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Landfill near Mount Dora addresses Wolf Branch Sink worries
Lake County officials are raising concerns about a landfill they say could threaten a nearby aquifer. Commissioners and water officials worry that stormwater and leachate from the Mid-Florida Materials construction and demolition landfill near Mount Dora could seep into Wolf Branch Sink, a sensitive feature where water drains directly into the aquifer rather than filtering naturally through soil.
MOUNT DORA, Fla. - Lake County officials are raising concerns about a landfill they say could threaten a nearby aquifer.
Commissioners and water officials worry that stormwater and leachate from the Mid-Florida Materials construction and demolition landfill near Mount Dora could seep into Wolf Branch Sink, a sensitive feature where water drains directly into the aquifer rather than filtering naturally through soil.
Flooding concerns
The backstory:
FOX 35’s Marie Edinger first toured the Wolf Branch Sink with Lake County officials after Hurricane Milton. At the Sink there’s a feature called a "swallet," where water drains directly into the aquifer instead of percolating through natural filtration systems in the ground.
The November rain event in Lake County brought even worse flooding to that sensitive water feature and the landfill next door to it, so Edinger went back out.
After ten months asking the landfill’s owners for answers, she finally got to tour the site and speak with the company’s representatives.
The petition
What they're saying:
Lake County and the City of Mount Dora are accusing Mid-Florida Materials of allowing contaminants from their landfill to seep into Wolf Branch Sink – and from there, the aquifer that supplies our drinking water.
"It's their responsibility to make sure that if bad things have already happened that at least we put a stop to it now, and we don't let this grow any bigger," said Lake County Commission Chair Leslie Campione.
Lake County Commission Chair Leslie Campione spearheaded the filing of a petition to stop the landfill’s new permit from going through, alleging, "It is clear an unlined landfill already contaminated groundwater… Groundwater samples of wells indicate increased levels of aluminum, benzene and methane. This leachate (containing PFAS) enters either Pond 1 or the Wolf Sink and the aquifer."
To be clear though, the Water Resources Director for the Lake County Water Authority, Justin Elkins, says those materials are diluted within the water.
"We're not seeing that contamination where it's a public health emergency to where we have to broadcast that and say, ‘Look guys, you within this fallout zone are gonna be most impacted.’" He explained.
The Lake County Water Authority wants more testing done.
The landfill’s side
The other side:
Tom Craft is the Senior Vice President for Hubbard, the company that owns the Mid-Florida Materials’ construction and demolition landfill in Mount Dora.
"We have high standards for how we conduct business," he told FOX 35 News Reporter Marie Edinger.
Hubbard says they do constant testing, mandated as part of their permit with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. And the FDEP is allowed on property any time they want, like after major rain events.
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"They'll come out and inspect the site and make certain that the facility is acting like it's designed to," explained Craft.
Craft and his team say they’re a CND landfill, not a site filled with regular old trash. They do a lot of recycling there too.
And he says the expansion the County is trying to stop is not really an expansion at all – they’re simply going to start using a portion of the site they’d always been approved to use.
The biggest point, though, is he says they are not contaminating the water.
"It’s not moving off the property," Craft said firmly. "This retention facility here collects water, but over time it dissipates through the ground."
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Craft also pointed out that there are other developments nearby the Wolf Branch Sink that could also impact the water. The Lake County Hydrogeologist, Blanche Hardy, did actually tell Edinger the same thing.
"The landfill being here obviously is a concern, but it's not the only concern," she said.
What's next:
Edinger asked the Lake County Water Authority, straight-up: People are concerned about this. What should I tell them?
"I would test my water regularly," he answered.
If you have questions for Hubbard or Mid-Florida Materials, you have an opportunity to ask them. They’re hosting a town hall at the Sullivan Ranch clubhouse on Wednesday, December 17 at 6:30 pm.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Lake County Commission, and Tom Craft is the Senior Vice President for Hubbard, the company that owns the Mid-Florida Materials’ construction and demolition landfill.