VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Resident who live near Miller Lake near the Orange City area of Volusia County are finally going to get some relief.
About five to six feet of flood water is still standing around the community following Hurricane Milton. Now, DeBary city officials are stepping up to help get the water out.
“When you have hurricanes, yeah you have surface water that moves there, but you also have for the next 30 to 45 days ground water that infiltrates the lowest area,” said Carmen Rosamonda, DeBary’s city manager.
Rosamonda said they wanted to help their friends down the road so they came up with a plan to help, getting Volusia County and FDOT on board. FDOT will pump the water into one of DeBary’s ponds, and it will then be pumped to the city’s burrow pit near the St. Johns river.
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“We couldn’t help until now because our pumping and our emergency storm water management system was at full capacity,” Rosamonda said.
Miller lake the lowest point in the area, which is technically unincorporated Volusia County, but water from Orange City and other neighboring areas drain into the basin, too.
DeBary is hoping to move one million gallons a day, which will make about a two-to-three-inch difference every day.
“Anything is a relief. I’ve been here for 25 years and this water just sits here,” said resident David Hill.
Hill said they are grateful for any help they can get until the county can come up with a permanent solution.
“We need help. We need the county, St. Johns Water Management, and the city of Orange City to do something. We’re running out of time. The next hurricane is one summer away,” he said.
This agreement for DeBary to help is a one-time deal.
“We’re all going to get together and determine what can be done long term. Every hurricane you learn from and you try to put the infrastructure in so it’s a county lake and county water, they’ll lead the discussion on what kind of infrastructure needs to be put into place,” Rosamonda said.
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