With about six months left in this fiscal year, the St. Johns River Water Management District in Fla. is on track to plug more wells than any other year over the District’s 50-year history.
Since October, the St. Johns River Water Management District has successfully plugged 62 free-flowing wells, saving 10.4 million gallons of water a day.
The increase in work can be credited to the District’s Governing Board waiving associated fees to plug eligible abandoned artesian wells within the 18-county region.
Prior to Nov. 9, 2021, property owners would have to pay $600 for the District to plug a free-flowing well. Now, to complete the list of reported wells, the Governing Board have unanimously approved increasing the funding for the program through the end of the fiscal year.
“This is something we can do right now that will have an enormous impact on water quantity for future generations,” states Rob Bradley, chairman of the District Governing Board.
The total cost to plug the 62 wells was approximately $274,000. When compared to the water savings over 20 years, the cost to plug the wells is approximately $0.003 per 1,000 gallons. Conversely, the cost to develop a new water supply would have been upwards of $3.00 per 1,000 gallons of water.
Florida law now requires well owners to control the discharge from artesian wells, limiting flow to only the amount of water needed for an intended use.
Many free-flowing artisan wells were used by farmers decades ago but are no longer needed today. These older free-flowing wells are typically in a deeper portion of the aquifer, making them susceptible to an increase in salinity.
Additionally, as the well ages, deterioration of the well casing can occur, which may allow poor water quality to move into other zones of the aquifer that are used for drinking water supplies.
