T44 A Showcase of Undergraduate Research in Hydrogeology (Posters)

Sunday, 22 September 2024
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Hall D

UTILIZING WELL CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION REPORTS TO CREATE A DATABASE FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA STORMWATER DRAINAGE WELLS

Paper number: T44-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) regulates contracting, permitting and construction of various types of wells. Through the public database OCULUS, the electronic document management system used by the FDEP, the public is granted access to permit information, inspection reports, well construction reports and historical data from wells. The Aquifer Protection Program implements the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program and issues permits to operate and construct injection wells to dispose of fluids. Subsurface injection often uses the permeable properties of the aquifer and gravity flow to direct the waste fluid through the injection well and below groundwater that is used for drinking. These wells are constructed adhering to the Florida Administration Code chapter 62-528 and 62-532 for controlling underground injection such as their classification, prohibiting unauthorized injection, and protection of drinking water sources.

The wells focused on for this project were UIC Class V Non-ASR wells, which include wastewater disposal and reuse well types such as rooftop rainwater injection and stormwater wells. Class V wells are used for the storage or disposal of fluids into or below an Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW) which is the part of the aquifer that can provide water for human consumption and is characterized by a total dissolved solids level of less than 10,000 milligrams per liter. The aquifer for the Broward and Miami-Dade counties areas is the Biscayne Aquifer, which is an unconfined, surficial aquifer with a unique makeup of highly permeable limestone. Compiling these data from Class V wells will provide a better understanding of the saltwater-freshwater interface within the Biscayne aquifer and the aquifer's hydraulic properties. Further, through an analysis of rainfall data and rooftop areas from aerial photography, we estimate the recharge rates of these wells.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-404550

© Copyright 2024 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.