Grant secured for historic restoration of Turnbull Canal in New Smyrna Beach.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

On Tuesday, June 13, Donna Athearn, Chairwoman of New Smyrna Beach’s Turnbull Creek Land Preservation Committee expressed her astonishment and excitement as she addressed City Commissioners just moments before their crucial vote on accepting a generous grant of $1,351,429.24 to facilitate the restoration of approximately 1.3 miles of Turnbull Canal, stretching from State Road 44 to its endpoint at Old Mission Road.

"This is stunning to me. I never thought I'd see the day, and I am stoked! All you've got to do is approve it." said Athearn. "This could be the largest historic restoration project of the oldest Egyptian irrigation system on U.S. soil."

According to a release, the nationally registered network of historic canals were dug by hand using ancient Egyptian methods of crop irrigation and is one of the most influential infrastructure upgrades that resulted from the Turnbull Settlement during the late 1700s. As part of the agreement, the city will receive technical and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and contribute $407,057 towards the project from its Stormwater Utility Fund.

Before the work can start, some milestones must be met, including holding a pre-design conference within 30 days of the agreement’s execution, obtaining permits, surveying, designing, finalizing plans, soliciting bids, and awarding a contract to perform the work.

The agreement and project will be key topics of discussion at the upcoming Turnbull Creek Land Preservation Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 20, at 3 p.m., inside the James W. Hathaway Chambers at 214 Sams Ave. Interested parties can access the agenda packet at https://bit.ly/3PyMKTF.