Eustis wastewater treatment plant expansion will serve more homes, provide more reclaimed water

A ribbon-cutting celebrates the completion of a wastewater treatment plant that will serve Eustis and surrounding areas.

MAITLAND, Fla., July 26, 2018 — Community leaders joined together in Eustis today to celebrate the completion of a wastewater treatment plant expansion that will serve new development in the area as well as provide more reclaimed water. The St. Johns River Water Management District contributed $2.5 million in funding for the project.

“The City of Eustis is grateful to the staff and directors of the St. Johns Water Management District for their assistance and partnership in developing this new Wastewater facility,” said Eustis City Manager Ron Neibert. “Through our combined efforts, we will be able to protect the valuable resources of the Wekiva River Basin while still promoting a high quality of life for existing and new residents in the Eustis growth areas.”

“Today, we are proud to partner with Eustis and celebrate their vision for protecting water quality and increasing alternative water supply,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Assistant Executive Director Lisa Kelley. “Collaborative funding for projects like this has allowed us to put more projects in the ground for a greater benefit to our natural systems.”

The project expands the plant’s capacity from 0.3 million gallons per day (mgd) to 1.3 mgd. The additional capacity is needed to serve current and new development that will require wastewater treatment; approximately 1,200 existing homes in the service area will also be offered connection to the sewer system.

When running at capacity, it’s estimated that the plant will result in a reduction of 91,378 pounds per year of Total Nitrogen loading into the nearby Wekiva springshed. The plant will also produce 1 mgd of reclaimed water for irrigation, reducing the city’s need for groundwater withdrawals.

The total project cost was $8.2 million.

Since 2014, the district has contributed $12.9 million in funding to projects in Lake County that protect Florida’s natural resources. For more information about the district’s cost-share program, visit www.sjrwmd.com/funding.