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DEC 2 2 1902 -7 <br />C10®11 88 rr1Uf 3V5 <br />Utility Services Director Terry Pinto reported that one of the <br />most important components of a wastewater system is disposal of <br />effluent. The County reuses all its effluent and does allow any <br />direct discharge to receiving streams. Effluent disposal is a <br />problem at the west county wastewater treatment facility. The <br />effluent has been used for irrigating the grove and sod farm on the <br />200 -acre site. However, this does not provide enough effluent <br />disposal to serve the west county area. The County contracted with <br />Masteller and Moler, Inc. to determine the most.cost-effective and <br />environmentally safe way to dispose of the effluent. <br />Earl Masteller, president of Masteller and Moler, Inc. <br />discussed the need for more effluent disposal and reuse capacity at <br />the west county wastewater treatment plant. The plant is currently <br />treating about 500,000 gallons of effluent a day. This is expected <br />to increase to 2 million gallons in the future, which is a great <br />deal more than the sod farm, grove and percolation basin can <br />handle. Masteller and Moler studied five alternatives for handling <br />the effluent. Percolation ponds, spray irrigation, and deep lake <br />without disposal could not dispose of more than 500,000 gallons of <br />effluent on a 230 -acre site. Hyacinth ponds and wetlands showed <br />promise. A hyacinth pond could handle up to 6 million gallons of <br />effluent disposal. However, it is questionable whether permitting <br />from the Department of Environmental Regulation (DER) could be <br />obtained and operation and maintenance costs are very high in <br />hyacinth ponds. The County -owned 230 acres is ideally suited for <br />a man-made wetland, which could accommodate up to 6 million gallons <br />a day and is the most environmentally -sensitive solution and cost- <br />effective solution. <br />Chip Swindell, Masteller and Moler, gave a slide presentation <br />of a very successful wetlandihis company established in the Orlando <br />area. <br />Commissioner Bird suggested that the County enter into an <br />agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District <br />(SJRWMD) to pump the excess effluent out to their wetlands. <br />Director Pinto explained that there are regulations <br />specifically forbidding discharge into existing wetlands. <br />Commissioner Bird asked if there are any drawbacks to this <br />plan, such as mosquitoes. <br />Mr. Swindell assured him that the design of the proposed <br />wetland is such that it will allow maximization of predators that <br />feed on mosquitoes. In fact, there are fewer mosquitoes at the <br />Orlando site now than when it was a cow pasture. A high water <br />quality is maintained enabling the predators that feed on <br />mosquitoes to thrive. -Wetlands have a tremendous capacity for <br />W, <br />