Video builds public support to comply with new water quality, quantity regs

The Volusia Blue Floridan Aquifer supplies around 100 million gallons of fresh spring water to its surrounding areas every day. It’s the largest warm-water refuge on the East Coast, and numerous local species (humans included!) rely on this aquifer for survival.

Building public support for this project was therefore imperative for our client, the West Volusia Water suppliers. Mead & Hunt is supporting the West Volusia Water Supplier’s efforts to comply with new regulations for water quality and water quantity in Blue Spring. The new regulations, while necessary, dramatically affect water supply for utilities, and they limit how we can manage wastewater treatment plant effluent.

The importance of ensuring the quantity and quality of its contents are highlighted in the video.

The video we produced iterates how, in response to these new regulations, our team led the collaboration to develop the Blue Spring Minimum Flow compliance strategy. This strategy includes a suite of projects to conserve groundwater and enhance, recharge, and improve the quality of reclaimed water throughout the Blue Spring watershed. This is an innovative solution that strikes the delicate balance between meeting the needs of the Volusia County community while at the same time protecting a precarious ecosystem.

Sometimes the human experience aspect of a much-needed project is lost in the technical minutia. In this situation, the technical people involved in the project become a very valuable resource — they often have in-depth knowledge of how the project will impact local communities and the people who live and work there. They can explain why, exactly, the change is necessary.

Educating project stakeholders, environmental groups and the public at large is something we can’t afford not to do. Explaining the value of a controversial project not only benefits clients and stakeholders; it demonstrates our respect for the communities we serve, and it earns our communities’ trust in return.

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