Save Our Aquifer - Rockledge, Florida

At the June 4, 2008 Rockledge City Council meeting, a volunteer with Save Our Aquifer turned in 267 petitions (all signed by Rockledge residents) requesting an Administrative Hearing. This was done after no one was called on or allowed to speak on the agenda item to spend another $57,000 in addition to the over $2 million already allocated to the reclaimed water Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well. The City is moving forward with the well construction at breakneck speed. If you have not filled out a petition please download the petition here. Please fill it out today and mail it to: Save Our Aquifer, P.O. Box 251, Cocoa, FL 32923. The City expects to have construction of the well completed in August 2008 and seek the injection permit soon thereafter. We need all petitions in when the City seeks the permit to inject/dispose of 180 million gallons of partially treated sewage annually into the Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW). This could happen as early as August 2008.

Summary

In January 2008 the City of Rockledge received a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to construct an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well and associated test wells. But they do not have a permit to inject reclaimed water. For a list of what's in Rockledge's reclaimed water click on reclaimed water. The City will have to go through a major permit modification prior to injection. This permit modification will allow citizens a 14-day Notice of Intent period in which to send petitions to FDEP and gain standing on the injection of partially treated sewage into the Floridan aquifer, the same aquifer our drinking water comes from. We will be following the actions of the City and FDEP with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests so that we are prepared ahead of time for the petition period! This may happen as early as August.

We need as many people as possible to sign the petition and gain standing on the issue. Download the petition. Please fill it out and mail it to: Save Our Aquifer, P.O. Box 251, Cocoa, FL 32923.

What you can do now is write a brief email to City and State officials. Let them know the FDEP and SJRWMD should not promote the injection of millions of gallons of reclaimed water with its hundreds of known carcinogenic pollutants and endocrine disruptors into our drinking water aquifer.

A few reasons to oppose a reclaimed water ASR:
* We should not be disposing of partially treated sewage into the Underground Source of Drinking Water
* Endangers adjacent ecosystems because of migrating pollutants
* Not beneficial for the public, but enables the State to justify continued uncontrolled growth
* Uses experimental technology in a gamble to conserve drinking water for future growth
* Eliminates use of a local drinking water resource for the purpose of watering lawns
* Economically risky

Background

Reclaimed ASR wells are being proposed throughout Florida as a means to reduce the draw on the drinking water aquifer for non-potable uses such as watering lawns. Water is stored during rainy months and pumped up during dry months when watering demands increase. By being able to store reclaimed water until needed, officials hope to curtail the watering of lawns with potable water.

ASR wells can be used to store drinking water, surface water, storm run-off, and reclaimed water, basically using the aquifer as a huge storage tank. Reclaimed water ASR wells (using water from sewage) are a new technology and currently only two in all of Florida have testing permits from FDEP, but neither have operational permits.

The City of Rockledge currently injects 200 million gallons of excess reclaimed water at a depth of 2720 feet. The new Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well would move away from this deep-well injection, and would pump 180 million gallons yearly of partially treated sewage only 300 to 500 feet deep into the Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW), also known as the Floridan aquifer. There the City could "store and recover" a portion of this reclaimed water for the 60 day dry season, but the remaining water would infiltrate our main drinking water aquifer and contaminate all wells within a one mile radius of the injection site and beyond.

Recently the City constructed a 6 million gallon above-ground storage tank at a price of $2 million, in addition to two previously constructed tanks, for a total storage of 8.75 m. gallons. The ASR would theoretically allow storage of 120 million gallons of reclaimed water underground for a cost of $2.8 million (with consultant fees). This is projected to allow reclaimed water use to increase from 70% to 85%, instead of deep-well injecting excess reclaimed water. But it is not known how much injected water can be recovered, leaving doubts as to the cost-effectiveness, with some ASR well recovery rates are as low as 3%.

The ASR site (at the Rockledge Sewage Treatment Facility, 1700 Jack Oates Blvd.), is proposed to annually store 120 to 180 million gallons of reclaimed water 400 ft. deep in the Floridan Aquifer, within the Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW), per Rule 62-528.605, F.A.C. The well site is within 2000 feet of the Indian River Lagoon, a State and federally protected body of water. The lagoon composes about one-quarter of the affected 1-mile radius circle.

Proposed Rockledge ASR well (click on photo to enlarge)

(The blue circle represents the "radius of influence," 835 ft., while the green circle is the radius of influence plus 50%, or 1252 ft. This is for injection of 120 m. gals. It is unknown how these areas will expand over time, given less than 100% recovery of injected water, and possible migration because of unknown subsurface properties. The yellow circle is the legal 1-mile radius area covered by the well ban.)

The initial permit allows the construction of the ASR wells and installation of an ultraviolet disinfection system, after which a major permit modification, with a 14-day public comment period, will be required to start cycle testing the new well with reclaimed water. If all testing proves successful, and arsenic levels are below 10 parts per billion, and other criteria are also met, then another permit modification is required to put the ASR into operation.

The eight annual Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Program - For citizens concerned with the use and management of Florida's water resources, Monday, September 22 to Tuesday, September 23, 2008. Holiday Inn Select, Orlando International Airport, Orlando Florida

The Concerns:

(A) Pollution. The process of pumping water into ASR wells is known to often cause the leaching of unsafe levels of arsenic from the surrounding limestone. It would also introduce numerous contaminants commonly found in wastewater into the aquifer. Within 1 mile of the injection site:

* Homeowners with existing wells will not be able to use their wells for drinking
* Homeowners would not be permitted to drill new potable water wells. See Ordinance 1414-2006
* The Indian River Lagoon is at risk from migrating contaminants.

Due to public health and environmental concerns, the State of Georgia has completely banned ASR wells in the very same Floridan aquifer. Indian River County has also banned ASR wells.

According to research by Dr. Sydney Bacchus, ASR wells can create ground water changes resulting in major physical, chemical, and biological impacts to marine ecosystems and species. The reclaimed water also contains endocrine disruptors such as birth control, caffeine, cleaning products and prescription drugs, etc. which can be carcinogenic and which have seriously negative impacts on the reproductive systems of fish and other wildlife.

(B) Financial risk. Suitability of the ASR well can only be determined after the cost of construction and testing. Many factors can lead to abandonment of ASR wells, such as:

* sustained unsafe levels of arsenic present in the ASR injection site and surrounding aquifer
* leakage from the underground storage area into the surrounding aquifer
* reclaimed water from the city not meeting standards for injection.

ASR wells cost millions of taxpayer dollars to construct. If the ASR well fails to meet required standards, all that money would have been spent for nothing, but our aquifer would have already been compromised.

(C) No Notice. Homeowners in the affected area were not directly notified about the ASR well and the potential impacts on their private wells. No public hearing has been held.

(D) Better Solutions. Above ground storage is possible: Rockledge built an above ground storage tank in 2006 and the City of Cocoa utilizes ponds. Reclaimed water can also be filtered using a wetlands filtration system that helps to recharge the aquifer, as Brevard County and Orlando use.

What you can do:

Sign the petition. Consider buying a sign for your yard ($5 a piece); contact us if you are interested.

Contact City, FDEP, and St. Johns River Water Management District officials today in writing or by phone and tell them to stop this project.

Talk to your family, friends and neighbors.

To ask a question or get involved, contact: info@saveouraquifer.org

The current permit is only for construction and does not allow injection. The City of Rockledge will have to get a major permit modification through FDEP prior to injection. During this time a 14 day Notice of Intent period will allow people to comment by petition on the injection. This may happen as early as August 2008.