11-01-1973 Supporting DocumentsMINUTES N4 979
SPECIAL MC•ETING
A Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Clermont was held in the Council
Chambers on Thursday, November 1, 1973. The meeting was called to order at 4:00
P. M by Mayor Claude E. Smoak, Jr. with the following members present: Councilmen Beals,
Controller Flemingrd , CityhClerrkher officials Carroll, Directorent were: of CommunityyServices Smer ythe, City
Director of Public Utilities Mitchell and Chief of Police Tyndal. Others present
were: The Messrs. Black, Drees, Boone, Oswalt and Crowson. A representative of
the Sentinel/Star was also present.
Mayor Smoak announced the purpose of the meeting was to discuss temporary sites for
spreading of the effluent from the sanitary sewage treatment plant, and more particularly,
the possible sites of the municipal cemetery and ball field. Mayor Smoak advised
that City Manager Hopkins had been requested to make a brief survey of these two
sites, and he then inquired of his findings. City Manager Hopkins reported that
samples had been taken manually, limited to 12 feet, in three different locations of
the cemetery proper with findings on the east hill at 811 feet to clay, on the west
hill at 7 feet to clay and in the low section going to the depth of 12 feet, it was
all sand. Mr. Hopkins then commented as follows: The desirability of this particular
of property is city owned; plant toathiseexpense location;inTheredisoande the irrigatioping
n
system existing within the cemetery proper; There is some questions to to the
desirability of landspreading over that portion of the cemetery where burials are
located; The portion existing now where no burials have been made is less than 10
acres, and that he had related this information this date to Dave Crowson, consulting
engineer, who could offer information as to how this relates to the ground water table
or the aquifer and also possible inherent requirements which would have to be met as
per the Department of Pollution Control. Mr. Hopkins still further reported that the
entire municipal ball field was covered with 14 inches of clay with 711 feet of sand
below that, and that drainage was so poor at this location that it had been necessary
to construct a drainage inlet at the back part of the field.
Without an actual cost analysis, definite and professional boring samples, etc. it
was the opinion of Mr. Crowson that Council pursue finding a permanent location for
effluent disposal by landspreading and offered several opinions as follows: That
one of the requirements of Pollution Control was a 150 foot buffer strip from any
existing or potential residential areas, which in the .:case of this location, it
would be a severe curtailment; That according to the elevation at the low spat,
it would iddicate that it does enter fairly directly with the upper level of the
Florida aquifer and if this be the case would require close scrutiny of the Department
of Rehabilitative Services and substantial proof that there would be no jeopardy
with respect to viruses to the water supply; That the cost of getting from the
treatement plant to this location is non -recoverable for a long time permanent solution;
That the area involved is not adequate to accommodate all the flow coming to the
treatment plant and therefore this would just be another interim approach to the
problem; and That based on measurements taken from the map, and other assumptions
as pumping rates and repumping requirements that the cost would be in the neighborhood
of $50,000 to pump 200,000 gallons per day to this location.
Mayor Smoak reported that he had contacted the Lake County Pollution Control Board
Director, Mr. Hennessey, with regards the interim solution of using the municipal
cemetery and that he had replied by letter to the effect that this location being
high and well drained with a complete cover of various grasses, from a pollution control
view, is the type of land best suited for spray irrigation, and, that upon making
inquiry to the St to Department of Pollution Control for their comments, they had
been most favorable. (The letter was read in its entirety by City Clerk Carroll
and shall become a part of these minutes.
Upon inquiry by Councilman Byrd as to length of time involved, once a suitable site
Hesthenninquireddhowomanyp14tmonths wouldibeaallowedibeforeestrictdenforcement oofhs.
MINUTES W 980
requirements by Pollution Control, whereupon Mr. Crowson advised that the City has
been requested to submit a schedule to them for their consideration as per the recent
workshop session with them, and he was of the opinion that unless such a schedule is
submitted, they would be reluctant to reactivate the existing permit.
City Manager Hopkins again recommended that Council investigate the desirability
of whatever parcels of land the city wants to consider and get some information
that can be measured, that for a year it has only been discussed and that he would
remind once again that the regulatory agencies are relaxing their requirements only
so long as the city moves toward a final solution to the problem.
It was consensus of Council that the committee of Messrs. Hopkins, Fleming and Czech
meet with officials of Green Valley Country Club with regards possible acquisition of
that p'property as soon as possible and report back to Council on November 13th,
as well as receive a schedule from Mr. Crowson for accomplishment of the proposed
program. It was also suggested that Council members present any other proposed
sites which they might know of for consideration at the meeting on November 13th.
in order to conclude that evening and authorize the engineers to proceed with finding
suitable land for additional facilities.
The meeting was adjourned by Mayor Smoak.
Claude E. Smoak,Jr. -
Dolores W. Carroll, City UturX
TAKE Deparlrucnt of Pollutlon Control
COUNTY" W.K. Hennessey, Acting Director
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"Printed on 100 % Recycled Papor"
October 30, 1973
Honorable Claude Smoak, Mayor
City of Clermont
1 Westgate Plaza
Clermont, rL 32711
He: Interim Method of STP Effluent Disposal
Gentlemen:
It has been my pleasure to meet with various mombers of the City of
Clermont Council recently to discuss the problem that is being ex-
perienced at the City Sewer Plant. The efforts made to date have
been hampered by the lack of available well drained soil on which
to spread the water that steadily collects in the percolation eva-
poration pond at the plant site.
In a recent discussion with Mayor Smoak, he brought up the fact that
the city owns some twenty two acres adjacent to the cemetery and ball
diamond. Upon inspection by this office, I found this property to be
, growing a complete cover of various grasses as
high and well drained
well as many oak trees and pines. Strictly from a pollution control
view, this is the type of land we feel best suited to spray irrigation
of sewage treatment plant effluents.
At Mr. Smoak°s request I made inquiry to the State Department of Poll-
ution Control for their comments, and they were most favorable. Accord-
ing to Mr. Davenport of the Regional Office Of the DPC, the area to be
irrigated must be fenced and posted to avoid
Ithe
possibility
of people
Lendrove
coming in contact with the effluent spray.
of the Lake County Health Department, and it was his reccomendation to
make a survey of the area to ascertain if any shallow waterwells were
present that may possibly become contaminated. It was also requested
that the pressure line to the feild must be isolated from any potable
water supply lines. These rules did not appear to be difficult to live
with, and Mr. Smoak, Mr. Hopkins, and I discussed the situation father.
It then came out that a more ambitious system of pipes ndght allow the
city to dispose of these effluents over various other plots of city
and privately owned property. In the view of this office again, this
is a very good idea, but I do feel that before we take that larger
second step toward what amounts to a seperate system of water lines
to supply irrigation water to the citizens of Clermont, we must have
an in depth meeting with the Health Department and other interested
agencies.
RECEIVED n 7 ^ 3
lionorablo Claude Smoak, Mayor, October 30, 1973- 2
I do fool they may have a lot more to cay about that ayotom than 'they
have caid about the interim oyatem we have already diecuccod.
I hope thin letter in nome help, and I look forward to helping in
any way poccibla in the future.
Sincerely,
LAKE COUNTY DLTAR' '111T Ob' POLLUTION CONTROL
gv_' , D� J
DILL II6 ESSEY, ACTING DIRECTO
lh
cc: 14r. W. C. Wood
Mr. Joe Hill