Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells in Florida: How and When will Impact be Regulated?

Publisher Summary This chapter explains that the aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a concept that will play an important role in the solution to the water supply concerns in South Florida, not only for urban users but also for agricultural and environmental users. According to current plans by the South Florida Water Management District and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE), to restore the Everglades and provide urban water supplies, ASR is the solution. ASR is a relatively new concept in the management of water supplies, in both potable and non-potable water systems. The concept is to inject water into a suitable aquifer system during the times when water is available and to recover that water later to meet future needs. Regulators will need to be flexible in allowing demonstration projects to proceed in a cost-effective manner to enable full understanding and possible assessment of the role of ASR in the Everglades Restoration Plan. In addition to concerns over the water quality impacts associated with large-scale implementation of ASR, additional questions exist regarding the implementation of this relatively new concept on such a massive scale.