Fernandina Beach outlines stormwater and wastewater response after record rainfall; city to revise master plan

Utilities Director Andre Desilets told the Fernandina Beach City Commission on Monday that unusually heavy rainfall in July–September overwhelmed local drainage and wastewater systems and produced multiple overflows and backups across the island.

Desilets said the city recorded roughly 27 inches of rain over a 45‑day span and that July and August were well above normal. “We had 69 individual calls…we responded to all those, made site visit, evaluate situation,” he said, and that much of the flooding occurred in areas not mapped as floodplain. He added that only about 25% of affected properties were in mapped flood‑plains and urged homeowners to consider flood insurance.

Desilets described wastewater impacts as particularly acute. “We did have an overflow at the plant. It was intentional,” he said, explaining crews ran pumps at the treatment plant “wide open to take as much water as we could at the plant to minimize overflows elsewhere.” At the event’s peak the treatment plant’s flow spiked to more than 8,000,000 gallons per day versus a typical daily average around 1.7 million gallons, Desilets said.

Staff reported crews responded to overflows at several manholes and identified six locations of wastewater backups; they notified the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and addressed issues on site. Desilets said some increased flow likely came from groundwater infiltration and from improper private connections — for example, opened cleanouts or pool drains tied into the sewer system.

To improve resilience, the city will update its stormwater master plan, move from a patchwork approach to basin‑level planning, and seek consultant support to make the plan more usable for day‑to‑day operations and grant applications. Desilets outlined diagnostic tools and near‑term tactics being used, including telemetry on lift stations, portable flow monitors for manholes and targeted lining and service rehabilitation. He also noted an ongoing annual program to line older clay mains and that city crews are doing night work on four blocks of sewer rehabilitation.

Commissioners pressed for cost estimates and scope: Desilets suggested manhole repairs can run a few thousand dollars apiece and that fully replacing the most vulnerable infrastructure could total millions. He said the city currently budgets about $150,000 a year for manhole rehabilitation and just over $200,000 for mainlining, but that higher‑cost problem areas would require separate projects and likely additional budget action.

The commission did not take formal action on the presentation but directed staff to bring further budget and project recommendations as the master‑plan update proceeds.