Nick Cooper's Response to Shelley's, Runoff, and Lake Ola




This is Rick Cooper's response to the e-mail sent asking if Shelley's Septic Tanks' runoff is going into Lake Ola. 


NAME REDACTED

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. As we looked into your concern with Shelly’s Septic, it was determined that Shelly’s property is located outside of Lake Ola’s drainage basin (see map below). Shelly’s runoff flows south through a retention pond that is owned by Orange County and then continues through a constructed wetland that is owned by St. Johns River Water Management District. From there, water continues to flow south towards Lake Apopka.

As I’m sure you are aware, the county collects water samples quarterly and posts the results on the Orange County Water Atlas (https://www.orange.wateratlas.usf.edu/lake/waterquality.asp?wbodyid=140357&wbodyatlas=lake).  The algae you are finding is more than likely linked to a nutrient source located within the Lake Ola drainage basin. These sources could potentially include residential septic systems, backyard fertilizer, and/or stormwater runoff. Most pollutants within Lake Ola are holding steady, but Chlorophyll (an indicator of how much algae is in the water column) is going up slightly.  I urge you to continue to stay connected and regularly attend the Lake Ola Advisory Board meetings. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Orange County EPD with any questions or concerns you may have in the future. Also, please let me know if you have any questions regarding the information provided. Thank you and have a great day!

Nick Cooper
Lake Management
Environmental Specialist II
Environmental Protection Division
3165 McCrory Place, Suite 200
Orlando, FL 32803



The e-mail this letter is in response to is below:

Good morning,

I live on Lake Ola in Tangerine and during the summers I take my dog out to swim 3-4 times a week when I work in the yard. This past summer was the first time that I saw algae floating on the top of the lake and I've lived here for 27 years. There was so much in fact, that I bought a net and scooped the algae from the lake surface whenever I was working in the yard. Other neighbors observed this alga as well. Once school started, (I was a high school teacher in Seminole County) I didn't have the time to work on scooping algae in the lake until October when the amount of observable of algae was decreased. I don't see algae on the surface at this time. 

I understand that nitrogen and phosphorus are found in runoff from human activities such as septic tanks and are associated with algal growth. As far as I know, there were no additional septic tanks installed and there is a concern about stormwater runoff from Shelleys Septic Tank's facility as evidenced in the inspection report noted in the warning letter to Shelleys referencing the inspections on January 30, 2020, and February 10, 2020, by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 

Going online and doing searches, I was able to determine that Shelleys was disciplined for felony illegal dumping in Flagler County in 2010 and this was discussed by the Board of Orange County Commissioners in a meeting on January 11, 2011. In a PowerPoint presentation at this meeting, it was noted that a contract for hauling biosolids was not extended "due to the contractor's FDEP permit issues."  The BOCC PowerPoint also referenced that "The facility has a history of noncompliance." I've provided a link at the bottom of the page to the PowerPoint presentation. 

I understand that correlation does not equal causation, however, there have been murmurs from local residents that runoff from Shelley's Septic Tanks is ending up in the lake when we have storms. I am not an expert on lakes and I do not know where Shelley's spreads out waste that could have runoff, but along with the multiple deficiencies noted in Stormwater Runoff Prevention Plan, it gives me an index of suspicion that the two (runoff and algae) could be related. I have no additional details, only an index of suspicion. 

I am requesting that as you investigate the problems with Shelley's Septic Tanks that you consider where any runoff from their facility may end up. I believe that the Shelley family has enough problems right now and I'm not wanting to add to them, but we need to protect our lake. 

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