 |
Biscayne Aquifer - Renewal & Removal of Groundwater - Page 2
Renewal & Removal of Groundwater -Page 1
Renewal & Removal of Groundwater page 2
Urban
Development
The replenishment of an aquifer relies on the permeation
of the ground with water from rain. In urban areas, areas with high
concentrations of concrete and asphalt or other non-permeable areas,
the water
doesn’t pass down through the soil and into the aquifer.
 "Typical Deep Ground Injection Well and ASR Well in South Florida." From the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan: Aquifer Storage and Recovery Program |
Wells
Wells are the means by which South Florida’s population access the
groundwater of the aquifer. About 330 million gallons of water per day
are pumped from the Biscayne aquifer through wells descending an
average of 80 feet below the ground surface (Miami-Dade Government).
Aquifer Groundwater Storage
and Recovery
Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells (ASR) are being explored as a part
of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. They are a potential
means of protecting South Florida’s groundwater supply and Everglades’
water supply. These wells have been in use in parts of Florida and the
United States since 1980’s. The principle of the ASR well is that when
the water level is high, excess water is pumped further underground
into confined aquifer (an aquifer sandwiched in between two impermeable
layers of material). The water is then extracted during times when the
water level is low.
Sources:
1). U.S. Geological Survey. The Ground Water Atlas of the United
States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, HA 730-G. By
James A. Miller. Published in 1990. http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch_g/index.html
2). Miami-Dade County, Department of Environmental Resources
Management. Water Supply. http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/derm/Water/supply_treatment.asp
3 ) U.S. Geological Survey. Circular 1262. Ground Water in
Freshwater-Saltwater Environments of the Atlantic Coast. Box F.
Aquifer Storage and Recovery in South Florida. By Paul M. Barlow. http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2003/circ1262/#boxf
4) Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP). Document: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan:
Aquifer Storage and Recovery Program. http://www.evergladesplan.org/docs/asr_whitepaper.pdf