Astor Utility Holds Up Under Flooding Pressure

    The flood event currently underway in Astor is unprecedented, at least in the time of recorded history. The St. Johns River has reached record flood levels since Hurricane Ian passed through late last week, leaving many hopes, and their utility services underwater. But if there is a bright spot in the middle of the otherwise dire circumstances, it can be found in the fact that the area’s utility system has stood up to the generational test.
   St. Johns River Utility provides water and wastewater services to the vast majority of residents in the Astor, Astor Park, and Volusia communities, and utility general manager Randy Meyers this week said the system has held up under the crushing pressure of the rising river.
   “Everybody has maintained drinking water,” Meyers said Monday. That includes residents along both sides of the river who have seen their water lines and fire hydrants come under additional pressure. Additionally, the utility’s wastewater system, which features individual pumping stations at many homes along the system, and along the river in particular, has been able to handle situation, at least in cases where grinder stations have not been completely covered in water.
   "The tanks that are not covered up with river water have remained useable," Meyers said, noting that 'quite a bit' of the stations near the river have indeed been flooded and are currently not in operation. It is expected that those units will be able to be replaced once the river finally recedes.
   Describing an ‘unbelievable’ situation brought on by the amount of water pouring into Astor from the aftermath of Ian, Meyers was still pleased that utility customers never saw an interruption of service during the weather, save for those grinder stations that are underwater. Additionally, he feels the system is proving capable of standing up to the pressure of the floodwaters, and that there is not expected to be any leakage from wastewater tanks that are currently under water. He noted on Monday that if there was to be any leakage, it would be ‘a minimal amount’, and not present a public health risk.
   "We have had no wastewater spill," Meyers said, with the utility's processing plant able to handle the large surge in wastewater that occurred after power was restored to customers around the system and many pumps sent wastewater to the plant at one time.
   “The tanks that are not covered with river water have remained usable.”
   The utility’s performance during the past week may be worthy of praise, but Meyers says his appreciation goes out to the utility’s customers have handled Ian’s impact.
   “I’m really proud of the way our customers have handled this situation,” he said. “We understand the aggravation and inconvenience this has brought about.”