FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 21, 2014
DEP FUNDS RESEARCH OF DELTONA
ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCE PROJECT
~Project will help to reduce withdrawal from Upper Floridan aquifer~
TALLAHASSEE – The
city of Deltona is researching and evaluating the viability of using the lower
Floridan aquifer in the vicinity of its service area as a supplemental water
source used to blend with existing water supply wells. The Florida Department
of Environmental Protection is providing the city $550,000 to design and
construct a Lower Floridan aquifer test well.
“Ensuring adequate
water quantity and protecting water quality are two of the biggest issues
facing this state,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “I support the
city of Deltona in its proactive approach of identifying an alternative water-supply source.”
“I am pleased that the
Deltona Brackish Water Test project will begin to move forward shortly,” said
Sen. Dorothy Hukill. "Trying to stay ahead of water issues should be
our main focus, and I commend the city of Deltona for looking to alternative-water sources to address future community needs. Water sustainability is
important to our citizens and also to our water resources, such as Blue
Springs."
“As the city of Deltona
further develops economically, it would be prudent for the city to study all possible
sources of potable water,” said Rep. David Santiago. “In some cases,
the ability to draw from potential brackish water supplies would help to
protect those water sources that are more environmentally sensitive.”
The city anticipates
that the test-well project will determine whether the brackish Lower Floridan
aquifer can be utilized as an alternative-water source. The city projects that
it will need approximately four million gallons per day of additional potable
water for the future 25-year horizon. This source may provide for those needs.
This source could
provide a sustainable water supply to greatly augment the existing sources
being utilized. In addition, groundwater
withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer would be reduced to benefit Blue
Springs and other resources. The project is estimated to be completed by the
end of 2015.
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