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1 Telephone: (407)567.8000 December 3, 1991 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 1840 25th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960 Suncom Telephone: 224-1011 Mr. Henry Dean Executive Director St. John's River Water Management District Post Office Box 1429 Palatka, Florida 32078-1429 1 SUBJECT: INDIAN RIVER COUNTY ALTERNATIVE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL UTILIZING A SHALLOW WELL EXTRACTION/INJECTION SYSTEM Dear Mr. Dean: The Indian River County Department of Utility Services is currently investigating alternatives for disposing of treated wastewater effluent along coastal areas of the County. At present, percolation ponds and reuse by golf course irrigation are the primary methods of effluent disposal utilized by the County. During normal conditions, the present disposal capacity is sufficient for the County's needs. However, during wet -weather conditions, the demand for irrigation water decreases, creating a surplus of treated wastewater effluent. For additional disposal capacity during wet -weather conditions, the County is investigating two alteratives: (1) Deep well injection, and (2) Shallow well extraction/injection. At present, the County's primary interest, and the subject of this letter, is the shallow well extraction/injection system. The concept of this extraction/injection system is to hydraulically load (at a high rate) a series of percolation ponds. Around the perimeter of the ponds, a well system will extract groundwater from the vicinity of the ponds while enhancing the performance of the ponds. The extracted groundwater will then be injected into a deeper groundwater zone by a series of injection wells at a location remote from the pond site. In essence, the system will move groundwater from one location to another while enhancing the effluent disposal capacity of the percolation ponds. At first glance, other than increasing the capacity of the ponds, one may ask what benefits are there for such a well system. To answer this question, the reality of saltwater intrusion in Indian River County must be considered. It is hoped that with the strategic location of the injection wells, the inland movement of the saltwater/freshwater interface can be held stationary and eventually be forced to retreat. If this concept proves to be correct, similar injection systems may be beneficial to communities along coastal Florida.