Deltona tables $22m FDEP grant for Fisher Wastewater Plant upgrade amid cost and strategy concerns

Deltona tables $22m FDEP grant for Fisher Wastewater Plant upgrade amid cost and strategy concernsCommissioners voted 4-2 to delay accepting a 50/50 state grant for a mandated conversion to advanced waste treatment, demanding a workshop to review the $44 million project's financial impact before committing the required $22 million local match.

The FDEP mandated the Fisher Wastewater Plant be converted to Advanced Waste Treatment (AWT) to continue operations, with an estimated construction cost of $44 million.

The city was offered a $22 million FDEP water quality improvement grant, which requires an equal $22 million match from the city.

Commissioners balked at approving the major capital commitment via the consent agenda, voting 4-2 to table the item for a future workshop.

City staff warned that delaying the grant acceptance could result in the state reallocating the funds to other projects on its priority list.

Residents and commissioners questioned the strategy of rehabilitating the aging facility versus redirecting flows to the city's Eastern plant, as well as the addition of $22 million in local debt.

The Deltona City Commission has hit pause on a $44 million upgrade to its Fisher Wastewater Plant, voting 4-2 on March 2 to table the acceptance of a $22 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The FDEP has mandated that the Fisher facility be converted to Advanced Waste Treatment (AWT) to continue operations and reduce nutrient loads to local springs. The city previously secured a $3 million 50/50 grant for design services, but the estimated construction cost has reached $44 million. To assist with funding, FDEP offered a water quality improvement grant to cover half the cost, requiring a $22 million local match from Deltona. Statewide, the FDEP grant program has awarded nearly $2.9 billion to more than 1,000 community projects, aiming to remove millions of pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus from Florida's waterways annually. Originally placed on the consent agenda, the item was pulled by Commissioner Howington. Commissioner Colwell subsequently moved to table the decision, requesting more resident input and detailed research before committing the city to the expenditure. Commissioner Novick requested a dedicated workshop to review the underlying studies, noting that previous city plans involved slowly migrating flows from Fisher to a different facility. City staff member Mr. Parrish warned the commission that the FDEP had requested an immediate sign of interest. "DEP has requested that we give them a sign of interest in this or they're going to move the grant funding over to someone that was further down on the list of projects," Parrish said. He clarified that the grant is strictly earmarked for the Fisher plant AWT conversion and cannot be modified or transferred to other facilities. Responding to questions about why flows weren't simply redirected to the city's Eastern plant, staff explained that a prior study evaluated three options. Upgrading the Eastern plant's capacity while simultaneously rehabilitating Fisher to AWT standards was determined to be the most cost-efficient approach. Staff noted that total flow projections over the next 25 to 30 years—driven by regulatory requirements to provide capacity to remove septic tanks in preferred focus areas—necessitate maintaining capacity at both sites. The project faced stiff resistance during public comment. Residents criticized the use of the consent agenda for a major capital commitment and expressed alarm over the city's debt burden. Resident David Sosa claimed the city already carries $127 million in water plant debt and argued the project should be funded through a municipal bond to allow for a taxpayer vote. Other residents questioned the viability of investing heavily in the aging Fisher facility rather than expanding newer infrastructure. Despite a proposal from Commissioner Herriot to accept the grant immediately to secure the funds and hold a workshop later, the commission ultimately voted 4-2 to table the item.