The Suwannee River and St. Johns River water management districts are exploring ways to recharge the Upper Floridan aquifer as part of a cooperative effort to plan for sustainable regional water supplies.

 

The Suwannee River Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board authorized a contract with Atkins, Inc. to perform the Upper Floridan Aquifer Regional Recharge Concepts and Feasibility Study. Since the District and St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) are coordinating on water supply planning activities, SJRWMD joined the District as an equal partner for the project and will provide 50 percent of the funding.

 

The project will develop and examine the feasibility of four conceptual water resource development projects intended to recover Upper Floridan aquifer groundwater levels in the northeast and east portions of the District and the northwest portion of the SJRWMD.

 

The project will examine the economic, environmental, and technical feasibility of recharging the aquifer with reclaimed or surface water. General concepts that will be explored include recharging the aquifer with reclaimed water, diverting and storing surface water during high flows for recharge, and capturing flood waters within floodplains for storage and natural recharge. Water that is used to recharge the aquifer will be treated to all applicable state and federal drinking water standards.

 

The project will also consider suitable recharge locations based on geologic and hydrogeologic conditions while also considering areas that provide the most direct benefit to recovery of the Upper Floridan aquifer.

 

“This project is a key strategy to effectively and efficiently manage and protect shared water resources,” said Jon Dinges, District director of Water Supply and Resource Management. “Replenishing our groundwater levels will ensure the long-term sustainability of our water supply and will have a positive impact on our springs, rivers, and lakes.”

 

“The Atkins project will provide aquifer recharge options we can consider to augment the water resources in both districts,” said Al Canepa, assistant director of the Division of Water Resources for SJRWMD. “It complements a soon-to-be-implemented SJRWMD pilot project measuring transmission losses and aquifer recharge rates when a new source of water is applied in the Keystone Heights lakes region.”    

 

Once the notice to proceed is provided, Atkins, Inc. will complete the project over the next 12-14 months and present a final report to the District’s Governing Board.