Youngquist Brothers Environmental Advocacy

Sensitive estuaries and coastal waters throughout South Florida are getting further protection as more local utilities use environmentally sensitive technology to safely discharge treated wastewater.

Deep Injection Wells, which discharges treated wastewater thousands of feet beneath the surface, provides the greatest separation from the natural environment and human contact of the limited large quantity disposal alternatives available in Florida.

Many utilities, especially in southern Florida, rely on deep injection wells, which discharge treated wastewater 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the land surface, to protect rivers, lakes and bays from the negative impacts of effluent disposal. Modern treatment methods, stringent construction requirements, natural cleansing in the subsurface and formidable natural barriers, combine to protect underground drinking water sources.

As clean water becomes more of an issue, Florida has turned more to reuse technology for alternative sources of irrigation. The City of St. Petersburg, Florida, has the most extensive water reclamation system of any urban area in the United States. On the driest days, they reuse nearly 100% of its treated wastewater, however sometimes less than 10% is reused on rainy days due to increased flows and reduced demand. In order to not discharge this nutrient rich water into Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay, St. Petersburg relies on 10 deep injection wells to safely discharge the excess into a salt water formation known as the Boulder Zone.