Three members of the Save Our Aquifer board met with Jim McKnight, Rockledge City Manager, on December 3, 2010. Mr. McKnight reported the Rockledge ASR is currently on hold because of concerns the well will not be able to meet Federal EPA limits of 10 parts per billion arsenic without additional expensive technology for de-gasification. The two Jones Edmunds & Associates (JEA) consultants most closely tied to the Rockledge project have left JEA. Mr. McKnight is awaiting a report from another JEA engineer in late January regarding studies of arsenic problems in other ASR wells. At that time JEA will recommend whether it is economically and physically feasible to proceed with the project. Mr. McKnight will present the report to Council in February for Council’s direction.
The permit for the ASR well at Port Canaveral has expired. According to Carol Noble, Director of Environmental Plans and Projects, “At this time we are not performing any injections or any additional sampling for the ASR project.”
Stay tuned for the upcoming Council meeting date.