MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

H090
NERUSA Holly Hill Reclaimed Water Storage and Pumping and
Lower Floridan Aquifer Well
Project Type WS&R Dev.
AOR(s)
Water Supply, Water Quality
Basin(s) Peace River
Cooperator(s)
Polk County Utilities
Project Manager BADER, TAMMY
Task Manager(s)
Status Ongoing
Description
This regional alternative water supply project consists of two major components. The first component of the project will
consist of the construction of an additional 2 million gallon reclaimed water storage tank and high service pumping
facilities off-site from the Northeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (NERWWTF) to expand the total storage
capacity of the Northeast Regional Reclaimed Utility Service Area (NERRUSA) to 15 million gallons to meet future
public access reuse needs within the service area and potentially within the region. The second component of the
project will consist of the design and construction of a Lower Floridan Aquifer (LFA) observation well at the
NERWWTF Holly Hills site. The well will be drilled to about 2,200 feet below land surface and cased to about 1,700
feet below land surface. Once the LFA has been drilled, Polk County will perform a long-term, LFA aquifer
performance test yielding results that can be used regionally.
Benefits
There are no offsets associated with the first component of this project. The NERUSA system has an existing 13
million gallons of storage. The additional storage is needed to address pressure issues that the county experiences
during peak demand periods. The additional storage will also enhance the county's ability to maximize flows within the
system and develops the foundation for the potential interconnection with other WWTFs in the region. The primary
benefit of the second component of this project will be to determine the degree of confinement between the Upper
Floridan aquifer and the Lower Floridan aquifer at the NERWWTF Holly Hills site. This information will be used to
determine the amount of water supply that can be developed from the Lower Floridan aquifer at the NERWWTF Holly
Hills site. Additionally, this information with similar information from other sites in the area will enable the District to
develop a regional hydrogeologic understanding of the Lower Floridan aquifer. The water from the pumped well will be
discharged into Polk County's reuse water system and the storage tank to be built with the first component of this
project.
Costs
The total cost of this project is estimated to be $3,032,920, of which the District is requested to fund 50% or
$1,516,460. Because this is a Water Supply and Resource Development Project, is part of a regional effort to increase
the use of reclaimed water and expand the knowledge of the degree of confinement for the Lower Floridan aquifer,
and is consistent with the Polk County Comprehensive Water Supply Plan (H072), funds in the amount of $1,010,973
from FY2009 have been allocated to the project from the West Central Florida Restoration Action Plan (WRAP)
legislative appropriation. These funds will be applied to equally reduce the Peace River Basin Board and Governing
Board cost share. Funding in the amount of $605,000 (split between the Peace River Basin and Governing Board) has
been budgeted in FY2010. It is expected that funding in the amount of $405,973 will be requested in FY2011. No
cost/benefit ratio is calculated for this project, as there are no immediate offsets. The future funds identified for the
project are contingent upon approval of such amounts by the District Governing and Basin Boards in the annual
budget(s).
Additional Information
The Central Florida Coordination Area (CFCA) currently has restrictions on new withdrawals from the LFA. If the
District is to approve such withdrawals from the LFA in the eastern Polk County area, additional data is needed to
support such approval. In particular, knowledge of the degree of confinement for the LFA must be obtained.
Additionally, it must be determined whether or not the water quality in the LFA is likely to be fresh or brackish over
time.
The District, in a cooperative venture with Polk County, previously explored the LFA at the NERWWTF Holly Hill site,
located in northeast Polk County. Testing at this site consisted of a single well test and was unable to ascertain the
degree of confinement. Additionally, the test duration was two weeks during which a minor, upward trend in electrical
conductivity of the water was observed. To address these two issues, a new test with an observation well will be
performed.
The District will drill and construct a LFA observation well at the NERWWTF Holly Hills site. The LFA aquifer test will
last from two to six months depending on the water quality. If the water quality stabilizes early on, the test can be
discontinued after two months. The water from the pumped well will be discharged into Polk County's reuse water
system at the site. Of the total project cost, $539,920 is expected to be for design, administration and the LFA aquifer
020 - Peace River Basin 235