Water-Related News

Eustis contractor warned in Wolf Branch pollution case

A contractor working on a 1,000-home subdivision in Mount Dora has been cited by city officials for polluting a creek near the project.

Professional Dirt Services of Eustis polluted Wolf Branch Creek three times since March while working on the Lakes of Mount Dora project, Mount Dora officials said. Pollution from the site traveled more than a mile and turned the creek the color of chocolate milk with a reddish brown mud.

The contractor was scheduled June 13 to appear at a special magistrate hearing, an administrative proceeding. Instead, Professional Dirt Services signed a consent decree.

If the contractor again pollutes the creek, it will pay $500 for “each and every day thereafter if the violation remains,” according to special magistrate documents. If the pollution is “irreparable or irreversible in nature,” the fine is $5,000. The site is currently in compliance.

The Lake County Water Authority and St. Johns River Water Management District first received complaints in early March about water turbidity. Both agencies visited the creek and traced the source of the turbidity back to the Lakes of Mount Dora construction site on Bridgeport Bay Circle, where a 1,032-lot subdivision is being built.