Simulated effects of ASR injection and withdrawals in the Floridian aquifer system near Lake Okeechobee Florida - a first approximation

The locations of injection/withdrawal sites and accompanying rates will be provided by project development team members. Because of the close proximity of the model’s southern boundary to the proposed injection sites, the model cannot be used to evaluate the possible effects of injections and withdrawals to areas south of the lake. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan's (CERP) Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project proposes to inject and then withdraw up to 1.0 billion gallons per day (bgd) of surface water into and out of the Upper Floridan aquifer during wet and dry weather conditions at selected sites near Lake Okeechobee.

Concern exists, however, that the injection and withdrawal of such large volumes of water may affect water levels in the Floridan aquifer system for considerable distances away from the proposed well sites in South Florida. As a result, project team scientists agree that a regional GW-flow model will eventually be needed to evaluate the magnitudes and extents of head changes resulting from ASR operations. At this time, however, uncertainty exists in just how far the northern boundary for such a model would need to be extended to avoid the undesirable effects caused by assignment of other than natural aquifer boundaries (i.e., constant head or flux boundaries).

Also, because water-use data collection represents such a large investment of manpower in the construction of any regional model, it is desired not to extend the boundary any further north than necessary.