CERP - ASRSP Aquifer Storage and Recovery Science Plan

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) prepared this 2021 Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Science Plan to address uncertainties identified in the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) review of the ASR Regional Study Final Technical Data Report. Studies discussed herein will be conducted as ASR wells are constructed in a phased manner. A brief history of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) ASR program is provided here for context. The 1999 Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study (Restudy) identified the potential use of ASR technology as a means of storing water in aquifers for later use. The Restudy proposed construction of up to 333 ASR wells to recharge, store, and recover water underground to provide water for the Everglades, improve water levels in Lake Okeechobee, prevent damaging releases to the coastal estuaries, and ensure water supply for agricultural and urban development in South Florida. Acknowledging this unprecedented use of ASR technology, the Restudy recommended construction of pilot projects and development of a regional evaluation of the effects of large-scale use of ASR in South Florida. The plans for these projects were developed and reviewed by the NRC during 2001 and 2002. The results of the construction and testing of the ASR pilot projects along the Hillsboro Canal and C-38 Canal (Kissimmee River) were published in 2013 (CERP ASR Pilot Project Technical Data Report) and 2015 (CERP ASR Regional Study Final Report). Those investigations indicated a reduced number of ASR wells (not 333 as originally proposed) wastechnically viable without detrimental effects to the aquifer, the environment, and nearby water users. Specifically, the investigations determined that 80 ASR wells could be constructed in the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee. The CERP ASR Regional Study Final Technical Data Report was reviewed by the NRC in 2015. The NRC concurred with the report findings but identified some uncertainties and topics that warranted continued investigation. In 2020, the SFWMD and USACE released the Final Integrated Project Implementation Report and Environmental Impact Statement (PIR/EIS) for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWRP). The Recommended Plan identified in the LOWRP PIR/EIS included 80 ASR wells, a wetland attenuation feature (shallow impoundment), and two areas of wetland restoration. During public review of the PIR/EIS, stakeholder concerns were raised about the remaining ASR uncertainties highlighted by the NRC review. During the July 2019 Governing Board meeting, the SFWMD committed to developing a plan forscientific research, investigating the uncertainties as ASR wells are constructed in a phased manner. This inaugural ASR Science Plan is the result of that commitment. The ASR Science Plan is intended to be updated annually or as needed as the ASR program is implemented and as data, research, and science become available. The ASR Science Plan was developed with guidance from an independent ASR peer-review panel of eminent Florida scholars and scientists. The document provides the initial plan of studies and investigations that will take place as the ASR program moves forward. The ASR Science Plan will be reviewed annually by the peer-review panel, to be kept apprised of the investigations’ findings and to assist in developing future studies that ensure ASR technology is implemented in a science-led, phased approach. This publication continues the SFWMD and USACE’s commitment to communicate with the public as work progresses toward restoration of the South Florida ecosystem