***SAVE OUR AQUIFER NEWS RELEASE***
For Immediate Release:
January 5, 2010
Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) contaminated the aquifer and a stormwater pond at the Port with unsafe levels of arsenic while testing an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well. On January 4, 2010, the Brevard based environmental group, Save Our Aquifer (SOA), sent a letter to the Canaveral Port Authority (CPA), the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), and other State and Federal officials regarding the possible release of unsafe levels of arsenic into Waters of the United States at Port Canaveral.
SOA discovered the information via a public records request from the Canaveral Port Authority office. The Canaveral Port Authority Aquifer Storage and Recovery Cycle Test Report (July 2008) shows cycle testing of their Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well released arsenic above Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety standards into the surrounding aquifer and nearby stormwater ponds that outflow into Waters of the United States.
In 2008, Tetra Tech Inc., the ASR engineering firm hired 
by CPA, performed three consecutive cycle tests for an ASR well over a four month period. High rates of arsenic were seriously problematic during all three cycle tests of the ASR well. Results of the tests are outlined in the report. At only 35 to 60 feet in depth, this is the shallowest ASR well in the state of Florida.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the EPA limit arsenic to 10µg/l for groundwater and drinking water safety. The 10µg/l (10 parts per billion) standard is considered to be high. Even waters that meet this standard have been associated with a risk of greater than 1 in 400 for bladder cancer or lung cancer according to the study “Arsenic in the Drinking Water: 2001 Update, National Academies’ National Research Council.”
When cycle testing began in February 2008, background arsenic concentrations were “0″ (zero) or “ND” (Not Detected), according to Tetra Tech’s report. After cycle testing, arsenic levels at the injection sites were two to seven times FDEP and EPA permitted levels. Arsenic readings in the nearby stormwater storage pond spiked to 19µg/l. The elevated arsenic levels in the stormwater ponds were noted in test data submitted, but were not mentioned in the narrative explanation of test results.
It appears the SJRWMD, which holds the permit for the stormwater ponds, was not notified by the CPA or Tetra Tech that the cycle testing caused arsenic-laden water to flow into the nearby stormwater ponds which outflow directly into Port waters near Glen Cheek Drive. There is no evidence the restaurants, businesses, or people using Port waters in this area were notified of the potential danger posed by the release of this high-level arsenic stormwater. Also put at risk were marine species, including the endangered manatee, sea turtles, and wood storks.
“Arsenic is naturally present but bonded to the sand. Oxygen introduced with the injected water broke the bond and released the arsenic into the aquifer and groundwater,” said Mark Jacobs (SOA).
“Arsenic is a highly poisonous element. The Port and the other communities in Brevard who are considering utilizing ASR wells to store their sewage wastewater need to realize the many dangers this process poses for our water ways and water supplies,” said Amy Mosher (SOA).
“The stormwater ponds at the Port were designed to capture stormwater runoff, with overflow mechanisms that channel excess runoff into Port waters. They were not designed to treat arsenic-laden waters,” said Dick Glenn (SOA). “We don’t know how much arsenic-contaminated water overflowed into the Port waters and the nearby Banana River.”
“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has called these types of ASR wells “experimental”. It appears this well has not only been a costly experiment in terms of taxpayer dollars, it has been a risky experiment with unknown consequences to the health of our groundwater and waterways, including the Indian River Lagoon system,” said Kathy Reinhold (SOA).
STORY CONTACT: Save Our Aquifer
Richard Glenn: (321) 298-6726
P.O. Box 251 Cocoa FL 32923,
email: info@saveouraquifer.org
website: www.saveouraquifer.org
*** Read the letter that was received by the Canaveral Port Authority and State and Federal agencies: click here (pdf)