ABSTRACT
A comprehensive aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project is proposed to meet water-storage demands in southern Florida, USA. Approximately 330 wells will seasonally inject 6.2Mm3/d of treated surface or ground water about 300 m deep into the slightly saline Upper Floridan aquifer for subsequent recovery to meet ecosystem restoration, agricultural, and urban needs. Efforts to characterize the geologic framework of a karstic aquifer, predict impacts to the regional ground-water flow system, characterize subsurface biogeochemical reactions, and identify downstream ecosystem sensitivity to water recovered from ASR wells will include invasive and noninvasive exploratory methods. These methods include advanced stratigraphie techniques, correlation of hydraulic parameters with geologic characteristics, regional ground-water flow and transport modeling, water chemistry, biogeochemical analyses, and modelling, and as well as studies to detect potential ecosystem responses. Collaborative planning activities between Federal, State, and local agencies involve multiple decision-making processes and implementation of adaptive assessment techniques.
