- February 5, 2025
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When Clay Henderson, executive director of the Institute for Water and Environment Resilience at Stetson University, was growing up in Volusia County he remembers when there was no sewer plant and waste was flushed into the nearby lagoon.
Due to changing laws, such as the amendments in 1972 known as the Clean Water Act, there has been an evolution of what can be put into the bodies of water throughout communities and the filtration process. However, Henderson and other individuals from local groups, non-profits and government departments are still seeking help to keep the water in Volusia County and beyond safe and free from contaminants.
Henderson said that one issue the county is facing is the rate at which the population is growing and how quickly municipalities can keep up with that expansion.
"In my years here I've watched the portion here in New Smyrna, Volusia and Florida not only double but double again," Henderson said, adding that "there's an extraordinary amount of change that's happening in a very short period of time that puts stressors on aquifers and springs and our water systems."
One area that has become a countywide topic is the number of septic tanks that many would like to change to sewer. According to Henderson, there are about 400,000 septic tanks in the county, which equates to about one septic tank per three households. Cities such as Port Orange have looked into alternatives to septic.
Back in Aug. 2017, the City Council was presented with an Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Evaluation Study that looked at approximately 2,242 properties that were identified to be using septic systems. An estimated 733 residential and commercial properties, the majority being in residential subdivisions, within Port Orange were found to be using septic systems. According to the report, three systems were recommended: vacuum sewers, low-pressure sewers and gravity sewers.
One body of water that has been used as an example in the argument against septic is the Indian River Lagoon, which stretches from Volusia County to Palm Beach County. The lagoon reached a critical point in 2011 when a super-algae bloom killed off a large portion of the lagoon's seagrasses.
The lagoon was brought up during a Thursday, June 21, panel discussing water quality. One of the members of the panel, Shaliesh Patel, Dredging and Marine Consultants managing principal, said for about 50 to 60 years debris, including contaminants from construction and road washouts, was flowing into the water. Patel explained that when debris enters the water and becomes a source of muck there are fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can then pollute the water.
Patel said main goals are to take out septic tanks, improve stormwater and bring water to a location so that it can be treated. However, Patel urged the public to work together on these initiatives.
"What can we do as a group to come up with a project?" Patel asked. "Whether that is Oak Hill or Ormond Beach, whoever gets the benefit of the septic tank removal, let's get it done."
Duane De Freese, Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program executive director, pushed for better engagement on the local level while explaining that after the 2011 super bloom the focus has shifted to restoration. Parts of that initiative, De Freese said, include switching from septic to sewer and rebuilding oyster habitats, things he links back to water quality.
An area of restoration is through the Shuck and Share Marine Discovery Center Program, which provides oyster shells for shoreline restoration projects. Since its first year, more than 50,000 pounds of shells have been collected from restaurants, including Port Orange's First Turn Restaurant and McKenna's Place.
Councilwoman Deborah Denys said another project is an upcoming eight-month maintenance dredging of portions of the intercostal waterway to open up channels for safe navigation. The project, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will consist of dredging approximately 500,000 cubic yards of material to clear the area.
De Freese said that looking to the future there needs to be assistance with local restoration projects while also helping communities know what is happening around them and why. For De Freese and others, these projects are not simply a one-man or one-organization job, it is part of a continual effort to see change throughout the waterways.
"I think there needs to be a collaborative effort," De Freese said. "Public education has to be an ongoing process."
