- December 12, 2025
Deputy City Engineer Shawn Finley, Commissioners Susan Persis, Dwight Selby, Rob Littleton, Mayor Bill Partington, Karl Hankin, former utilities manager Dave Ponitz and City Engineer John Noble. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Mayor Bill Partington, Commissioners Rob Littleton, Susan Persis, Dwight Selby and guest speaker Karl Hankin are introduced during the groundbreaking ceremony for the reuse water project at Breakaway Trails on Thursday, April 18.
Public Works Director Gabe Menendez speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the reuse water project at Breakaway Trails on Thursday, April 18. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Mayor Bill Partington speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the reuse water project at Breakaway Trails on Thursday, April 18. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
City Commissioner Susan Persis speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the reuse water project at Breakaway Trails on Thursday, April 18. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Karl Hankin, of the St. John's River Water Management District, speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the reuse water project at Breakaway Trails on Thursday, April 18. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The city of Ormond Beach officially broke ground on a new $2.9 million reuse water project at Breakaway Trail on Thursday, April 18.
The project will demolish the existing early 1990s reuse storage tanks and pumping facilities, as well as the water tower, and replace them with a 2 million gallon pre-stressed concrete ground storage tank and a new pump station, according to a press release. The new system will operate jointly with Hunter's Ridge's system, and will provide storage and pumping for residents in the western portion of Ormond Beach's reuse water service area.
The St. John's River Water Management District aided the city's project cost by granting $792,000. McMahan Construction, of DeLand, was awarded the contract for the project, which the city expects to be completed by January 2020.
“Some folks may not think that reuse water is very sexy, but to me and to anybody that cares about the environment, it really is a great thing," Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington said.
He said he's proud of the city for taking the lead in providing reuse water, as reuse water generally costs less than other systems, reduces fertilizer use and impact to the Halifax River, in addition to reducing the stress of drinking water supply. In the Breakaway Trails area, reuse water is also used for fire suppression, Partington said.
City Commissioner Susan Persis reminded people that April is water conservation month, and that one of the ways to conserve water is by expanding reuse water systems.
“The fewer gallons of water we put into the Halifax River, the better our water quality will be," Persis said.
The guest speaker for the groundbreaking ceremony was Karl Hankin, the SJRWMD division of projects director, and he said projects like this help reduce the amount of water pumped out of the aquifer for irrigation. It also lessens the amount of harmful nutrients in the Halifax River.
Hankin said conservation is one of SJRWM's top priorities, and, that they have made great strides toward it. From 1995-2017, Hankin said water use in the district has decreased by 13% while population increased by 44%.
“The District is pleased to be a funding partner in this important project that offers these benefits," Hankin said.
