Reclaimed Water ASR in a Sand-and-Gravel Aquifer: Destin Water Users System (Florida, USA)

The beneficial reuse of reclaimed water is a legislative objective of the State of Florida and a critical element in the optimization of water management in areas facing scarcity of freshwater. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) of reclaimed allows for the balancing of variations in seasonal and longer-term supply and demand. Destin Water Users, Inc. (DWU), which serves a barrier island community in the Florida panhandle, implemented a groundbreaking ASR system that stores reclaimed water in a shallow sand-and-gravel aquifer. Institutional controls were used to provide additional assurance that public health is protected, and natural contamination attenuation processes are taken advantage of to address arsenic leaching into stored water and disinfection byproducts (trihalomethanes) removal. The DWU ASR system eliminated the need for more expensive and environmentally impactful options for the disposal of excess of reclaimed water and increases the reliability of the reuse system, having the benefit of reserving higher-quality fresh groundwater resources for potable use.