAT HATFIELD
Necessary evil — Blue hoses like these run along DeBary Plantation Boulevard. DeBary consulting engineer David Hamstra wants to leave the hoses in place for the remainder of the storm season, while returning most of the city’s leased pumps. Water levels are down in all of DeBary’s lakes but one.

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Sep 24, 2009 - 9:43:52am

The good news: All of DeBary’s lakes but one, No Name Lake, are now a foot or two below critical level, and 30 out of 31 pumps running in the city can be pulled.

City Council members agreed to start returning 15 pumps as their rental terms expire, and keep the rest on hand for emergencies. They will go over stormwater projects in detail at a future meeting.

While pulling the pumps may be easy, getting the feds to pay for the pumping is a greater challenge.

Acting DeBary City Manager Kassandra Blissett, Chief Financial Officer James Seelbinder and consulting engineer David Hamstra have their work cut out for them this week.

They’re meeting with state and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives in an attempt to recoup money spent to pump floodwater away from homes in the wake of last year’s Tropical Storm Fay.

Hamstra gave City Council members the good news and the bad news during their Sept. 16 meeting.

The good news is that most of the pumping can stop, but Hamstra recommended leaving the hoses in place, although they are unattractive.

“Give it a couple of more months,” he said, until storm season is over.

The bad news: FEMA has OK’d only $19,000 of the $500,000 DeBary requested for pumping.

The problem, Hamstra said, is FEMA thinks DeBary pumps all the time. He said East Volusia cities only had to pump for a week or so after Fay in late August of 2008, while DeBary’s lake system required pumping until November.

This year, DeBary has been pumping again since a big storm in May. FEMA wants to pay only for pumping in May.

City staff hope to clear up the matter with FEMA, and get reimbursement for the remaining money.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

Comment on this article

Commenting is closed for this article.

If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.

Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories by Pat Hatfield, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!