In 2012, Winter Springs finished construction of the Lake Jesup Augmentation Facility. The plant would draw water from Lake Jesup and filter it to supplement Reclaimed water for the City of Winter Springs, to keep up with the increase of development.

However, the TOXIC Algae Bloom in Lake Jesup hindered this concept!!! The Lake Jesup water plant filters were continuously clogged by the toxic algae. In fact, the entire State of Florida has not yet found a solution to remove the excess nutrients of phosphorus and nitrogen. The main culprit is Fertilizer, Sewage being put in the Lakes, and Surrounding Septic tanks.

Fixing harmful algae blooms requires correcting the underlying problems that led to their growth in the first place. Because the toxins in algae blooms can spread rapidly.

The St. Johns River Water Management District has launched a pilot program which was implemented in August 2021 to harvest and remove algae, suspended solids and associated nutrients from Lake Jesup’s waters.

A harvesting unit mounted on a barge will be transported around Lake Jesup so that algae can be harvested at various locations. An innovative dissolved air flotation technology will be used to attach microscopic air bubbles to algae and suspended sediment, allowing efficient separation of algal biomass and clarified water. Clarified water will return to the lake while algal biomass will be managed/treated at Seminole County’s Yankee Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Are you Utilizing Drinking Water for Irrigation???

The majority of Winter Springs Neighborhoods like Tuskawilla Crossing, Oak Forest, etc… are currently utilizing Potable Water (From the Aquifer) to irrigate their land. Currently the City has plans to can provide adequate reclaimed water to meet the needs of the development through piping which is included in the new $100 million dollar Wastewater Improvements.

Other neighboring properties, have older infrastructure that needs to be replaced or fixed, as some areas of Oak Forest do not have any access to Reclaimed Water!!!

It is the City of Winter Spring’s responsibility to provide this infrastructure to our residents.

https://www.winterspringsfl.org/publicworks/page/lake-jesup-reclamation-plant

𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 for raw water (black), potable water (blue), waste water (red), recycled water (purple) and storm water (grey).

The environment has an incredible ability to deal with small amounts of pollution and waste in water, but it cannot cope when dealing with an overwhelming amount of waste. 

80% of the world’s wastewater, mostly untreated, is released into the environment. 

That is why treatment of wastewater is crucial for humans and the environment.

“The upper Floridan aquifer, which supplies every municipal water supplier in Central Florida, is expected to hit its sustainable yield at 760 million gallons per day in the year 2025, she said. Beyond that level of flow, other sources of water for municipalities will need to be found.”

“The City of Winter Springs is currently allowed by the St. Johns River Water Management District to pump 4.15 million gallons of potable drinking water per day. That will drop to 4.14 million gallons per day from 2023 until Jan. 12, 2030. The city is also allowed to draw reclaimed water for irrigation from Lake Jesup and other groundwater sources up to 2.23 million gallons per day until April 10, 2027. The last time the city revised its water supply plan was 2017.”

“The city’s current potable water pumping capacity is more than double what it is allowed, and the city has been pushing initiatives to reduce consumption by residents and businesses. “

“To combat the city being close to its potable usage limits, the city expects to offset 50 million gallons per year of potable water used for irrigation within a year by adding in more neighborhoods connected to the city’s reclaimed water lines. Meanwhile, the city is looking for other possible water sources.”

“The ghost of an out-of-control ground water leak that’s dumping an estimated 333,000 gallons of water per day into Lake Jesup took up another nearly 15 minutes of discussion as the city and engineers talked about the potential of the artesian well in the Parkstone neighborhood. An unconfirmed source of water flowing into a small pond there spills into Seminole County’s second largest lake.Winter Springs Public Works and Utilities Director Jason Norberg said the leaking water is likely originating from the same North Floridan Aquifer that supplies the drinking water throughout Central Florida.”

“If there is an ability to control and contain it then that allows them to stop this potential problem that the community has, along with the potential to save that water from running off into the river.”

Scott Richards of Carollo Engineers said.

Boyle said the city has a permit to use the water from that natural well, if it’s determined to be possible, until 2027.

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