U.S Geological Survey, South Florida Ecosystem Program: Place Based Studies

Project: A retrospective and critical review of aquifer storage and recovery sites and conceptual frameworks of the Upper Floridan aquifer in south Florida

Web Site: A Retrospective and Critical Review of Aquifer Storage and Recovery Sites in South Florida

Location: Total System

Principal Investigator: Ronald S. Reese (rsreese@usgs.gov) 305-717-5821

Project Personnel:, Robert A. Renken (rarenken@usgs.gov) 954-349-7801; Rachel Loveman (rloveman@usgs.gov) 305-717-5818; Kelly Dobbins (kmdobbin@usgs.gov) 305-717-5809

Other Supporting Organizations: None

Associated Projects: None

Overview & Status: Regional aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in southern Florida is proposed as a cost-effective water-supply alternative that can help meet needs of agricultural, municipal, and recreational users and help provide Everglades ecosystem restoration. The Restudy of the Central and South Florida Project plans to utilize approximately 300 ASR wells in southern Florida. ASR technology has been tested and implemented in some areas of south Florida; ASR wells have been constructed at 24 sites in an area that extends southward from Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties, and wells are planned or are in the permitting process at five additional sites. A pilot ASR facility is being constructed by South Florida Water Management District on the Hillsboro Canal in southeastern Palm Beach County. Three ASR facilities are operational. Few regional investigations of the Floridan aquifer system hydrogeology in south Florida have been conducted, and the focus of those studies often addressed separate and unrelated issues. Lacking a regional ASR framework to aid the decision-making process, ASR well sites in south Florida have been primarily located based on factors such as land availability, source-water quality, and source-water proximity (preexisting surface-water canal systems or surficial aquifer system well fields). Little effort has been made to link information collected from each site as part of a regional hydrogeologic analysis.

Needs & Products: This analysis will also provide direction to future research activities. Illustrations (maps and tables) characterizing ASR wells and facilities in South Florida will be constructed. They will show key attributes for each ASR site for the purpose of comparisons between sites. A Water-Resources Investigations Report will be published in September 2002. It will include a series of maps and tables displaying data on ASR sites. It will include a comparative analysis of differences between ASR sites, including the identification of common threads, technical issues, or potential problems that have been encountered and that may have influenced the level of success of aquifer storage and recovery. Additionally, it will identify critical data needs and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current conceptual hydrogeologic models or frameworks.

Application to Everglades Restoration: This study will provide scientists and ASR decision-makers with additional tools and data necessary to make informed decisions that incorporate constraining hydrogeologic factors in the placement and construction of ASR facilities in southern Florida.