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.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said growth decisions, administrative approvals and private development timing will be constrained by the city’s ability to move wastewater to the new plant. Staff indicated they may need to delay or deny new hookups where force-main capacity or downstream conveyance is not available.

Major regulatory drivers and project updates

- PFAS and treatment planning: Ailes said the city has detected low levels of PFAS at most wells and that preliminary design is funded to determine whether granular activated carbon (GAC) or ion‑exchange systems are appropriate at particular sites. He noted the compliance timelines have shifted and described the extra planning time as helpful in sizing and siting treatment facilities.

- Phosphorus rule change: While the utilities presentation did not quote a specific regulatory citation, Ailes said recent changes require greater phosphorus removal for reclaimed water and that the city added an extra treatment stage to the new plant while it was under construction to comply with that tighter limit.

- Lead and copper inventory: Ailes told the commission that the city is about halfway through the service‑line verification program and that no lead service lines have been found so far. He cautioned that the work is still ongoing and said the current effort appears likely to be primarily an inventory exercise unless lead is discovered.

- Source water and CUP: Ailes described progress on land purchases for future wells (Tomoka Woods, ~130 acres) and said the city’s consumptive‑use permit (CUP) modeling was revised after prolonged discussion with St. Johns River Water Management District; staff said the district accepted a 30‑year average and removed conditions that had been a constraint for the region.

Capacities, storage and reclaimed water

Staff described reclaimed‑water storage and distribution as a growing asset: the city expects additional reclaimed storage online within months that will allow pumping roughly in the millions of gallons per day range to support irrigation demand. At the same time, Ailes warned that growth in some areas has used a large share of available capacity — “we are eating up capacity” — and that without the east regional force main the city must manage new development approvals carefully.

Project timing and operations

Ailes summarized capital replacements and immediate needs: variable‑frequency‑drive upgrades at Water Plants 12 and 3, replacement gearboxes and bar‑screen parts at the wastewater facility, and additional staffing to operate the larger plant (moving toward two operators per shift plus utility plant technicians). He said the plant contractor’s schedule then anticipated substantial plant functionality about four months ahead of an earlier plan.

Community and regulatory interactions

Ailes also described the city’s inclusion in multiple Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) — lower and middle St. Johns and Lake Kearny — and warned that nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) obligations extend beyond local boundaries. He said the city continues to engage consultants, the St. Johns district and neighboring suppliers on supply and regulatory matters.

Ending

Ailes urged caution in approving new subdivision connections until conveyance and force‑main capacity are in place. Commissioners said they expect staff to continue evaluating hookups, and staff said they will inform the commission when connections should be delayed because of capacity constraints.