CERP Project:
Lake Okeechobee Aquifer Storage and Recovery
This full-scale project includes a series of aquifer storage and recovery wells adjacent to Lake Okeechobee with a capacity of one billion gallons per day and associated pre- and post- water quality treatment in Glades and Okeechobee Counties. The initial design assumes 200 wells, each with the capacity of 5 million gallons per day with 8- ultra-filtration water quality pre-treatment facilities and aeration for post-treatment. Based on information from existing aquifer storage and recovery facilities, it is assumed that recovery of aquifer-stored water would have no adverse effects on water quality conditions in Lake Okeechobee. In fact, some level of nutrient load reduction may occur as a result of aquifer storage, which would be a long-term benefit to in-lake water quality conditions.
The purpose of this project is to:
- Provide additional regional storage while reducing both evaporation losses and the amount of land removed from current land use (e.g. agriculture) normally associated with construction and operation of above-ground storage reservoirs;
- Increase the Lake's water storage capability to better meet regional water supply demands for agriculture, Lower East Coast urban areas, and the Everglades;
- Manage a portion of regulatory releases from the Lake primarily to improve Everglades hydropatterns and to meet supplemental water supply demands of the Lower East Coast;
- Reduce harmful regulatory discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries; and
- Maintain and enhance the existing level of flood protection.
Operation assumes that after treatment, water from the Lake Okeechobee will be injected into the upper Floridan Aquifer when the climate-based inflow model forecasts a water level significantly above what is desirable for the littoral zone (shoreline ecosystem). Water in the aquifer may be returned to the lake, post-aeration treatment, when the level falls during a dry season.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
Orlando Ramos-Gines, Project Manager
Orlando.Ramos-Gines@usace.army.mil
Sponsor:
Bob Verrastro, Lead Hydrogeologist
bverras@sfwmd.com
Project Details:
| Project Sponsor: | South Florida Water Management District |
|---|---|
| Project Schedule: | For scheduling information regarding this project, please see the Master Implementation Sequencing Plan (MISP). |
| Project Phase: | Pre-Construction, Engineering and Design |
| Design Agreement: | 12 May 2000 |
| CERP Component Designation: | GG (Part 1, 2 and 3) |
| Project Cooperation Agreement: | |
| Authorization: | Not currently authorized |
