Nocatee neighbors dealing with dead grass after JEA warned of low reclaimed water reserves

NOCATEE, Fla. — Drive through Nocatee’s Settler’s Landing neighborhood and what you’ll find are lawns with patches of dead grass and brown spots across the neighborhood.

Action News Jax first told viewers back in June when JEA warned Nocatee customers of low reclaimed water reserves due to high temperatures and lack of rain.

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“None of our sprinkler systems were actually even working,” Settler’s Landing resident Chadwick Fulk said. “And I could obviously tell that because three times a week, nothing was coming out.”

Fulk went on vacation for three weeks in July and came back to his lawn almost entirely dead because his sprinklers didn’t work.

While some neighbors had the time to hand water their lawns, others in Settler’s Landing like Fulk are now left having to replace their dead lawns – thanks to their homeowners association (HOA) requirements.

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“I know my neighbor that I’ve spoken to that, he went on vacation for three months. His entire yard is pretty much gone and he’s looking at anywhere from three to ten thousand dollars to replace his entire yard,” Ernst said.

The neighborhood’s HOA now plans to hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the lawn issue. The HOA has paused any fines related to dead lawns, but it’s still sending notices asking they be replaced.

While residents say JEA has now fixed the water pressure issues for the time being, the dead lawns and the costs homeowners will incur remain. Many told Action News Jax Tuesday morning they just hope something is done to avoid getting caught between JEA service issues and their HOA’s rules in the future.

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“If we could just partner with them and work with them and come up with some sort of resolution where they maybe turn off water to one neighborhood during certain days of the week and allow us to get water certain days during the week, that is what I’m trying to find some sort of resolution that works for everyone,” Ernst said.

Meanwhile, a JEA spokesperson pointed out to Action News Jax on Tuesday that there are guidelines for when and how much residents should use their reclaimed water, even saying many residents have not followed those guidelines.

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JEA also said it is working on the following projects to bring upgrades to its reclaimed water services in the future:

• The Greenland Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) is expected to be online in early 2025, treating up to 4 million gallons per day and acting as a repump facility to add pressure and supply in the eTown and Nocatee areas.
• The RiverTown Reclaim Booster will be online in 2025, improving reclaimed water pressures in the RiverTown community.

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