DeLand utilities officials outline wastewater plant upgrade, PFAS work and near-term capacity limits

Utilities division staff member Jim Ailes told the City of DeLand commission that the city’s long-running wastewater plant replacement is approaching completion and that multiple regulatory and capacity issues will shape hookups and costs in the next several years. “The actual plant is supposed to be online by about April 2026,” Ailes said during the third night of budget workshops.

The utilities presentation grouped capital, regulatory and operational topics and made clear the new plant will increase treatment capacity but not erase short-term limits on new connections. Ailes said the city’s committed sewer capacity has risen from roughly 5,000,000 gallons to about 5,800,000 gallons, while the current plant capacity is 6,000,000 gallons and the new plant will be sized to 8,000,000 gallons. “So we’re only a couple 100,000 away from getting into my brand new capacity,” he said. Staff warned that until the east regional force main is built, some parts of town — especially the East Side and airport corridors — face limits on additional sewer hookups.

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